[kamion]

Here's a shot of part of the outer wall of the Imperial Castle in Tokyo.

[Garnock]

Lovely composition and great colours.
Perhaps the facing side of the building is slightly blown out but who cares.

Tokyo....you lucky


Cameron

[Matty]

lovely, nice to get around!

[Joe T]

Lovely pic, if only the water had been more still.

[kamion]

Yes, the front face of that building is overexposed. Don't know what I can do about that though with my automatic camera. I must admit I don't know half the functions that I can actually play with. Guess I should bring out the manual and have a read. :eyesup:

[Garnock]

Originally Posted by kamion

Yes, the front face of that building is overexposed. Don't know what I can do about that though with my automatic camera. I must admit I don't know half the functions that I can actually play with. Guess I should bring out the manual and have a read. :eyesup:

Well, you could start here and ask some questions.
There are ways and means around over exposure.

It all depends on what camera you use and what gear you have.
If you let me know what camera you have and some of its abilities I'd be more than pleased to help.

Cameron

[kamion]

It's a Canon IXUS 400. On looking at the function menu again, I see an Exp setting going from -2 to +2. LoL. I should've looked!

I have always wanted to know, what is an ISO Speed? I can set that on my camera but never really knew what it was about. I get ISO 50, 100, 200, 400 and AUTO settings.

[CT]

OMG! All these questions! We're creating a photographic monster! :icon_eek:

[CT]

That's a pretty key question actually.

ISO numbers are what we use to relate the various sensitivities we can set for the sensors in our cameras, to film - which uses the same ISO ratings.

You can buy film in various ISO ratings. The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive the film, and the less suitable it would be for low light conditions, particulary when not using a tripod as it would mean long exposures. The adavantage oif using slow film is that you got beautiful prints with fine small grain.

As the ISO number of the film increases, the film becomes more sensitive to light, and therefore more usable in low light conditions the higher the ISO number. The penalty is increased grain size! Photos typical of high ISO film are those grainy, gritty B&W shots which came out of the Vietnam War, taken by journalists who had to get their shot whatever the conditions.

The situation with digital ISO settings is exactly the same, except for the fact that we now substitute noise for grain. If you want the least image noise and best looking shots - use the lowest ISO. Sometimes we have to increase the ISO to get the shot and live with the noise, although there is software which can reduce it considerably. Sometimes noise can be used to good effect in a shot also, but as a general rule always use the lowest ISO setting you can for the cleanest images. As with all things in photography, what you want to do and what the prevailing light will let you do is a constant struggle and compromise.

[dod]

Originally Posted by kamion

Guess I'll have to make do with the limitations of a pocket sized camera, not that my skills would allow me to take better pics with more advanced cameras anyway.

kamion speaks with forked tongue

You've obviously got a good eye for composition and the scene. As has been said on here often enough, it's not the camera, it's the person behind it. Looks like your camera's got a good operator

[kamion]

Originally Posted by CT

OMG! All these questions! We're creating a photographic monster! :icon_eek:

It's ALIVE! It's ALIVE! LoL.

I have always loved taking photos and think about getting shots and angles and stuff, but it never developed into a full hobby. I just snapped pics on travels and never got technical. Since it's so convenient to ask everyone questions on here, I'm just taking my lucky chance! Sorry for all the noob questions!

[Garnock]

Kamion, what CT said is absolutely correct and worth taking note of.
ISO speed can be your best friend and your worst enemy.

In the above shot it would not matter what ISO speed you choose.
Our eyes see a wide dynamic range. That is we can see very dark shadows and very bright skies at the same time. Cameras cannot. ( film or digital it makes no difference ). If we expose for the shadows the highlights are blown out and vice versa.
That being the case we have to do one of two things;
1. Fool the camera into seeing something diferent. That is using a neutral density graduated filter.
2. Taking two shots. One for the highlights and one for the shadows.The shots are then blended together in Photoshop or PSP etc.

I know this is a short explanation and perhaps you know this already.
If you need more help let me know.

Cameron

[kamion]

Originally Posted by dod

kamion speaks with forked tongue

You've obviously got a good eye for composition and the scene. As has been said on here often enough, it's not the camera, it's the person behind it. Looks like your camera's got a good operator

No, I really don't know much about cameras and how to best use it. Too many settings, too many considerations. How do people do it with film in the past? I can't imagine not previewing my shots. LoL.

I think I need a tripod, but they're too big and bulky.

[kamion]

Originally Posted by Garnock

1. Fool the camera into seeing something diferent. That is using a neutral density graduated filter.
2. Taking two shots. One for the highlights and one for the shadows.The shots are then blended together in Photoshop or PSP etc.

1) What's a neutral density graduated filter? If it's one of those things you put on the end of a lense, it won't fit on mine.

2) Hmmm. This method would need some consideration before hand. I'll try it next time, but it'll be tough to get the exact same shot without a tripod. Even with a tripod, I might have to turn the camera away to get it to adjust the auto-exposure to get the shadow or highlights.

[Garnock]

Originally Posted by kamion

1) What's a neutral density graduated filter? If it's one of those things you put on the end of a lense, it won't fit on mine.

2) Hmmm. This method would need some consideration before hand. I'll try it next time, but it'll be tough to get the exact same shot without a tripod. Even with a tripod, I might have to turn the camera away to get it to adjust the auto-exposure to get the shadow or highlights.

Kamion, no.1 does need a filter attached to the lens.
No.2 will require a tripod. It's then a simple case of switching the camera to manual and metering for the shadows and highlights and shooting.
The best way, if your not sure, is to take a shot on auto and note the exposure. Then switch to manual and underexpose the next shot then set the camera to overexpose the following shot. Some cameras can do this automatically, it's called exposure bracketing.

Cameron