Exposure compensation?

[Flake]

I've got a kinda jong question regarding exposure conpensation under different lighting conditions on the snow. I've got a new digital slr (pentax *ist DS) that I've just started to play with. My results so far suck. I've been setting the white balance manually and it's giving me grey pics. So I'm thinking screw it I'll just go with basic exposure compensation. Now the question to those of you who know such things is where to start? Are there any basic rules? Normally for snowy conditions I just blast off three frames of film from 1- 2 stops over when I'm taking static shots but with action pics I worry that the one good image will have poor exposure. Should I try 1 stop over under difused lighting and 2 in bright light? Help!

[summit]

When I shoot E6, I spot meter sunlit (or in overcast brighter lit) snow and overexpose +2 from indicated. This leaves nice textures in the snow which is stil l quite white. If I don't want so much texture I may go +2 1/3. You have to choose the snow carefully, don't choose something giving a direct reflection :-). (Of course that is for transparency so you expose more for the highlights to make sure you do not blow them).

Of course if your subject is in shadow, you change what you are metering so as to achieve the optimal exposure for your subject (if that is what you want of course) even though it may cost you some highlights (if that is a sacrifice you want depending on the image). In some really contrasty situations and mixed lighting I'll use the multispot feature on my EOS-3 (very usefull).

Reflective metering is very usefull for outdoor photography where an ambient meter may mislead you if you cannot place it on your subject (and probably facing the direction of your camera) because... well... you might have to jump up the cliff to do it. Reflective metering can be much more accurate in these circumstances especially if you have a good spotmeter (which I believe hte *st has).

Your camera should have a spote meter.

Of course you are digital. Use your histogram. Very usefufll instrument especially for tricky exposure.

[Core Shot]

Of course you are digital. Use your histogram. Very usefufll instrument especially for tricky exposure.

Can someone please elaborate on this?
I know my digital has the histogram, but I am a complete JONG about how to utilize that info, particualrly re:white balance or snow pics.

[mtbakerskier]

Ill make it simple for you. If it is sunny, set ISO to 100, set shutter speed to 1/1000 and set the aperature to F5.6

[Meathelmet]

Ill make it simple for you. If it is sunny, set ISO to 100, set shutter speed to 1/1000 and set the aperature to F5.6

Word!

4000 f 2.8
2000 f 4
500 f 8
250 f 11

etc...


But yes, if you have histograms/zebra in your cam, learn to use them.The help a lot, but it isnt a matter of life or death if you dont want to do that.

The thing about the exposure is a tricky one.
There is very little right´s and wrongs in the photography.
You can vary the exposure -/+9 stops depending on what kind of result you want. You just usually have to know that befor you take the picture, what kind of picture you want in the end.

Taking against the sun you might have to step down couple of Fs if you want
a totall silhouette, or overexpose by couple steps (of the "right" exposure) if you can live with the results. And all those variables vary by the light,place,subject...

Just take the pictures and be creative. There is no "too creative" pictures in the world: just good or shitty. Especially in the ski photography the creativity
is in total lack. Id say the skiing picture world is the most conservative area of photography, right after pornography. You just have to show the stuff, otherwise the editors/readers/advertiser are dissapointed..

Very rarely you see pictures that really blow you away, as a picture.
Good example of was Gunderssons() picture in ocober 04powdermag, where the dude is making a 180´, or Reddicks cover of september 04.
It just was a bang! Wow. Sigh...

Just shoot it.


Summit, you can use the ambiet light meter with no problems, you just have to create a similar situation (body blocking etc..) if you have the light to play with.
If you are stuck on the dark valley floor and need the right exp.values from the sunlit mountaintop, the story is a bit different.

[half-fast]

I've had good luck setting exposure aiming at blue sky (away from the sun-approximates a gray card) locking the exposure there-then shoot on snow

[Plakespear]

ND filters

[summit]

Meathelmet: RIGHT ON!

Summit, you can use the ambiet light meter with no problems, you just have to create a similar situation (body blocking etc..) if you have the light to play with.
If you are stuck on the dark valley floor and need the right exp.values from the sunlit mountaintop, the story is a bit different.

This is why I prefer the reflective spot metering to incident metering (meant incident). It is usually easier to say "I know how reflective that snow is and I want that zone to be Zone VIII" (or whatever zone I feel like)
than
"I *think* I am holding my hand over my incident meter enough to put it in about the same amount of shadow as my subject across the gulch."

Plus, it is faster for me to remeter with the built in meter in changing light (moving clouds) than to remeter with an incident, and with a grey card, a reflective meter essentailly becomes an incident meter.

You can still get pretty consistent exposure with the incident meter if you practice practice practice (and compare compare compare). If I was doing landscapes and studio work again, I'd be looking to buy another incident meter.

---

Edit: Here's some histogram info http://www.photomigrations.com/articles/0404200.htm

[Flake]

Thanks everyone. Lots of good advice. I think I'll go back to basics with the sunny f. 16 1/125 rule and work out from there. I'll have to work at the whole histogram idea through trial and error. I had no idea such a function even existed.
I'm really new to the photography on snow concept so I've got lots to learn. But I'd like to be able to make some nice images.
sRGB or adobeRGB? will it matter to an average shooter?
raw or just 6.1 megapixel jpegs?
I got this digital so I could send prints and a disc home with my cleints when I guide. Film sucks in that way, only one film to do enlargements from. Now maybe I'll get back in the habit of shooting slides in my film body.

[ak_powder_monkey]

the secrete to photography: point and click

don't screw with the WB just set it on auto and make sure you can controll shudder speed and you are golden! (But what do I know?)

[Lostinthetrees]

I am using Nikon Coolpix 4100. Tiny, fits in jacket pocket. Has limited telephoto capabilites.

Let the camera do the work. All my TR's have been shot with this camera. Take a look at any "TR CH - G3 ..."

- I do no light metering. There are some brightness settings (for sand, surf, snow, backlighting, etc.) but I never have time to mess with them. I need to shoot quickly and forget about moving on and off different settings.

- Action... my camera will autoshoot up to 17 pictures by holding down the button. Let it rip. 9/10ths will be toss-aways. But I almost always get a keeper or 2. It is sooooo difficult to get the right timing. By the time I see it in the lens, it is usually too late to react and shoot.

- In my TR's I very, very rarely do any cropping. Get knowledgeable about framing, use of angles, relationships between objects both near and far.

I guess the message is:
- let the camera do the lion's share of the work,
- understand light and its impact (time of day, use of shadows, various angles of the sun, etc.) and, postioning of you vs your subject.
- shoot a lot, lot, lot to get comfortable with your equipment, and...
- take the time to analyze the day's work to learn from your mistakes and keepers.

PRINTS
4.0 mgpixel capable - but I shoot a 2.0. I shoot 2.0 because I can get twice on pictures on my mem chip. Upgraded it to 256 mb.

My camera allows me to downsize to 640 x 480 and lower. Provide clients w/ a 2.0 (or higher) and a 640 x 480 of "keepers". The small format is helpful since many want to share pics via email and sites (like TGR!)

2.0 produces a crisp print (8x10) using standard color printer (using Best setting) on good quality A4 or 8.5x11 paper.

4.0 allows small poster sized enlargement.

Shooting 4.0 could be handy if you shoot small objects at a distance and want to enlarge and crop image. For you, think shooting someone coming down a couloir far above you. Obviously, with telephoto lens you can move in and out. But, sometimes you take a great shot series using wide angle, but you want to blow up a portion of it. Shoot 4.0.

nice thread. I like reading other's input too.

[Flake]

I do shoot a lot. I've always subscribed to the philosophy of if I get one good shot from a roll I'll be happy.
With regard to composition and such I'm pretty comfortible with setting up the shot I want. It's just been starting to shoot in different lighting situations (ie. snow) that has me screwed. It kinda makes me wish for my "old days" setup with a pentax k 1000 body.
The advice that you guys have shared is great. To be honest a lot of it is stuff that I should have known but somehow forgot over the years. In fact I've been digging around in the old stuff and dug out a k 1000 body that I'm thinking of running some B&W through. Haven't shot any black and white in years. Thanks again.