help plz with highlights

[sekhar]

Hello members,

I am a novice and I need help with this shot please, obviously a very bad one - can anyone plz help me with correcting the highlights. I know 90% of the shot is having the highlights, is it beyond salvage? but I quite liked this pic of my daughter.
1. In future how to avoid such shots in the first place - I have a Canon 300D and I have been toying with EV compensation but not quite familiar with it, any suggestions. Or is there a particular mode that I need to select so that my camera default metering can help.
2. Secondly – any post processing? I am not quite there even with the Photoshop elements 2 that I have. Are you guys thinking hard when anyone last used such old stuff?

Anyways Thanks in advance
Regards
Sekhar
Ooops! I should have posted this question in the post processing section. I hope it is ok.

[heather4279]

I am also a novice so I'm not sure how helpful I can be, but what I would do is crop in close on your daughter and you will lose most of the over exposed background. You can also try to fix the color in photoshop. I'm sure Colin will get back to you. He has been more than helpful with me in similar situations. Actually, I'm not sure that I have looked at a thread without a post from him

[Bill44]

Simple answer in two words, Fill Flash. Much is written elsewhere on this subject and it's a bit much to go into detail about.
Basically it means exposing for the background and using flash to bring the main subject into exposure range.

[Raycer]

I say its a beautiful capture!!
go with the high light.

its all good!!

[Dave Humphries]

Ooops! I should have posted this question in the post processing section. I hope it is ok.

Hi Sekhar,

It's fine here because the first part of your question was about the camera and how to avoid doing it in future - Bill's answer is one way, in fact the best way for this example.

You may find some web tutorials on Elements 2 with a suitable google search (e.g. tutorial "elements 2"), there's little point in me suggesting things as I use V5 and it may well have features yours doesn't.

Sorry, got to rush off to work now, maybe more later.

Cheers,

[heather4279]

Raycer, Love what you did with the pic!

[Colin Southern]

Simple answer in two words, Fill Flash. Much is written elsewhere on this subject and it's a bit much to go into detail about.
Basically it means exposing for the background and using flash to bring the main subject into exposure range.

Although ...

... most SLR cameras are smart enough to apply fill flash quite effectively without the photographer needing to know too much (often just a case of turning the flash on, or popping it up). From there - when people know what to look for - things like flash exposure compensation (FEC) are quite straight-forward too.

Sekhar, do you have an external flash for your 300D?

[sekhar]

Hello members,

Many thanks for your suggestions.

heather4279, I shall try ur tip and yes, Raycer has done a great job, isn't it. Thanks Raycer, ur work on monochrome, contrast and crop is fantastic.

Dave, Thanks for the info and I got the links for the tutorials. need to get my homework done on PS.

Colin and Bill44, I am planning to buy an external flah and for the moment getting along (or learning, I must say) with my onboard flash which is not that great but does the job for a beginner like me. I have read the tutorial on "UNDERSTANDING CAMERA METERING & EXPOSURE" need to practice on it.

God! there is so much to learn and not to mention the money to invest, but I am absolutely loving my time doing the stuff and shall be bothering u guys with my silly questions. Thanks everybody.

Regards
Sekhar

[Raycer]

Hey Sekhar,

You welcome and thanks!
Considering this is an available light photo, I would actually say your metering was spot on. Yes, the background is over exposed but the subject is correctly exposed. In fact, if a fill flash or reflector was used to match the background, a tree would be growing out of her.

That's my 2 cents.

And thanks Heather!

Cheers

[sekhar]

Hi Ray,

I am hoping to get some time behind the lens, in my case the nifty fifty - practice and come back to my computer for PS work. But reading ur posts and others about the stuff like "sunny16" "rule of thirds" "differnce between jpeg and psd".......etc, the list goes on - is very very exciting at the same time getting .

Members of this forum are very informative and supportive. Thanks
Regards
Sekhar

[Raycer]

glad you picked up a nifty fifty. prime lens and set your camera to M is probably the best way to learn. Can't wait to see your pictures.

BUT when it gets to , just forget it all and put on the green box so you can enjoy the moment and .

cheers