 Karthik A. Ganapathi |
How to take pictures in bright light? I am a new member, just registered actually and I am a novice to photography..I have a hands-me down Minolta Maxxum 5000 AF 35 mm SLR with a 28-80 and a Sigma 70-300 lenses. I usually go with the AF setting because I want to concentrate more on my composition..although I do try to play around with the manual option. The problem I have been having with this camera is that when I take pictures in bright light,i lose all contrast and the pictures look bleached..not at all like the ones I see through the viewfinder. When it is really dark, or overcast and I take pictures..i feel they will be dull and underexposed, but when I see the prints, I am surprised at the clarity. I dont know if this is a defect in the camera's sensors..its 20 yrs old and has taken a beating..but I love it!! or if I should use a filter for bright light, or deliberately underexpose using the manual settings. Should I invest in a filter?..if so what kind would you suggest? I will try to upload some of my pictures..any critique is welcome..feel free to rip me apart!!:-) and thanks in advance for any feedback
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Kerry L. Walker |
I hope you can upload an example but I think I know what the problem is. I also know you have already learned an important lesson of photography. The best times to shoot are early in the morning, late in the evening and on cloudy days. The worst time to shoot is high noon on a sunny day. There is nothing wrong with the sensor as the sensor in your camera is a roll of film! If your "bleached" part of the photo is the sky, that is understandable. Although film has a wide exposure latitude, it is not as wide as the difference between a subject on the ground and a bright sky. Do a test. Go to aperature priority and point your camera toward the ground and note the shutter speed. Then point it at the sky and note the shutter speed. The difference between the two readings should be pretty large. You are probably metering for the subject and the sky is overexposed. You could get a graduated neutral density filter and use that to cut down on the amount of light coming from the sky part of your pictures. That should darken the sky a bit. Also, get a polarizer (circular) and practice using that. Depending on the location of the sun, that can darken the sky too, as well as bring out the clouds. There is nothing wrong with your camera or you. This is just the nature of light and photography.
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Karthik A. Ganapathi |
Hi Kerry, Thank you for the prompt reply. I have uploaded a picture which demonstrates my problem. The sky was significantly darker and the building was glowing like gold..it was sunset though and I wanted to capture the contrast. So do you recommend any specific brand of circular polarizer and neutral density filter I could get?
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Kerry L. Walker |
Are you referring to the photo in your gallery? If so, I don't see a big problem with the exposure. It may not be just like you saw it but that is the nature of light. Some films are lower contrast, like Kodak Portra NC, which I use to shoot weddings. Some are higher contrast and show brighter contrast like Kodak Ultra - good for scenics. You might try taking the print and the negative back to the lab and explain what you want. They can re-print it and darken it a little. As for filters, Tiffen, B+W, Hoya and Cokin all make good filters. Most Cokin filters are plastic rather than glass so they don't hold up as well but they are cheaper to replace too.
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