Exposure issues at wedding, need advice.

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Archive 2009 · Exposure issues at wedding, need advice.

cordellwillis
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p.2 #1 · Exposure issues at wedding, need advice.

David.G wrote:
Hey Christina, don't let some of these people around here get to you...

Where did that come from

Everyone gave helpful advice that is basic and accurate to Christina's question.

Excellent replies everyone.

Christina, you might want to pickup a couple of 'exposure' books from the library or book store. There are explanations and examples that go into great detail. Program mode is one of those things that is mostly useless when you start using a SLR of any sort. Many basic P&S cameras have program modes. My point is that for the money you spend on the gear you purchase you should practice the ins and outs of it all or save the money for something else.

Manual or semi manual (AV or TV) are your friends.

Peace,
Cordell

Jan 11, 2009 at 04:32 AM

The Grays
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p.2 #2 · Exposure issues at wedding, need advice.

Neil vN wrote:
christina37 wrote: I keep the camera on Program mode ...

There is your problem. Shoot in manual exposure mode.
You can shoot as fast (if not faster) in manual mode as you can in Program.

And the reason why I say it is possible to shoot faster in manual mode, is that I don't have to constantly adjsut my exposure compensation as I change my composition.

With ANY of the auto modes, your composition can affect your exposure ... as you can see now with your workflow being so slow.

Neil vN
www.planetneil.com/tangents/

I highly agree, but Joe Buissink is all P mode all day when shooting digital.

-Zach

Jan 11, 2009 at 09:42 PM

FSJ_Guy
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p.2 #3 · Exposure issues at wedding, need advice.

Actually, nothing wrong with P mode. You still have exposure compensation and program shift available to you. It's a personal preference. You've gotten along for 5 years with it! But I *do* think now's the time to step up to the plate and take control of your photos. Experiment (obviously not on a paid gig!) with manual mode and you'll see a whole new world open up for you.

RE the under-exposure, Evan explained it very nicely. And keep in mind that this is true for ANY color. The meter doesn't see color, it sees dark, medium and bright.

A lot of folks think you have to meter off a gray card, when you can actually just meter off anything that is a MEDIUM tone! Medium blue? Sure! Medium green? Why not? Medium black? Absolutely! And yes, medium black just happens to be GRAY!

Canon's flash system is nice, but it does have quirks. Learn to adjust for them and you'll improve your photos immensely. Good luck!

Jan 12, 2009 at 05:18 AM

christina37
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p.2 #4 · Exposure issues at wedding, need advice.

You guys are all amazing!
You have bestowed a wealth of information on me, better than any class I have taken. Thanks to you I am now familiar with my exposure and flash compensation settings. I do prefer to set it on manual and meter off my white balance target. I am actually looking forward to seeing the results of my next wedding.
Thanks so much!

Christina

Jan 12, 2009 at 06:13 AM

tjphoto1
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p.2 #5 · Exposure issues at wedding, need advice.

Did I miss something? I found no mention of the use of the histogram ( assuming most are shooting digitally ) . Learn how to use the histogram properly and most exposure issues can be corrected in Photoshop or Lightroom. Learn to shoot in RAW and you will have even greater control. luminous-landscape.com has has a good tutorial called "Understanding the Histogram".

Jan 12, 2009 at 04:40 PM

timontario
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p.2 #6 · Exposure issues at wedding, need advice.

Christina -> Here's a link to a Bryan Peterson book Understanding Exposure... Online resources are great, books are fun too.
Bryan's book does a great job of breaking down the barriers between often confusing modes & compensations... Helped me out a great deal!

Tim

Jan 13, 2009 at 06:35 AM

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