How to correctly take photos with bright background and human in the shadow?

[PandaBear]

1st example

2nd example

So, many of the Maui trip photos we took were not that great because we were taking them in the shadow, and without using photo-shop I don't see a way to "fix" it.

Using just a typical point and shoot (not DSLR), is there a way to take it correctly? Currently using a Sony Cybershot W120 (or something like that) that I borrowed, but may buy a point and shoot in the future, what camera, if any, would reduce these kind of problem?

Seems like unless you go DSLR, you are stuck with 1/2.33-1/2.5" sensor nowadays.

I also see these sort of high contrast related white out in my wedding video, and the "professional" photographer I hired said it is the limit of the equipment he uses (Mark II) and unless he go with something that is broadcast grade, or take multiple shots with a lighting crew, you got to live with it.

Just to let you guys know, I can't delete the other copies of PandaBear's post because Fusetalk errors out whenever I try to access the threads. So it looks like they'll just have to die naturally.

Anandtech Digicams Moderator
fuzzybabybunny

 

[PandaBear]

Sorry about the 3 previous repost. I forgot the forum does not support copy and paste of an http link and now it seems to cause problem. If any of you Mod sees this, please delete these threads. Apologize for that, I haven't been posting for so long I'm like a newbee again.

 

[virtuamike]

I'd use a flash.

 

[LR6]

Fill Flash is your friend.
Basically you just force the flash on.
Most cameras should include this option

 

[corkyg]

Fill flash is a good option. If that is not possible, set your exposure by aiming at the dark area (hold button down half way) then shift to frane the picture while holding that exposure. Also, get as close as possible to the subject so the auto exposure process does not "see" the bright background. In the old days with manual aperture and shutter speed, this was easy to solve. P&S cameras don't always lend themselves to manual controls.

 

[Heidfirst]

yup, fill in flash for the 1st.
2nd I suspect that you are stuck with as fill in flash from a P+S probably wouldn't be strong enough for the distance to subject.m

 

[IronWing]

If you get a P&S with a hotshoe (Canon G10 or Panasonic LX3, for example) you can add an external flash for fill effects. There may be cheaper P&S cameras with hotshoes, I haven't looked.

 

[corkyg]

The Canon SX10 IS has a hot shoe. When shooting a picture of a person, get close - fill the frame with the head and shoulders and that will help the camera ignore the background. Zoom with your feet.

Here is how I would have framed your first sample:

pic1

That way, the camera would get the correct exposure off of the faces and ignore the background.

Fuzzy: when you get time -delete the extra iterations of OP's post.

 

[996GT2]

Fill flash is the way to go for backlit situations.

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Fill flash is a good option. If that is not possible, set your exposure by aiming at the dark area (hold button down half way) then shift to frane the picture while holding that exposure. Also, get as close as possible to the subject so the auto exposure process does not "see" the bright background. In the old days with manual aperture and shutter speed, this was easy to solve. P&S cameras don't always lend themselves to manual controls.

Yeah but then you run the risk, depending on how the relative brightness between the two, to blow out your background. I would think that this an option that isn't always necessarily possible. At the very least every camera has a flash, regardless of how puny it is.

 

[corkyg]

I would still use the flash. The point is, when taking pictures of people, get close and let the picture be about the people. Also, that way, the little flash on a P&S camera will usually be close enough to be effective. That means at 10-15 feet at max. It is hilarious to see all the P&S flashes going off in a large stadium where the subject is hundreds of yards from the camera.

Anyway, to illustrate my point, I just took this shot with a P&S camera from in the house looking out on a bright patio. This is truly backlit.

BL1

OK - I then moved in very close to a flower that appears as a dark object in the above scene. With no flash, I simply got close enough so that the cameras exposure box was only on the flower/

BL2

 

[akugami]

Originally posted by: magomago

Originally posted by: corkyg
Fill flash is a good option. If that is not possible, set your exposure by aiming at the dark area (hold button down half way) then shift to frame the picture while holding that exposure. Also, get as close as possible to the subject so the auto exposure process does not "see" the bright background. In the old days with manual aperture and shutter speed, this was easy to solve. P&S cameras don't always lend themselves to manual controls.

Yeah but then you run the risk, depending on how the relative brightness between the two, to blow out your background. I would think that this an option that isn't always necessarily possible. At the very least every camera has a flash, regardless of how puny it is.

I think with a little experimenting it would work. I don't have pics but I remember doing this one time at a sushi restaurant. The main room is not brightly lit but there is a window which is pretty bright. What happened when I tried to take pictures was the P&S would focus on the bright window and everything else was under exposed and dark.

Using the trick corkyg mentioned I was able to get some ok shots of my friends having dinner. The background isn't the best but it's a shot of friends having some fun drinking stuff which was more important than an bad background.

If you don't mind a little photoshopping you can still fix your photo either way unless it's badly over exposed or under exposed.

First pict would be fixed with some fill flash as others have noted.

In the second picture, I think the best thing would be use of angles. Have the subject turn to his left, towards the sign slightly, and have the shooter do the same to get a full frontal shot. Now, the sign won't be facing towards the shooter but I don't see how else you would get rid of the harsh shadows without a lighting crew in the second shot. With a slight angle the sign should still be visible and readable and the subject's face is not as heavily shadowed since more light falls on it.

 

[finbarqs]

the key here is to get "even" lighting. Since lighting is measured in increments of "stops" you don't want either the foreground or the background to be more than 1.5 stops of each other, whether the background is 1.5 stops over or 1.5 stops under. In this case, your background is probably 4-5 stops+ more than the subject. Fill Flash or use a reflector will definitely help. Also, you can shoot completely in the shadow without taking in details of the background. But if you're on vacation, and you want that awesome sunset, fill flash/ reflector will definitely help.

 

[imported_Irse]

Fill flash is the best option. I also would guess that the OP wanted to include some of the scenic background so filling the frame with the OP and SO would not be that much of an option in the first one and the OP in the second one.

If you are at a location for ome time, study where the shadows will be and where the sun is at various times of the day and do your photography at the optimal time. May be kind of hard to do while on vacation and depending on how picky you are with your photographs and to what extent you will do to have something nice.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Fill flash is a good option. If that is not possible, set your exposure by aiming at the dark area (hold button down half way) then shift to frane the picture while holding that exposure. Also, get as close as possible to the subject so the auto exposure process does not "see" the bright background. In the old days with manual aperture and shutter speed, this was easy to solve. P&S cameras don't always lend themselves to manual controls.

how do you do that w/ a p&s? I don't think I've ever seen one that actually lets you set half press to meter and NOT focus

 

[PandaBear]

Thanks guys, this is really what I needed: to learn how to use lighting and visually see what I shouldn't do when picking a scene to take pictures on.