Blown highlights

[StitchBabe]

IMAGE REMOVED..sorry.

I just wanted to post this for Plain Jane to show her that we've all been there, done that...I shot this during the sunny part of the day. If I would have waited until the light was more diffused (sunrise, sunset or cloudy), it would have turned out much better. If not better, I then would have under exposed by at least 1/3 fstop. Yellow flowers seem to attract the highlight blowout gremlins! Believe me, I had this image dissed for the blowout when it got critiqued as you lose detail when there's blowout. I have been using a DSLR for 2 months longer than you have and I find that the only way I'm succeeding atgettingbetter at improving my images was and is to hear exactly where I was making my mistakes. That's how we learn...I'm sure a lot of people will agree...

I really do think you have great potential as a photographer. I've seen other images you've posted that were really quite wonderful! So, don't put that camera away...just keep goin'! The more you learn, the better you will get...I'm sure you've seen that you're getting better since you started 2 months ago.

Since this image of mine was dissed, I remember all the fine knowledge I learned and I now apply it. ( I will post another with diffused lighting ).

Now.....KEEP SHOOTING!!!! :|

StitchBabe

[Plain Jane]

Thanks... I'm just frustrated at the moment. I took this one today with my son. He graduated 4th grade and we went into the school's butterfly garden. It's not that good either. I'm having a streak of bad luck.

But I guessit's not too terrible.




Let me ask something about light. Is there a difference when you live right next to the coastline? I wasn't using a UV filter for quite some time and I just got one. Anda polarizer. This sould help all the glare I get around leaves and water, right?

Oh... there is something else... cloudy days don't happen here, really. It does but not very often. I mean, It happens right before the torrential downpour. Sometimes it's bright and sunnyduring the torrential downpour. I live in the tropics. Can someone send clouds, please?


Nevermind ... I found the problem. It's "dappled lighting"

The book says, " Dappled sunlight can be tricky exposure subject because you have a pattern of competing highlights and shadows. If you expose to get good detail in the shadows, the highlights blow out; if you expose for the highlights the shadows fade to black." Then it continues on with the solution. Which I'm sure you all already know. :-)*goes back to reading*

[StitchBabe]

Hi Plain Jane! :bye:

Glad to see you're up and runnin' with camera in hand!The butterfly garden isa wonderful way to spend time with your son and congrats to his graduation to grade 5! Kids are so fascinated by butterflies. Me, I still am!! They're amazing li'l creatures!

Your image of the butterfly isnice and sharp. You did the right thing by blurring your background also! The colors are really very pretty. Good job! :-)

I'm not sure what tropical weather would be like for light but I imagine it should be the same? If there is a lot of haze, the UV filter will be a big help. It's a good idea to use a UV filter even just to protect your lens. If you want to show haze or fog in your image, you just remove the UV filter. The polarizer is really nice for cutting reflection from water but I'm not sure in the case of leaves. Maybe someone with more experience with them can help answer your question about that. I, myself just got a polarizing filter about a month ago. I haven't used it for photographing water yet but it sure does make a blue sky deepen in color! It's really fun just to experiment.

StitchBabe

[mactek]

Jane,

I understand the frustration. When I first started taking photos, I didn't even realize when the highlights were blown. After someone pointed it out, I became fixated on it and noticed it everywhere. Many of my older photos became less than perfect. I don't know what camera you have, but I would suggest you use the histogram, if you have one. I have made a habit of checking it after just about every photo, or at least the first couple of a particular subject... I delete the bad ones in-camera and make adjustments until nothing blows out. This way I get better photos and don't have to see the bad ones on the computer ;-)
If you have clear skies most days, you might also consider a circular polarizer. I got one last week and it has done wonders!

Here's a shot with a 17-40mm @ 40mm with the polarizer. It was taken with the sun almost directly overhead and not blocked by any clouds. Notice there is no glare or blown highlights on the water, and the sky is blue, not white.

I haven't used a UV filter, so I can't comment on that one...

Just keep trying! I learn something new every day I use the camera!

mactek

[Plain Jane]

So after some reading this what I have learned.

But what are the consequences of the bending of light and why does it occur? When light is incident on the interface between two media in which the velocities are different - for example, air and glass, or air and water - some of the incoming beam is reflected and some is refracted, as shown in figure 7. There is a law, called Snell's law, named after Willibrord Snell (1591-1626), that tells us what the refracted angle is. It depends on the angle of incidence and the refractive index, which is related to the velocity of light in the two media. In entering a more dense medium, in which the velocity of light is smaller, the light is bent towards the normal, i.e., the line drawn perpendicular to the surface. When light travels from a more dense medium into a less dense medium, the light is bent away from the normal. I have listed some values of the refractive index in figure 7; I would draw your attention to the refractive index of diamond ... it is large since the velocity of light in diamond is only about 40% of that in air. You can understand this bending by considering the following analogy shown in figure 8. Imagine a marching band, initially on a concrete surface, entering very soft, marshy ground. If the band approaches the edge of the bog at an angle then the men on the right of a line will reach the bog before those of their left. The beating on the drum remains the same (i.e., the frequency) but in order to 'keep in step' the men in the bog will have to take smaller strides (i.e., a shorter wavelength) because one can't move ones feet as quickly in a bog! Therefore the line will twist slightly clockwise, and so the direction changes. The opposite effect occurs when the band crosses from the bog onto the concrete surface.



So… light travels at different speeds when the density of the material changes. Light will travel faster through cool dry air than moist hot air. Because moist hot air is denser (more dense?). Now, inthe air around you, there are dry layers and moist layers. There are columns of heat rising from concrete and asphalt and there are cool areas over shade and grass. All of these are constantly moving and constantly mixing. So, whenever you are in an environment where is there is hot moist air moving around the light is going to be bent in unpredictable ways. That's the jest of it.



Light that you would assume would bounce off an object and straight to you, in reality, would bend many times before it got to the lens.



So I don't think a polarizer would help in this situationbut changing the angle you shoot from would. All this to understand I need to lay down in the dirt. *laughs* Why didn't someone just tell me that?

[RodneyBlair]

This is not a critique of any of the images. I just want to reiterate the suggestions here for others who are learning from our comments.

A polarizer is always helpful, but not necessarily needed when shooting in direct sunlight. If you ever want to see the effect it will have on your image, simply put on a pair of sunglasses.

The problem is the angle of the sun to the subject, not the camera to subject angle. Shooting from a trench below or a ladder from above will not eliminate the directional effects of the sun.

Rodney

[Plain Jane]

You are right it doesn't change the angle of the sunlight hitting the subject. It changes the angle of the light coming from the subject to the camera lens.

Example: If you are outside standing in front of a car and the sun is shining down on the windshield and reflecting directly at your face, you can't move the sun, and you can't move the car but you can move yourself. Moving a few feet in any direction would stop the sun from reflecting into your eyes.

[StitchBabe]

Pretty amazing info on light. Thanks Plain Jane...

StitchBabe