How to take picture if background is brighter den foreground?


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Junha0

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Jul 30, 2008
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Bukit Panjang
Let say subject is standing at foreground with buildings behind and the sky is bright.. How do i capture the subject face without over exposing the back and under exposing the subject?
 

Use fill flash, or put yourself between the sun and the person.
 

Use fill flash, or put yourself between the sun and the person.

In additional, when using fill flash, if you are using Nikon, set in your menu to use AP sync mode for the flash to go higher shutter than the sync speed. Or else your shutter speed will be stuck at the flash sync speed when using flash. For other camera brand, use the equivalent setting.
 

and also meter the background first
 

and also meter the background first

Noob question:

How do you meter the background (or any particular area)?
Is it similar to focusing?
 

spot metering possible too...if you don't mind the background being washed out...
 

Let say subject is standing at foreground with buildings behind and the sky is bright.. How do i capture the subject face without over exposing the back and under exposing the subject?
if you want the sky included, can use the GND filter.

Then again can take 2 pictures, one of actual shoot and the other of the background and sky in good light and then use a digital software to mix them together.
 

I'm almost sure that your cam have those backlight shooting mode thingy...

why not giv it a try. ;)
 

Then again can take 2 pictures, one of actual shoot and the other of the background and sky in good light and then use a digital software to mix them together.

LOL...so that you can get sky in good, dim light in the background but with a very dark subject in the foreground?
:sticktong
 

some camera offer setting like DRO by Sony (Dynamic Range Optimizer), which will lighten up the underexpose subject without overexpose the sky/background.
underexpose you subject (and retain the sky blue) and use flash to brighten your subject.
Circular Polarizer to bring out the blue of the sky.
Gradual ND filter to make the upper sky area darker
silver/white lining reflection kit which reflect sunlight on your subject
Photoshop, raw conversion or even HDR to bring out the blue
or combination of above, ther should be more way to do it.
 

LOL...so that you can get sky in good, dim light in the background but with a very dark subject in the foreground?
:sticktong

I think he meant taking 2 shots, exposing for the subject for one shot, then the background. That will actually take some time to post process.
 

Noob question:

How do you meter the background (or any particular area)?
Is it similar to focusing?

Are you using Nikon body ? If you are then the following instruction will allow you
to meter different from your focus point.

On your body, there should be a AF-ON button. In your menu, set it to lock exposure only.
What you do switch to spot or weighted metering. Point the focus spot at the sky area, hold on to the AF-ON button, you will observe a AE-L wording lit up in your viewfinder display. Then shift your focus point to your subject, half depress the shutter release button to engage the focusing mechanism and fully depress when you are ready to capture.

That will allow you to expose on different parts of the scene and perform a recompose and capture procedure.

Another more manual approach is point your focus point to the point u want to meter, using spot or weighted metering. Observe the shutter speed and aperture used, switch your mode to manual and use these values. Then point at your subject, half depress shutter release button to focus and shoot.

Both will give you the same results.

Metering is just a action to tell you what shutter speed and aperture to use and any moment to properly expose the scene.

:)
 

I think he meant taking 2 shots, exposing for the subject for one shot, then the background. That will actually take some time to post process.

You don't need HDR to perform this action :) My explanation above.
 

I think he meant taking 2 shots, exposing for the subject for one shot, then the background. That will actually take some time to post process.

How do you do it?
As in, how to expose (meter?) a particular area in the view finder?
Won't it automatically meter the exposure at the center, or around the centre (spot metering and centre weighted)?
What do I do to meter an area that is not at the center of the view-finder?
(Sorry for the Noob question):sweat:
 

I am using a 450D..

how do i perform a fill flash on this?
 

if you want the sky included, can use the GND filter.

Then again can take 2 pictures, one of actual shoot and the other of the background and sky in good light and then use a digital software to mix them together.

Multiple shots mostly proven to be useful only when your scene are not moving. When it's moving or have a human in it, it is rather hard to ask the subject not to move. Of course this can be solved using digital manipulation, but there is another much better alternative and simpler method to just use a fill flash to expose your subject properly and still retain the nice background
 

How do you do it?
As in, how to expose (meter?) a particular area in the view finder?
Won't it automatically meter the exposure at the center, or around the centre (spot metering and centre weighted)?
What do I do to meter an area that is not at the center of the view-finder?
(Sorry for the Noob question):sweat:

My explanation above :)
 

I am using a 450D..

how do i perform a fill flash on this?

Fill flash is merely just like patching up a scene using light. If you can use a torch light to fill up those dark areas, it's also "filling" in nature. But of course, we use flash here. Your flash power will not allow you to fill the background because it's so vast and far, hence only near subjects especially for portraits will be especially useful. Just "throw" your flash at your subject and that's about it.

The "difficult" part is getting a balance between the amount of light falling on the subject, so that it light the subject up, but not showing as if you are shining a torch light on the subject's face. It looks weird and ugly if that is the case. the amount of light falling on the subject should be roughly of 1:1 ratio to the background so that the subject will not be too outstanding. Remember your flash temperature is normally not the same as the background, so ambient light is normally better. Flash light tend to be slightly blueish.
 

shoot what the sun is facing both the subject and background
and your back

With utmost respect, that's a solution, but wouldn't that be like why not just do it in the studio ? :) Isn't the whole idea here is looking for a solution to obtain a scenery capture with the situation being as such, rather than camera perspective totally changed with a totally different intention altogether ?
 

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