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    Where did I go wrong?

    IMG_0041 by Roy Widdowson, on Flickr
    Obviously the statue is under exposed,so please can you tell me where did I go wrong with this,and how I can avoid it next time?Have my attempts at a blurred background backfired on me?
    Last edited by Guest; 14-05-2018, 17:09.

    #2
    Re: Where did I go wrong?

    Roy - I am no expert (as anyone will tell you), but I think the problem may lie with the exposure mode you used.

    I note from the exif data that the camera exposure mode was set to "centre-weighted average". I think you would have got a better result if you had used "evaluative metering" which is supposed to be better able to cope with backlighting (I tend to leave mine set on this) or since your background was much brighter than the main subject, possibly "partial metering" which biases the exposure towards a small central spot.

    When set on "evaluative" I find that (provided I remember) I can cope with bright backgrounds (like birds in flight against a bright sky) by manually dialling in some positive exposure compensation, perhaps 1.5 or 2 stops - although it means the background may be overbright, the main subject should at least be about right. You can always tone the background down a bit with the adjustment brush in LR if you feel it needs it.
    John Liddle

    Backwell, North Somerset - "Where the cider apples grow"

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      #3
      Re: Where did I go wrong?

      Thanks for that John,I'll certainly give that a try,with some at evaluative,and then partial metering to see which gives me the best results.
      I'll also try with some exposure compensation as well until I find the right combination.I'll also be sure to use a small aperture too.When you say toning down the background in LR,do you mean easing back on the exposure with the brush?
      Roy

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        #4
        Re: Where did I go wrong?

        Yes - taking the exposure down a bit with the brush and/or reducing highlights
        John Liddle

        Backwell, North Somerset - "Where the cider apples grow"

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          #5
          Re: Where did I go wrong?

          Thanks for that,it's appreciated

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            #6
            Re: Where did I go wrong?

            As well as the exposure issue, it looks to me that the focus is on the wall behind. One simple trick is to focus & get the correct exposure on the subject (the statue) with the shutter-button pressed halfway, then recompose before taking the shot.
            Chris
            80D - 10-18 IS STM - 15-85 IS USM - 55-250 IS STM - 50 f/1.8 STM - 100-400L IS II USM - 100 f/2.8L Macro - 1.4x III

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              #7
              Re: Where did I go wrong?

              Thanks Chris,all this advice is really helping me,I'm off to Liverpool for the tall ships event in 2 weeks time,and intend to get shots of the Beatles and Billy Fury statues,so your advice is relevant to that.I think also I'll need more DOF for them?

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                #8
                Re: Where did I go wrong?

                I think you’re going to find that kind of shot a challenge regardless of what you do, particularly if you use an out of camera jpeg.

                The best you could do, IMHO, would be to set the exposure just short of clipping in the background - you can turn on what’s called blinkies that will show you on the preview screen when the background has blown out - and keep taking shots, increasing the exposure until the blinkies start to appear. Then try to lift the shadows in post-processing. Raw would be better for that last step - shadow recovery - as you retain more detail in the shot.

                You could also use flash to balance the lighting. Use it in full auto and let the camera adjust the shot. That may help if the subject is relatively close, otherwise you may find an on-camera flash isn’t good enough.

                Hope that helps...
                EOS 7D mk II, Sigma 150-660C, Canon 17-85 EF-S, Tamron 10-24 and a wife who shares my obsession.

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                  #9
                  Re: Where did I go wrong?

                  you could try bouncing light off the statue too with something like this




                  Other thing you could do is if you are using a tripod, do two exposures, one for the background and one for the statue, then merge them.
                  Canon 1DX, 50D, EF500 F4.0 L, EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L I , EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L II, EF70-200 f/2.8L II, EF180 f3.5L Macro, EF 24-105 f/4L, EF17-40 f/4L, EF2.0X III, EF1.4X III, 430EX II, MR-14EX...

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                    #10
                    Re: Where did I go wrong?

                    Thanks Andy,how do I turn on blinkies in my 550D,and how would I increase the exposure to get to what you're describing?

                    Thanks for that idea Tony,but I can't see that I would get much use out of it on a regular basis.Also,I prefer"on the fly"shooting..ie hand-held,so a tripod would be impractible generally.But it's certainly an idea for the future as my knowledge expands.

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                      #11
                      Re: Where did I go wrong?

                      Originally posted by The Nighthawk View Post
                      Thanks Andy,how do I turn on blinkies in my 550D,and how would I increase the exposure to get to what you're describing?
                      For blinkies there’s a thread here that should help: https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/th...inkies.421345/

                      To increase the exposure you could use Programme Mode and add some positive exposure compensation. This video covers it https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HT0twUAgImc
                      EOS 7D mk II, Sigma 150-660C, Canon 17-85 EF-S, Tamron 10-24 and a wife who shares my obsession.

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                        #12
                        Re: Where did I go wrong?

                        Thanks again Andy,that made it much easier,and the videos explain things clearly too.
                        Roy

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                          #13
                          Re: Where did I go wrong?

                          I note the from the exposure that the shutter speed was 1/125, this would have allowed you to activate the flash gun (in PASM modes) to get some fill in flash to brighten the statue.
                          Nigel

                          You may know me from Another Place....

                          The new ElSid Photogallery...

                          Equipment: Far too much to list - including lots of Nikon...

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                            #14
                            Re: Where did I go wrong?

                            Thanks Nigel,that's something new I've learnt.At some point I'll return to the statue and try to put all of these great ideas into practice to get better pictures of it.

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