need some help setting up all my shots

[reemas]

im struggling here with basic metering, exposure and shot settings. what happens is, i see something i like or would want to take a photo of. then i find the angle, but after that, i just put the camera into P mode. to me it makes no difference on the shutter speed or aperture value. (of course im im going to shoot fast, slow motion or various types of depth of field, i'll adjust accordingly.) but otherwise i usually shoot in P mode.

the problem is most of my shots require post processing up the wazoo and then noise starts to become an issue. i find some parts are too dark and some are too light. especially when i try silouhette shots with the sun or similiar.

any tips on setting up the metering modes ( i own a canon 20d) and the exposure values? is there some rule of thumb? maybe my shot compositions are not properly set, i.e. sun is in the way... etc.

[yb98]

Usually I shoot in AV mode. I choose a large aperture in the case of portraits and a small one in the case of landscapes. Then I press the shutter half to see the required exposure time. If it is lower than (1/focal length) then everything is OK and I can shoot. Else either I try with a larger aperture or I increase the ISO depending on the situation. Finally you can always look at the histogram to see if the exposure is correct.

Yacine.

[CyberPet]

You might want to try to use Evaluated metering, Center weighed metering or "spot"... i.e. experiment which metering hits the target best when you shoot.

[reemas]

thanks for the tips. ill check the histogram more frequently. my problems right now are in landscape, so i guess i'll have to recompose.

[LisaMarie]

Hello Remass,

Working on silhouettes you need to meter from the brighter sky above, below or to the side of the sun (make sure the actual sun is not visible in your view finder when you take the meter reading). Using P mode does not give you the control you will need with great consistency but it can be done by metering off the above areas and then recomposing. * Metering properly the backlight will allow everything else to silhouette - you meter for what you want - in this case the difference in the backlight from the other objects will render them in silhouette.* You can control your exposure with a great degree of certainty every time using Manual mode. Using a predetermined mode you get what the camera wants - sometimes it's what you want and sometimes it’s not., leaving you with tons of post processing that does not render what you had intended. Should you choose in the future to learn “M” you won‘t be disappointed, especially with today’s cameras it very easy to use. Remember when shooting a silhouette (as with anything) the correct exposure is the one that gives you the result you desire. You can only get the correct exposure by choosing it yourself . I love the look on my students faces when they see how easy they can create a silhouette for the 1st time.When you get a chance post some of your silhouettes. I would love to see them.

[GovtLawyer]

Hello Remass,
Working on silhouettes you need to meter from the brighter sky above, below or to the side of the sun (make sure the actual sun is not visible in your view finder when you take the meter reading). Using P mode does not give you the control you will need with great consistency but it can be done by metering off the above areas and then recomposing. You can control you exposure with a great degree of certainty using Manual mode. Should you choose in the future to learn “M” you won‘t be disappointed., especially with today’s cameras it very easy to use. Remember when shooting a silhouette (as with anything) the correct exposure is the one that gives you the result you desire. You can only get the correct exposure by choosing it yourself . When you get a chance post some of your silhouettes. I would love to see them.


Or, you can use the Average/center weighted metering, with the center directly on the subject which is being sillohuetted, or you can add one or two stops of exposure compensation.

[glangston]

Or shoot in RAW and adjust in post processing, either Canon DPP, Photoshop CS or Elements 3.

[reemas]

adjusting the RAW files usually leaves me with a noisy image. not just because of over/under exposing, but any photoshop work degrades image quality, or at least it looks like it.

i have been shooting in raw though.

[Hellashot]

You might want to try to use Evaluated metering, Center weighed metering or "spot"... i.e. experiment which metering hits the target best when you shoot.

I don't own a 20D but I've read on here that is doesn't have spot metering, only partial. And that Tv and Av use evaluative metering which isn't usually ideal. I use P or M most of the time.

[PhotosGuy]

adjusting the RAW files usually leaves me with a noisy image. not just because of over/under exposing, but any photoshop work degrades image quality, or at least it looks like it.
i have been shooting in raw though.
RAW processing does not degrade the image! PS editing can.
If you aren't using something like RawShooter to process, I suggest that you take a look at it. There are sliders to reduce noise in it, too.
http://www.outbackphoto.com/artofraw/raw_18/essay.html

Here's a shot where the meter read the sky which was the brightest thing in the viewfinder. I should have zoomed in on an area of the car without a highlight reflecting to confuse the meter. Even a crappy RAW file had enough good data in it to save me & I was able to extract a useable pic here.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=43761&highlight=sunliner

Once you get the "exposure thing" down, you'll have fewer problems & better pics! ;)
Expose to the Right
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/expose-right.shtml

[Miranda1]

Landscapes can be a real problem especially with large expanses of very white bright clouds because of the large dynamic range of the scene. This will vary of course depending on what the scene is. Your best bet is to use a graduated ND filter or use digital blending to merge two images of the same scene that have been exposed correctly for the portion of the scene in question. The other option is to use PS CS shadow tool to bring out the shadow areas on shots that have been properly exposed for the sky.

[Curtis N]

RAW processing does not degrade the image! PS editing can.This statement could use some clarification.
Simply converting a RAW file to TIFF or JPEG does not degrade the image, but...
In my experience, increasing exposure via a RAW converter will add digital noise, similar to what you would see with a higher ISO setting.

[reemas]

but any other PS work such as dodge, burn, saturation, etc. on a non raw file (even if converted) does increase noise and pixelation right? it seems like it to me.

[d'homme]

What are you shooting that needs post? Your average normal shot in P, shouldn't need a lot of post.

[PhotosGuy]

In my experience, increasing exposure via a RAW converter will add digital noise, similar to what you would see with a higher ISO setting. It doesn't ADD noise, just shows up what is already there. RSE has tools to help with that before the conversion. but any other PS work such as dodge, burn, saturation, etc. on a non raw file (even if converted)??? does increase noise and pixelation right? it seems like it to me. Yes. That's why it's better to do what you can before the conversion.

[reemas]

i took this shot outdoors. i dont have the original, right now just the edited version.
i cropped, slight dodge and burn. tritone, and usm. it was shot in raw at iso 800 on a canon20d

http://images.dpchallenge.com/images_portfolio/24599/orig/186272.jpg

[reemas]

so can you do things like dodge and burn on a raw file? if so how? i use photoshop to manage my raw files but after the initial raw editor, it seems to open up in photoshop like a standard jpg.

[PhotosGuy]

so can you do things like dodge and burn on a raw file? In a sense. If I'm going for a big print, I'll make a couple light & dark conversions & blend them in PS. If it's just for the web I'll do it in PS. The thing with RAW is that you can always go back to the "original negative" & reprocess for different applications, or when you find that you know more & want to change something.

Sorry, we got off your metering question. Take a look at these:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/expose-right.shtml
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

after the initial raw editor, it seems to open up in photoshop like a standard jpg. You may have to change your processing parameters to get a tiff.