Pics from Sunny California

[Steve R]

last pic...after clearing the nasty stuff.

[DRTYFN]

Pictures are great!!(like always)

You guys are soooo going to love the Rubicon next year.

[Steve R]

I am EXTREMELY disappointed with my pics. I'm using a Canon S50 digital 5 mega-pixel camera and have had good results in the past. I fully understand the principles surrounding photography....but there must be some setting or problem with this camera: the contrast is just screwy!!! Look at how so many of the shots have the proper aperature for the subject, yet the background is totally over-exposed/too bright?

Either the subject is too dark and the background is right, or the background is fine and the subject too dark. I know you can only accomodate one f-stop/exposure...but still, something is very very wrong here. I've not had this problem before. Time to take the camera in perhaps???

[Steve R]

oh yeah, and since I'm in the bitching mood...

I came along without the rig so that I could spend time with Alec, help spot him and particularly to get some great pics.

Despite not having to lug my own rig around, I STILL found myself too involved spotting during the hard parts to get the best pics!!! I tried so hard to get as many great pics as possible and still came up short of portraiting the real tough parts of the trail. I didn't even get that ridiculously nasty section between those trees with the boulder-soup just underneath it.

Next time I won't drive AND I'll have DRTYFN come down to spot and I'll cruise around on a quad and strictly take pics.

I'm pissed...I wanted more & better!!!

Please...no therapy, just know that it could have been much better and I'm disappointed with the results.

[Detonate]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Steve R:
I am EXTREMELY disappointed with my pics. I'm using a Canon S50 digital 5 mega-pixel camera and have had good results in the past. I fully understand the principles surrounding photography....but there must be some setting or problem with this camera: the contrast is just screwy!!! Look at how so many of the shots have the proper aperature for the subject, yet the background is totally over-exposed/too bright?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I can't remember exactly what causes this, but I've seen it many times before.

I'm guessing you had the camera in either Apature Priority mode or Manual mode.

When the subject area is dark and shaded with trees, but the back ground sky is still bright and sunny, you have to use a fast shutter and an extremely wide apeture. This way the subject gets properly exposed, because it's closer to the lens, but the shudder closes fast enough to prevent the background from over exposing.

It gets increasingly more difficult the farther you are away from the subject. I normally just force my flash on to fill in the shade and that works well, but you need to be close to the subject again for that to work.

Best solution would be to get a wide angle lens. That way you can stay close, use your flash.


With that said, I think the pictures pretty much kick ass. I really didn't even notice that the sky was washed until I read your last post and went back through them again.

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2003 Red H2 equipped with Tough Country Heavy Duty Armor Series Front End with Winch, Rear Bumper, Brush Guard, and Roof Rack.

[Steve R]

Alec...same thing with your pics???

I used to be a wizz on my old Canon 35mm....but this new digital thing is tough to figure out; you literally have to know the thing inside & out and all the elaborate programming to get it to generate a good pic.

Jim....thanks for the tips. I think you are referring to generating a greater depth of field, but that more relates to focus.

I think the problem resides more in the processing of these pics...the photo-receptors (or whatever receives the light) just isn't the same as film. The darks are dark and the brights are bright. Alec has the exact same results...the sky is nice, the trees are lit...yet there's a nasty darkness in the shadows of the vehicle.

I don't know, I don't get it...all I know is that I need better pics. NOW!

[Frank Hewitt]

SWEET pics!!! I wish I was there.
thank you for taking the time to post them.
Bravo.
Keep up the off-road cruisin'!!

gasman

[Detonate]

Steve, I wish I could explain it better, but the best tip I can give you, is that if you can shoot in Shutter Priority mode, DO THAT!

I take a lot of Underwater pictures, and that is an extreme example of what you are expierencing above ground.

It's possible to get a complete black under exposed foreground with a white over exposed water.

The other thing you should try is changing the ISO on your camera to "faster" speed. Try and find a balance between exposure and grain.

You have a really nice camera, one of the bad things about having such a really nice camera is that they only take really nice pictures if you are a pro. :P

If you ask this same question on www.digitaldiver.net You'll probably get a much better answer. I don't know a whole hell of lot about cameras, but I do know that when I have the same problem you are having it's because of not enough subject light, too much ambient light, and the only way I know to correct that is with a Flash and a faster shutter speed.

Good luck.

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2003 Red H2 equipped with Tough Country Heavy Duty Armor Series Front End with Winch, Rear Bumper, Brush Guard, and Roof Rack.

[Steve R]

Jim...

I've given some thought to what you say...and after carefully consideration and much self-evaluation...the course of my actions are clear.

I'm going to take the plunge, challenge myself and endeavor to do something so bold, so daring...so defying......that I may actually go into complete shock & freak-out:

I'm gonna read that "instruction" guide


My good-old 35mm SLR was pretty simple...but this digital camera has more functions, features, settings and gizmo's then I could ever want to use/have. I think I found the mode and stuff you are talking about, it has different settings for different situations...obviously I'll just have to mess around with it to discover the right formula.

Thanks for the tip...

[Detonate]

Yeah, that helps too! :P

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2003 Red H2 equipped with Tough Country Heavy Duty Armor Series Front End with Winch, Rear Bumper, Brush Guard, and Roof Rack.

[Detonate]

Hey, what format are your pictures taken in? Are they JPEG or RAW?

Also, most newer camera's embed exposure information into the files, so if you want to send me one of the unedited pics, I can take a look at it.

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2003 Red H2 equipped with Tough Country Heavy Duty Armor Series Front End with Winch, Rear Bumper, Brush Guard, and Roof Rack.

[Detonate]

Isn't Steve a Mac Monkey? Do they even have a right click!

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2003 Red H2 equipped with Tough Country Heavy Duty Armor Series Front End with Winch, Rear Bumper, Brush Guard, and Roof Rack.