Shooting Under Hot Afternoon Sun

[narrowband]

I'm always not confident when shooting under hot sun, because I've had bad experiences in the past. The pictures I obtained were over-exposed most of the time, even though the exposure-compensation meter (is that what it's called?) remained at '0'.

And it's not easy to check on-the-spot to see whether the photos are over- or underexposed (when I tried to vary the exposure to around -1/3 or -1 or something). That's because under the hot sun, it's difficult to see your LCD screen!

What ISO speed and exposure do you guys use under hot sun? Under bright sunny conditions, I normally shoot in Aperture-priority, at around -1 exposure and at ISO200 (ISO100 sometimes lowers the shutter speed too much... sometimes!). Do you guys do the same?

Also, what is the role of filters or cr-pl in these conditions? Will they help?

[mxyzpltk]

Try to use the Sunny 16 Rule (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_16_rule) :redface:

[orionmystery]

Your camera doesn't show clipped highlight warning and histogram meh?

[noruazumi]

The pictures I obtained were over-exposed most of the time, even though the exposure-compensation meter (is that what it's called?) remained at '0'.?
usually i set it to -0.3eV, sometimes even -1.0eV. it depends on the lighting and location.

And it's not easy to check on-the-spot to see whether the photos are over- or underexposed (when I tried to vary the exposure to around -1/3 or -1 or something). That's because under the hot sun, it's difficult to see your LCD screen!
during broad daylight, i use the histogram to judge my photos. but most of the time, i cover the LCD with my body from the sun to see it. but it is better to rely on the histogram

What ISO speed and exposure do you guys use under hot sun? Under bright sunny conditions, I normally shoot in Aperture-priority, at around -1 exposure and at ISO200 (ISO100 sometimes lowers the shutter speed too much... sometimes!). Do you guys do the same??
i barely touch the aperture or shutter priority dial. most of the time, i use manual. give me better flexibilities. ISO depends on what i want to shoot. if i want fast action shot, no choice but to bump up the ISO so that i can use faster shutter speed. but usually on a good sunny day, ISO200 is good enough. i set to ISO200 then i only have to change the shutter speed & aperture. reduce time of adjusting settings.

Also, what is the role of filters or cr-pl in these conditions? Will they help?
i'm not a big fan of filters because i don't know how to optimize the capability. some people who are really good, they can take great shots with the aid of filters. in my case, i use CPL filter if i want to make the blue sky more vibrant.

[nfariz8]

like others have said.. use the histogram and you should be safe.. :D

[ShaolinTiger]

ND Grad and CPL are two filters every photographer should have, any photographer that wants to take landscape anyway.

Usually taking Landscape use spot metering on the second brightest part of the scene and use aperture priority at about f/11-16 for good DoF.

Focus 1/3 into the scene for hyperfocal coverage and snap away.

Most important forget about your settings and concentrate on your composition.

And as the others said, use the histogram to get a balanced exposure, it's ok to have some clipped highlights if they are spectral reflections.

[narrowband]

Noted with loads of thanks!

[Mavik]

Also when shooting with Aperture priority, sometimes it helps that you take a spot meter of your subject. If you are taking a full evaluative metering of the scene with bright backgrounds, most of the time the camera will assume and capture that of the background.

[karheng]

Mavik: Canon's 400D don't have spot metering, unlike Nikons. They do have central weighted so i prefer to use that most of the time under bright sunlight.

David: If your intention is to purely take tight portraiture, the highlights won't be too much of a bother because you have your portrait well exposed.

But if you choose to take both portraits and landscape together, and don't want to lose the background, the camera will automatically meter to the background. In such instances, shooting in aperture mode, set it to f/8 - f/13 whichever you prefer, and the camera will automatically capture the background but you get the silhouetted portrait. Use your flash to light the person up.

Hope this helps.
:cool: