subject darker than surrounding

[tamade]

suppose my subject (person) is darker than its surrounding, as in the surrounding are well-lit (very bright), how do i go about to get a good shot? the situation is like the japanese style lantern house in the Chinese Garden, the subject standing in the door is much darker than the house, how should i capture it?

if i adjust the white balance darker, the subject would also be dark & vice versa. would setting long shutter help?

im using a canon ixus v3.

any advice is much appreciated

 

[Newman]

Use a slower shutter speed with flash.

 

[Tweek]

if i adjust the white balance darker, the subject would also be dark & vice versa. would setting long shutter help?

Hi, white balance doesn't help with exposure, you may want to read up (your manual, the web) for what white balance is all about. For your question, if it is in the daytime, bright daylight, just use forced flash. Meaning just keep the flash icon selected. The flash will act as fill in flash to light up your subject, provided he/she is within the flash range. If it is in the evening/night/lowlight, like newman said use slow sync flash.

 

[tamade]

Use a slower shutter speed with flash.

icic... thanks

 

[ST1100]

The flash will act as fill in flash to light up your subject, provided he/she is within the flash range. If it is in the evening/night/lowlight, like newman said use slow sync flash.

Erm, Newman didn't say use slow sync flash; he said use slower shutter with flash. Totally diff things.

Watch out for red eye also, though i don't see how you can work around that one without an external flash.

 

[tamade]

Erm, Newman didn't say use slow sync flash; he said use slower shutter with flash. Totally diff things.

Watch out for red eye also, though i don't see how you can work around that one without an external flash.

for the red eye, guess have to fix it with s/w :embrass:

 

[sequitur]

you have to meter off the bright spot first.

meter the bright part of the pic, lock AE and then use forced flash (fill flash i'd rather call it)

with this technique you can get a surrealistic portrait shot.

but on the v3 i not sure, after all it's a p&S

 

[Tweek]

Erm, Newman didn't say use slow sync flash; he said use slower shutter with flash. Totally diff things.

why totally different?

 

[darkness]

I think in your case of bright background, use slow-sync flash (which may not necessarily end up with slower shutter speed, since the environment is bright). The slow-sync will meter accordingly to your scene (assuming evaluative metering), and the flash will brighten up your subject.

 

[tamade]

you have to meter off the bright spot first.

meter the bright part of the pic, lock AE and then use forced flash (fill flash i'd rather call it)

with this technique you can get a surrealistic portrait shot.

but on the v3 i not sure, after all it's a p&S

ok, i get what you mean, in v3, i should use the spot AE point metering mode on my subject, then use flash & shoot. thanks

 

[tamade]

Hi, white balance doesn't help with exposure, you may want to read up (your manual, the web) for what white balance is all about. For your question, if it is in the daytime, bright daylight, just use forced flash. Meaning just keep the flash icon selected. The flash will act as fill in flash to light up your subject, provided he/she is within the flash range. If it is in the evening/night/lowlight, like newman said use slow sync flash.

hi, think i got my terms wrong, definitely not adjusting white balance, should be adjusting exposure compensation :embrass:

 

[tamade]

Use a slower shutter speed with flash.

if i use slower shutter speed, wont the surrounding be brighter still? or thats why u mentioned flash (on the subject?) ?

 

[tamade]

I think in your case of bright background, use slow-sync flash (which may not necessarily end up with slower shutter speed, since the environment is bright). The slow-sync will meter accordingly to your scene (assuming evaluative metering), and the flash will brighten up your subject.

got it :bsmilie:

 

[showtime]

I think in your case of bright background, use slow-sync flash (which may not necessarily end up with slower shutter speed, since the environment is bright). The slow-sync will meter accordingly to your scene (assuming evaluative metering), and the flash will brighten up your subject.

how is this different from fill flash if the background is bright?
slow sync flash refers to the shutter speed at anything less than flash sync speed.

imho, just switch on the flash. this will give you fill flash and the foreground subject will be sufficiently luminated with the same bright background.

to make the pic even nicer, set +1 on flash compensation and -1 on ev conpensation to make the background not so bright and harsh.

on a gloomy day, set -1 flash compensation and +1 ev compensation to even reduce the harshness of the fill flash...

play around with flash compensation and ev compensation to get optimum results. makeing sure that total compensation does not waver to much off correct exposure.

 

[darkness]

Yup, I meant to say fill flash. I guess I used the wrong terminology.