Taken a couple of days ago, I have a hard time not blowing out the whites in cases like this. Any suggestions are welcome.
Nikon D3s
300mm f2.8
1/1250 Sec
f4
ISO 640
0.67 ev
Cropped, sharpened
Wood duck
Taken a couple of days ago, I have a hard time not blowing out the whites in cases like this. Any suggestions are welcome.
Nikon D3s
300mm f2.8
1/1250 Sec
f4
ISO 640
0.67 ev
Cropped, sharpened
Tom,
I cannot help you on your question, but I am sure somebody can.
The image itself is magnificent and the BG almost unbelievable.
Tom,
very nice Wood Duck, love the colors in the water.
you are not the only one with trouble blowing out the whites....it's especially tough with dark colors juxtaposed with white.
Probably no fool proof method for every situation but you could start with the "Sunny 16 Rule" and adjust exposure (in manual mode) from there keeping your eye on the histogram.
Check this out .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_16_rule
Nice image!
Joel
Thank you Ken and Joel for your comments. Joel thank you for the Sunny 16 rule guide - I had not seen that before.
Hi Tom, Shoot in manual using spot metering meter a mid tone subject in the same light as your subject set the compensation to 0 and fire away all other tonal values will fall into place your blacks will be black with detail and your whites will be white without being blown. Really like this image the color in the water makes it for me.
Don Lacy
You don't take a photograph, you make it - Ansel Adams
There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs - Ansel Adams
http://www.witnessnature.net/
https://500px.com/lacy
Don, thank you for the tip, I will try that.
The water has some really nice light and color qualities, I think the duck needs a little more adjustment of contrasts as he is a little muted.
Re blowing whites, did you try the recovery slider or moving the exposure slider into the negative?
Thanks Chris. I have adjusted the contrast here as well as the recovery slider some. I didn't adjust the exposure slider to the negative because it makes the head too dark and you lose color there. I actually, moved the exposure to the right a bit - doesn't help the blown whites but does bring out more color and detail in the shadows. Here is a repost.Originally Posted by Chris Korman
Tom,
I love this shot, wonderful color and the mood is great. Regarding whites, where do I start:
1. Look at the Education and Tutorial Form - there is a nice thread on protecting and recovering whites
2. Joel's advice is good as well. The Sunny 16 rule will get you close or spot-on
I have always liked what Artie says, expose for the highlights. Moreover, when looking at this scene what is the one area that must be protected - the whites. If can take a few sample shots to get the exposure correct. Of course you can bracket as well, I have actually started doing that. It does create more images but you can turn it off and on as needed. I use a [1 stop] range and it works for me. Listen, getting the exposure correct can be a challenge. Try exposing for the whites, look at setting based on sunlight (sunny 16 thing) and try bracketing if you want. Artie always says, the meter is smart during sunlight and dumb when cloudy - hence practice is the best way to get it right.
Jeff, thank you for all the suggestions, I have much to work on and to learn. I appreciate all the feedback from everyone.
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