Help with Skies

mrbez

mrbez

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Hi Guys,

Just been out with the camera to shoot some scenery around in Norwich.

I managed to find some ruins and a very nice church, however, I find that when the subject is exposed nicely, the skies are often just blown out.

I don't think it is as easy as using a filter as there isn't a straight forward separation between land and sky, as I have a huge church steeple pointing to the sky.

What is the best way to get these amazing skies with everything exposed correctly, or how can I fix this maybe in pp?

Thanks for any help.
 
AEB, use PS and put the correct exposure for the sky on the bottom layer then put correct exposure for the foreground on top.
Mask the top layer and paint brush black to reveal the correct sky.:thumbs:
 
I tried that, but when I have a tree as the subject, I can't seem to get the edges sharp?
 
Have you tried exposure bracketing, as already suggested, but compositing the images using a dedicated software package? Forgive me for asking what may seem like a stupid question.
 
What do you mean by "compositing the images using a dedicated software package" ?

I have Photoshop.
 
Depending on the version of Photoshop that you have, you can go to 'File>Automate>Merge to HDR...' and bung the images at it.

There are also various other programs, such as Photomatix (the only one that I've really tried) that will take care of it for you. They essentially take the 'usable' bits from a bunch of bracketed photos and make one picture for you. They all need a little playing with, as the results can get pretty funky pretty quickly.
 
Ah yes, I knew about HDR.

I rarely use it as it does make the image very unrealistic.

Neil, I just did what you suggested, but I always end up with a "stroke" around the subject if the sky is behind it. Eg a house.
 
You've already had some good suggestions, but you could also consider shooting from a different position, or at a different time of day, or with different weather conditions. You could also shoot raw and push your exposure well to the right for the sky and then bring up levels for what should be the mid tones. Shoot at 160 ISO or 200 ISO to maximise dynamic range while lowering the risk of sensor blooming. Spot meter the brightest part of the scene for which you want to retain detail at +2 stops and then add one more stop to the exposure. Try adding another 1/3 stop for luck. Then use a competent raw processor to manufacturer your final image.

Here's an example of one of my photos, shot in that sort of fashion, although not as scientifically, and then edited to complete the job.

Original (no edits at all), exposed purposely and precisely (following some trial and error) to hold detail in the sky :
20071130_112150_0405_LR.jpg



Edited (vey quickly) in Lightroom 3 to adjust white balance, blacks and fill :
20071130_112150_0405_LR-2.jpg



Slight alteration, to cool it down a little, making it more realistic for the cloudy conditions, and to brighten it a little more in the mid tones :

20071130_112150_0405_LR-3.jpg



There is a phrase which is well applied to digital photography - "Expose for the highlights, develop for the shadows.".
 
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