Sunlit flower - how to improve?

[Pohled]

Hello,

I was trying to photography some flowers at home. They were sunlit from one side, they were in the verandah/balcony of our apartment, on a table.
I shot handheld and didn't use the flash. The camera was a Canon 70D.*
I am new to DSLR, this is my first DSLR and I am trying to learning to use it.

Only when I looked to the pictures on the computer I noticed that they we were bad exposed. My goal wasn't to create that black background. Okay, now I admit that it's not that bad, but the flowers aren't that nice.
Should I control my exposure first according the background, lock it, and just after focusing on the flowers?



Thank you beforehand for your attention and suggestions!

[Geoff F]

If you are just taking one shot, Jonathan, instead of creating a merge from several different exposures, all you can really do is to spot meter for the brightest area then try to recover dark shadows during editing.

Reducing any harsh light levels with some form of diffusion or redirecting the light onto your subject by using a reflector can help to average out the light extremities.

Once you have found the brightest spot it does often make sense to set your camera manually so you can move around the scene without worrying about getting exposure variations from your camera.

With that particular scene, I would think about cropping slightly differently. Maybe try 4 x 5 ratio to reduce the blank black space at the top.

Also consider your composition before shooting. Do you wish to show all of the container or none of it? If not sure, like me, take a variety of compositions then decide afterwards.

Good flower photography is always a lot more complex than it seems at first. Just keep experimenting with various options until you get something which works for you. Too often, I find what actually works best is the shot which didn't seem right at the time of shooting.

[chauncey]

You shoot Canon...try this often posted method.

I've been confused by that exposure compensation thing because the histogram was all over the place when imported into LR.
Since starting to shoot in manual mode, utilizing Live View's histogram, those problems are a thing of the past. Technique is:
That LV histogram is based on a jpeg rendition of your image so you need to "neutralize" (slide them to the left) all your "picture style" settings.
Set-up your LV to display a RGB histogram and blinkies whenever it's opened. Now it's a simple matter to adjust SS, F/stop, and ISO to
"push" that histogram to just shy of the right side, a technique referred to as "Exposing To The Right".
Now simply input wanted/needed SS and f/stop and use the ISO to push that histogram to the right or...any combination of the three settings.

[DanK]

Jonathan,

Your image has a great deal of dynamic range (that is, the range from darkest to lightest). It has more than your camera can handle. As you have the image exposed, you range from true black at that dark end to areas that are overexposed (clipped) at the bright end. If you increase exposure so that the background is not black (I like it black), then even more of the flowers will be overexposed. If you reduce exposure so that the flowers are properly exposed, then even more of the background will be black.

You can avoid this in many cases by controlling lighting. You can also take several shots at different exposures and blend them, but I would forget about this option until you have more experience.

I would expose to get the flowers right. If that leaves the background darker than you want, you would have to direct more light on the background. Personally, I think the black background is fine; in fact, I think the basket distracts. But that is my personal taste. I shoot most of my flower shots with plain black backgrounds.

Dan

[Pohled]

Hi,

Geoff F., thank you. I agree that there's a lot of blank black space on the top. I tried other compositions as well, one of them has the whole recipient. But the exposure problem remains (posted below).

Chauncey, thank you too. I am not sure if I understood well all that you've mentioned. What's " SS". And do you mean that I should make a bias to the right or to the left?

Dank, thank you.
Yes, I liked this black background as well, but at first, it was not my intention. I agree that it's seems nice. But I'm worried that I may get this "wrong"effect on background on situations where it may seems odd.
Actually, it's a part of a chair, not a basket. But it's made of that "basket-material"

[Geoff F]

I certainly prefer seeing the whole vase (or none of it as an alternative).

The other question is what can you achieve in the way of software editing.

Personally, I would do some edits with layers and masks to equalise out the tones without losing anything from either end; but I may be getting a little 'advanced' now.

Also something to consider, which I do for most of my plant/insect shots, it to create a Custom White Balance before the main photography starts. Assuming your camera has that option. Yes it is one more task to be done, but it only takes a couple of minutes and gives you correct colour as a starting point; which can save a lot of time later on in the editing.

[Mike Buckley]

Aside from the composition and exposure, consider the quality of the light. It's produced by the sun and it's not diffused by anything such as clouds, lace curtains or photographer's diffusion material. The result is harsh shadows. If you have to shoot on a day when clouds aren't diffusing the light, place diffusion material between the window and the flower. Also consider adding anything white on the right side to fill the shadow areas of the flower with a little light.