Blown Highlights

Hello Experts,
Recently came back from my trip to Bahamas and magic kingdom. There were some photos with completely blown highlights. Especially when taking photographs of the Castle against the sky, and my wife+kid in the water. I will attach photos if you request it. I wanted to know where I can find more info on how the different metering modes work in 10D and which mode is appropriate for this kind of situation. Where can I go to learn more about exposure.

thanks,

pramod../

First, set the Review setting on your camera to display Info. That will give you a histogram showing light level distribution, which you want to keep from bunching up at either end, and shows "blinkies" on the image where an area's overexposed.

Thanks for the suggestions.
I have info set to on. The question is when I see something bunched up or with overexposure shown in the image, what should I do. I have tried several things:
1. lower the aperture - increase the aperture number
2. increase the shutter speed,
3. bracket,
4. decrease the iso to minimum.

I have done all the above except, change the metering mode. That's the reason why I want to learn more about the metering modes and it's relation to exposure. I also want to learn how to work within the limitations of 10D.

Thanks

pramod../

Its something we all suffer with using JPEGS.
1. Get the sun in right position.
2. Use RAW

When shooting the types of subjects that are describing here I tend to underexpose slightly to make sure that the highlights will not be totally blown. Once they are, they are gone for good. I always shoot RAW so I know that I can post process the image and then rework it in PS to retain the detail in the highlights.

The way to find out how your metering works is to practise with the different modes and take many practise shots. Normally I would do this on the same subject in the same lighting condition so that you can see the difference from one mode to the other.

On the shots you are describing here, I probably would have used center spot metering as the castle and your family were the focus of the image, assuming you had filled the viewfinder mostly with them.

I think you've got the methodology right - stop down, speed up (the shutter) and slow down (the ISO). Optimal metering mode's going to vary more based on what you're shooting than what the light's like. If there's a backlit subject, Partial may be best (if the subject fills the central circle of the viewfinder). If there are all-over sparkles, like reflection off waves, you'll need a spot or partial metering arrangement (and the 10D doesn't have a spot meter - closest approach would be to zoom in, meter, then zoom out to recompose). If it's a wide contrast range however, like a backlit something with a bright sky, you won't be able to keep the whole image in range unless you use, say, a graduated ND filter to hold back the sky. Best way to learn is to try to duplicate as many environments as you can, and shoot in all of them using all three metering modes, to see what works for you. For instance, I find that photographing aircraft, which can be a fairly small part of an otherwise bright sky, metering the grass, or a gray card, and shooting M often works best.

Thanks a lot for all the good info guys. I have been shooting RAW since I got my first digital - G3. I haven't turned back since. In the meantime I found these two articles useful:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com …/understandexpo​sure.shtml

http://www.normankoren​.com/zonesystem.html

If you have more info I would certainly appreciate the input.

thanks once again.


pramod../

Well I'm no expert by any means, but on my 10D, I seem to have the most luck with that type of shot, using partial metering, and exposing for the sky, recompose and take the shot. The sky turns out beautiful, the subject a bit dark, but it usually photoshops perfectly

Photamat. This is a repost of my recommend to Markubig some months ago:
****
Do you have access to a good tutorial on "high contrast exposure challenges?" The problem you present is one of the reasons why auto reduction fill flash was invented, as long as you have foreground subject nearby.
There have always been the same solutions when the contrast range of the setting (anything above, say 6+ f/stops) exceeds the contrast range of the film or sensor:

1. Wait for a different time of day/different quality of light.
2. Move subject to diffuse shade.
3. Carry/use diffusers/reflectors (and assistant) to balance the lighting ratio.

4. Try using Canon E-TTL fill flash in this order:
a. put camera in M;
b. meter ambient background bright light;
c. turn on flash;
d. get any focus point lock on a midtone on the subject.
e. bang away;
f. adjust based on histogram.

Focus-Lock-Recompose (FLR):
DO NOT USE FLR WITH CANON E-TTL flash. FLR leads to inconsistent results with Canon; If you use a low f/stop, use focal plane hi-speed flash setting.
Here's example of doing this in bright sun, with range of black to silvery white and sky, all within histogram with no blown pixels:
http://aesop.rutgers.e​du …/slides/TurbOTi​ll%201.htm

Since No. 1 is unacceptible for candid/PJ efforts, and Nos. 2 & 3 kill the spontenaity of candid settings, No. 4 is your ticket to success. Still may get shiny bald heads, etc.
Works for me daily. I do not understand the resistance to flash that I read. Get a decent shot. Move on. Works better with any good flash, like a used 420/550/580EX, etc.

Bracket:
5. Set Drive Mode to Continous, and set Auto Expsoure bracketing to 0, -2/3, +2/3. Hold shutter and camera will process three shots before stopping. One is likely best.

6. Put camera in M. Meter the sky to just below over exposure. Take the shot. Check histogram.

7. Just tolerate some over exposed "hot spots," which is what they were termed before the on screen pixel peeping age of "blown pixels."

8. Shoot RAW and recover 1/3 to 1 stop over exposure, depending on image.

Hope this helps. Jacks

I check the histogram and clipping indicator and dial in some exposure compensation, very easy with the 20D et al, just swish the quick control dial with the thumb. Not sure how it works on the DR but it must be there.

Jacks,
Thanks for the detailed info. I will definitely try out some shots in the weekend using your suggestions. Also can you tell me which metering mode works best for your suggestions?? I know that putting the dial on M turns off the metering. But If I were not on M, but on Av or Tv, which one would you suggest?

All this makes me ask another question. Do any of you use overaly of two exposures(one with the highlights metered and one with shadows metered) to get a better image?? How practical is something like that?

Once again thanks for the excellent info.

pramod../

Photamat:
Regarding "Castle against the sky," well just don't do that (haha). And use a polarizer when shooting over water. And tolerate some over exposed highlights.

Regarding M and Flash, M just means the meter is Manual Mode, not turned off! It means is you, the camera user, are in charge of looking at the scene, looking at what your meter is pointed at, and making a snap judgment about whether you match the needle in the center, or adjust over or under the center. It's really the same way exposure compensation works in Av or Tv. It's the same way we took pictures for decades. In high contrast outdoor scenes, my 20D and 1D MkII meter will be fooled (not get it wrong, just fooled) about 80% of the time!

Let's do an example: A hot bright sky Disney World or Bahama beach scene day, person in foreground with light clothing, blond hair, shiny sweaty skin, etc. Metallic, water,or specular reflections abound in the scene.
1. Turn off flash.
2. Put camera in M.
3. Meter sky or brightest backlit background part of scene (or maybe it's clothing or blond hair or sweaty skin) at, say, 1 2/3 stops OVER exposure - the minimum that HOLDS the highlights as properly exposed. This is the step that prevents blown out highlights. If you take the picture now, the foreground will likely be underexposed.
4. Turn on flash. Turn on hi-speed syn if needed. (BTW, you need a hotshoe flash).
5. Focus on foreground, getting a focus point on midtone foreground subject (not using FLR).
6. Release shutter and bang away.
This is the same way you take a picture of a baseball player with a cap on on a bright sunny day on the field.

Hi contrast outdoor environments with no help from time of day, clouds, diffusers, etc. are doomed to by my specialty given my field work.

Other posters above recommended using Av or Tv mode, and adjusting with EC, exposure compensation. Or, set the camera in continous drive and set exposure bracketing to 0, -2/3, +2/3. These are all doing the same thing.
But, I think posters above are failing to grasp that your problem is the extreme SCENE exceeds the capture range, not the CAMERA control features.

Sure you can use the EC method or bracketing, but you still will not get a faithful exposure of the scene, which you might with flash.

Canon E-TTL auto-reduced daylight fill flash behaves differently depending whether you are in bright light, say above 10 EV, or in dim light, and behaves differently depending on the Mode (Av/Tv versus M). If you learn the method above, you can venture in all kinds of directions.

Regarding overlaying images, YES, there is a good way. The classic photoshop multiple exposure overlay method only works for landscape photographers working from a tripod.
But, for us on-the-go picture takers... There is a way from ONE image! Shoot RAW. Always. Even if you also save a JPG.

Open the RAW image in Adobe PSCS/PSCS2 with Adobe Camera RAW (ACR). Set white balance and contrast. Then "develop" two images changing RAW EXPOSURE; one for proper highlights (a dark image) and one for proper shadow detail (an overexposed image). The dark image should have a moderate CONTRAST setting in RAW converter and the lighter image should have a HIGH CONTRAST setting on conversion.
Once you get the two images, there are FOUR different methods of properly combining them that I can't go into here, but the web and PS textbooks are loaded with them.

The simplest is:
Open both images.
Press Move Tool.
Hold Shift key and drag dark image on top of light image.
Hold Option key and put a black mask on upper image.
Start painting with white to blend the two exposures.
Again. There are MANY alternates of these methods. Every PhotoShop book has one of the 4 ways.
Fred Miranda sells the DRI plug-in which uses an exposure contrast method.
Go to the Luminous-Landscape.com site.
Read Bruce Fraser's book on Camera RAW.
Have fun.
Jack

I had sone shots with blown highlights - eg. the snow covered peaks in the backgrounds or white clouds when I am shooting people. I had shot everything in RAW.

Used Raw Shooter Essentials. Turned up Exposure Comp. and White balance to the required level to get faces clear. Then brought down the highlights to the required level to save the blown areas. Worked in almost 60-70% of the shots. It does bring down the contrast and color vibrancy of the shot a tad, but wasnt a huge loss.

I would also keep one thing in mind,, the time of day you are shooting. The best time to shoot in such a bright region, would be about 45 minutes, to an hour before sunset.