Blowing Your Highlights? Easy to Follow Guide on How to Stop Blowing Your Whites!!

[@boatman222345]

Great explainationf how to avoid overexposing highlights. One tip I would add is that when photographing eagles and osprey here in Maine it's important to do the "adjusting" of exposure in advance as eagles and osprey often fly at high rates of speed and seldom pause while you adjust. What I do is watch for a very common herring gull, hopefully perched at rest. As these birds have the very same sort of white feathers as eagles and osprey I make an exposure of a gull and then check the histogram. After adjusting exposure to a oid blinkies in the gull photo I am all set for the eagles and ospreys! Works like a charm.

[@Duade]

Thanks for the tip, I agree this is an excellent way to set your exposure in anticipation of the target species. Thanks for sharing, Cheers, Duade

[@tommitchell7993]

Hi Duade, you have a natural talent for explaining things without complicating them. The penny finally dropped for me on the value of the histogram. Blown highlights on white birds have been a real problem for me as I usually didn’t know they were blown until I downloaded the files, and then of course it was too late. I have a local spot that always turns up egrets and spoonbills, so I’ll set out tomorrow to test my newfound knowledge. Many thanks for sharing your insights.

[@Duade]

My pleasure Tom, good luck testing it out and reading the histogram to see if the whites are blowing. Cheers, Duade

[@MrKetio]

All your videos are so helpful. This is probably the most valuable photography Chanel on KZbin. Thank you !

[@Duade]

Thank you, Cheers, Duade

[@armandolugo9467]

Excellent communication on blown highlights.

[@Duade]

Thanks Armando, glad you enjoyed it, Cheers, Duade

[@AliasJimWirth]

Good explanation of the problems and solutions. Very useful video. Thanks so much.

[@Duade]

Jim, it is my pleasure, Cheers, Duade

[@thomastuorto9929]

Thanks for the vid. This week on a mid-sized pond with mixed lighting. Great Egrets moving from one side of the pond to the other in & of the shade/sun. Once they landed, I could readjust exposure but in flight it is one or the other. Anyway, while playing in LR6, I noticed adjusting the Contrast to the negative side helps with the Highlights & brings out some detail. Just started using Exposure Comp the last couple of months with Auto ISO. Before that everything was manually adjusted or whatever Auto ISO gave me. Jury is still out.

[@Duade]

Thanks Thomas, it can be difficult in changing light for sure. Most modern cameras have excellent dynamic range and it is a lot harder to blow the whites these days. With BIF in the sky generally the biggest issue is the images are too dark as the cameras meter finds the sky too bright and you will often underexpose the bird. Good luck with whichever system you find works for you. Cheers, Duade

[@tenrec]

Excellent instructional video. I especially liked the part about the cockatoos. We learn from our mistakes, and by including one of your mistakes in the video, you helped us avoid that particular error. Thanks so much!

[@Duade]

G'day Tenrec, my pleasure, yes I am always learning and making these videos also helps me. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@cynthianicholl7433]

I have experienced this so many times - don't have time to think about settings, just take the white stork landing on a tree bummer shots! Video is so helpful thank you

[@Duade]

@@cynthianicholl7433 Cynthia, it is my pleasure, Cheers, Duade

[@MichaelRusso]

You can spot meter too... Very nice videos with great tips. Thanks!!!!

[@Duade]

Michael, yes for sure that is an option as well. Cheers, Duade

[@cathco9]

Thank you for this tutorial Duade. I shoot mirrorless so have the histogram turned on in the EVF. I always forget the rules about shooting white birds. I use exposure compensation to brighten (other non white birds) but always forget to use it to under expose when using Auto ISO. I think I'll turn on the blinkies as a great reminder. I appreciate that you don't go too technical on us. Your tutorials are easy to follow and understand.

[@Duade]

That is great to hear, the EVF makes exposure much easier now that is for sure, good luck with your birding, Cheers, DUade

[@jesss7930]

Oh my god, I finally understand histograms! Thank you, I can’t wait to go and try it out now that I know how it works.

[@Duade]

Great to hear Jess, I'm glad it was helpful, Cheers, Duade

[@julisanning6677]

This video helped me so much. Highlights are one of the things I struggle with as a wedding photographer. Thanks for making a great video!

[@Duade]

Juli, my pleasure, yes, the whites on the dress can be a challenge for sure. Cheers, Duade

[@Scieszkaful]

Thank you for this video. I learned aomething new in lightroom. I used to do manual masking and didnt know you can do that trick. Iam learning a lot from you.

[@Duade]

Glad I could help, Cheers, Duade

[@Greggiexplore]

Very clear explanation, simple and to the point! Subscribed.

[@scottmuir2385]

Mate... Ive been shooting with a Canon 5DMKIV for years.... Seen blinkies on my unit but not paid attention! Thanks as you have sooooo helped me!

[@Duade]

Scott, yes the blinkies are a great help to ensure you are not blowing the whites. Cheers, Duade

[@samyakvakil]

Nicely explained, thank you

[@Duade]

G'day Samyak, my pleasure, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@cesarm8811]

Duade, excellent information, thanks for sharing. I will check to see if my Nikon camera has an highlight setting.

[@Duade]

G'day Cesar, your Nikon will have the highlight warning for sure, good luck using it. Cheers, Duade

[@frankleap]

Very helpful and informative. Thank you!

[@Duade]

Frank it is my pleasure, Cheers, Duade

[@HaiTomVlog]

I had this scenario happen today, next time I’ll be better prepared - thanks! 🤙🏼

[@Duade]

Great to hear Tom, good luck, Cheers, Duade

[@tomkolour3947]

Well explained a very helpful video, thank you. Love the term " Blinkies" :)

[@alanscott4384]

Great information on recovering the whites in Lightroom. Have never seen that before. 👍

[@Duade]

G'day Alan, yes it is pretty handy, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@davelock3166]

Mirrorless cameras have overcome this problem now, Duade. Used to be a real problem in the days of film. We didn't even have blinkies then! Cheers, Dave in Scotland.

[@Duade]

Thanks Dave, yes, it is a pleasure using a mirrorless body for the live exposure in the viewfinder. Cheers, Duade

[@alansach8437]

LARGELY overcome it! As long as we are human, no matter how great the technology, some of us will muck it up!

[@catherinegrimes2308]

This is a very good video. I shoot using Fujifilm cameras and on X-S20 has the "LIVE VIEW HIGHLIGHT ALERT" setting and when enabled it shows the blinkies on the screen before you take the photograph and that is really useful. I use manual aperture and shutter speed along with auto ISO. I can turn the exposure compensation dial to remove any blinkies. The blinkies can be set for JPG or raw and I leave it on JPG even though I shoot JPG + RAW. A friend has a Canon R10 and it can only show the blinkies on playback view and not on live view, the R6 doesn't have it either which is surprising as they are both mirrorless cameras like Fujifilm cameras. Hopefully Canon will add the feature to live view. This feature could be extended by having an additional metering mode where the no pixel on the sensor will be overexposed. So you don't need to twiddle the exposure compensation dial because it will automatically do it for you. That should increase your keeper rate.

[@bclname9800]

Your presentations are priceless! I am learning so much from you. This particular episode was very timely as I have recently experienced this problem. Thanks for your help!

[@Duade]

That is great to hear, I am happy to hear they are helping, Cheers, Duade

[@laurelb8372]

Excellent tips, thanks Duade

[@Duade]

G’day, my pleasure.

[@stevecolwill9761]

Nice tip about masking when using the adjustment brush, Duade. I never knew about that so will give it a go. Thanks! 👍🏻

[@Duade]

Thanks Steve, I only recently stumbled upon that myself. Cheers, Duade

[@9451shan]

Tons! of knowledge learned in this video.Exspecially the editing section.Thank you so much😀🙏

[@vladimirsaveliev4374]

Thank you very much for this video. You solved my problem with great egreats. Its very well explained and easy to follow.

[@Duade]

Vladimir, I am glad it helped, Cheers, Duade

[@african7498]

Your videos are absolutely amazing - clear and to the point. Really awesome - a great wealth of knowledge. Thanks for sharing.

[@Duade]

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@SkylarkFields]

Thank you for this. I found it really helpful. You explain things so clearly that I now understand bits about photography I thought I would never 'get'!!

[@Duade]

G'day Skylark, what a nice comment and it makes me happy to know people find my videos helpful. Good luck with your photography. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@SkylarkFields]

@@Duade Thank you :)

[@kalyandeepray]

Very Informative, and thank you for the tips. One of the things I have learnt is because I crop my photos quite often, shooting mostly birds, is to to not worry about the highlights on the whole frame, but only what I already know I would crop to. Gives me more leeway to decide my variables. Cheers.

[@Duade]

Thanks Kalyan, yes I place the most importantance on exposing the bird well. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@TaiwanisMoving]

Hey that's a good tip, too! thanks~

[@aryabandyopadhyay7399]

Easy to understand informative video. Thanks man.

[@Duade]

G'day Arya, my pleasure, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@returntoharmony2727]

I am so grateful to your channel. So easy to follow your explanations. Such a great teaching style.

[@Duade]

Thank you, I appreciate it. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@thomaswerts2418]

Now here's a KZbin video that I can really use, thank you

[@Duade]

G'day Thomas, welcome aboard, I hope you find the videos helpful. Cheers, Duade

[@hassanscottodierno9284]

thanks for all the videos this year, I have learned a lot from you. Have a good holiday season.

[@Duade]

My pleasure Hassan, thanks for the comment, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@QVL75]

Excellent video on the subject. Thanks!

[@rsfox79]

Lovely video as always, and i really need to learn lightroom again after watching this.

[@Duade]

G'day Romel, it is my pleasure, I'm glad you found it useful. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@treelee8485]

Good and almost comprehensive discussion, so thanks I've now discovered the histogram on my Nikon dslr. Almost ? Yesterday I was out shooting a colony of little white egrets in bright evening sunlight and they are all blown bright; they were numerous and quite distant. Having now looked at the histogram, the white tones are not touching the RHS, so averagely the little white flecks of birds do not add up to a significant impact on the whole picture. There is also a useful 'highlights' screen which does clearly signal the birds as possibly over-exposed; would this quit signalling if I changed the compensation correctly ? Apparently the best way to use any such tool is in learning to gain experience - your white subject may only appear briefly during a given session. My eyesight is not good enough (even with glasses) to distinguish problems on the playback screen, so sadly I often waste a given opportunity; but I have a starting point for the next outing.

[@PBenetton]

Love your videos! You should make a "reaction" video to subscribers photographs from time to time, would love to get your specific inputs.

[@Duade]

Thanks Pedro, good idea, I will add it to the list, Cheers, Duade

[@believer-learner]

Very useful tips..Thank you..

[@Duade]

G'day, my pleasure, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@stephencurah1059]

Thanks, I've always had this issue

[@Duade]

Stephen, glad it was helpful, Cheers, Duade

[@AndyGustavsson]

Excellent video Duade, really like how well you make these videos and you seem to be so comfortable teaching photography!

[@Duade]

Thanks Andy, yes, it is a fun process making the videos but as you know takes a lot of effort to film and edit. Cheers, Duade

[@crestonburks2141]

Excellent! Thank you.

[@Duade]

G'day Creston, my pleasure. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@bassclefjean1]

Great info. Just another reminder that you must pay attention to the exposure compensation when changing subjects. We tend to forget about it while being over-stimulated in nature’s beauty. So much to think about. Thanks so much for the editing tip. You covered everything in this video. Thank you! Now you need to look down at your feet so you don’t start the videoing in a pile of ants. Hey, you covered that too!!!

[@Duade]

Thanks for the feedback, yes I should have checked for ants first. 😳😂

[@gavinedmondstone316]

Nicely explained; I love your videos. Mirrorless cameras can also be set to display over and under exposure warnings (blinkies or colour change) in the viewfinder as you shoot so I usually turn my histogram off.

[@Duade]

Thanks Gavin, yes mirrorless offer a lot of advantages. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@Joya5545]

Thanks Duade, very helpful.

[@Duade]

G'day Auntie, my pleasure, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@sourabhmalakar4618]

Thank you so much sir.. ur lessons always help people like me... I've learnt lot from your videos...

[@Duade]

Great to hear Sourabh, I am happy you find them helpful, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@ivanfeng5220]

Thanks for the video, just what I really needed.

[@Duade]

G'day Ivan, great to hear. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@timthorington4498]

Great video. Really informative. I already knew a lot of this but the tip you really helped me with was using the range mask and eye dropper. Thanks for the great info.

[@Duade]

Great to hear Tim, glad it helped, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@DianeVatcher]

thank you so much, this has been wonderful to watch on all of your topics so far.

[@Duade]

G'day Diane, I'm glad you enjoyed the video, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@vijaypranav105]

Love from India 🇮🇳

[@Duade]

Thanks Vijay, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@rahul2rahulyt]

Great tips!! 👍👍

[@Duade]

Thanks Rahul, Cheers, Duade

[@alpinist3178]

Very informative channel keep it up!! Come to India also pluss after covid

[@Duade]

Kabir, I would love to visit India one day. Cheers, Duade

[@fotoemdrone6123]

The end is very real.

[@Duade]

Yeah it's always fun adding the bloopers. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@joyceyang6976]

Thank you Duade on this great video, it covered everything I need to know when shooting white birds. There is a birding place that I visit often, I noticed I often overexposed the photos while shooting white egrets, swans, gulls...etc, their whites were blown out. Now I know how to fix it by using blinkie and histogram! I also like how you showed us how to fix it in Lightroom. There is a snow storm coming, I think I can do some experimental shots shooting the snow scenes! 😃🙏💕

[@Duade]

G'day Joyce thank you for taking the time to comment, I am happy you found the video useful. Good luck in the snow, we are forecast for 36 degrees or close to 100 Fahrenheit today. 🥵

[@joyceyang6976]

Thank you for your reply Duade! I'm curious where you are? 🤔Good luck with all those ants! Greetings from Garden State NJ. 😃

[@Duade]

@@joyceyang6976 Hi Joyce, I am based in the north east of the state of Victoria which is towards the south of the country. Cheers, Duade

[@noelchignell1048]

Nice video Duane, Handy tips with using the highlight alerts and histogram. I shoot a lot of seabirds , mostly around the local estuary here in NZ. I use a Canon 7Dii and ef100-400 ii zoom I have the AF area selector lever set to change exposure compensation : I hold this down and spin the main dial to adjust exposure compensation. When I'm expecting to shoot white or pale birds I set -ve exposure comp. but suddenly a dark bird appears and I try to quickly change to +ve exp. comp. as I lift the camera up. I usually don't have time to take test shots and check histogram sadly. Hope to change to mirrorless so can check histogram through the evf Thanks Noel

[@Duade]

G'day Noel, great kit, I took many shots with my old 7D. Yes, it can be difficult to change exp comp on the fly, I do find holding the set button and the top dial quicker then pressing the button on top and then adjusting. Using manual mode and the histogram in the viewfinder is a good tactic as you can just move the shutter speed dial forward and back and watch the histogram change. I hope to get to NZ in the future to photograph some of the shorebirds, the Sand Plover in breeding plumage would be nice. Cheers, Duade

[@noelchignell1048]

Hi Duane, Thanks for that and yes the Plovers are worth the trip. Be happy to hook you up with some bird nutters here Cheers Noel

[@Duade]

@@noelchignell1048 Thanks Noel, lots of great spots over there. Cheers, Duade

[@markrigg6623]

Just regarding lightroom and blown highlights, the default "color" profile it uses adds a tone curve thats hidden (the curves tab still shows a straight line) and as a result your not seeing your true as shot exposure when you open your Image. Compared to the proper raw file it cooks the exposures contrast quite aggressively which is why I revert to a less aggressive profile like neutral. In the preferences you can change this default opening profile and its something I would suggest people do.

[@Duade]

Thanks Mark, you raise a good point, and it is worth checking the RAW Profiles for sure. If I do have hot whites, I will use the neutral profile. Cheers, Duade

[@markrigg6623]

I learned this from Andy Astbury's channel. He's not a heavyweight as far as number of subscribers is concerned, but He's an absolute freak with the depth of knowledge he has in all things photographic. He goes to a level of detail in his tutorials that no one I've seen on KZbin goes even close to, and if you really want to take your understanding of how stuff works in photography to another level then he is well Worth a look. He's taught me so much and I can't recommend him highly enough to anyone reading this. He's a wildlife photographer as well I should mention.

[@Duade]

@@markrigg6623 Thanks Mark, I will check out his channel, thanks for the suggestion. Cheers, Duade

[@BoxerTys]

Thanks again Duade, we can learn a lot this way :)

[@Duade]

, my pleasure, Cheers, Duade

[@jrrockett]

The shape of the Histogram Graphic from bottom to Top tells you how much of that very tone information is exposed. (how much of it) If that makes Sense. As to why the Very bright over exposed show Peek beyond the range far to the Right clipped, and beyond the Top Clipped same goes for the shadows to the Left.

[@Duade]

Thanks Jered, I appreciate your input, Cheers, Duade

[@dannynash5713]

Excellent Duade!

[@Duade]

Danny, thanks for the comment. Cheers, Duade

[@NikCan66]

Another brilliant video

[@Duade]

Thank you, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@NikCan66]

@@Duade no worries

[@timcollingwood6158]

Hi excellent advice, this topic is very interesting, What I do is if the subject is light go to the right and if it’s black turn it back ?.Do you think this could cause problems with the exposure .Regards Tim

[@Duade]

G'day Tim, when I shot in Aperture Priority, I used positive exposure compensation most of the time and when shooting white birds, I usually always went negative. Once you get into the habit of changing depending on the bird it wasnt that often I would get it wrong. I do think newer cameras are much more forgiving in regard to dynamic range which gives us more flexibility. Cheers, Duade

[@timcollingwood6158]

@@Duade Thanks for replying so quickly I will try that.Thanks again for sharing Best Regards Tim

[@Duade]

@@timcollingwood6158 G'day Tim, my pleasure.

[@Geophoto63]

Nice, I shot in manual 100%, and I use spot meter mode, So I measure the light on a white subject (white cactus) or wherever any white bird So I put my exposure (Scale) of the meter may be + 1 3/4 or 2 1/2 and shut, almost never get overexposure or underexposure because I use Spot meter and measure the light reflected from the subject..

[@Duade]

Jorge, that is a really effective way to ensure you do not blow the whites, thanks for sharing your technique. Cheers, Duade

[@Geophoto63]

​@@Duade Thank you Duade, fan of yours tips and technique, would like to have in Miami The SO BEAUTIFUL Birds of AUSTRALIA.. Your country are Blessed, Cheers Take Care and say Hi to your Partner Jan Wegener

[@usernamemykel]

@@Geophoto63 If you're in Miami, you're in a migratory bird flight path - count your blessings.

[@michaelhains2291]

If your mirrorless cameras has zebras, it is an easy way to avoid overexposing highlights, including whites. With Sony cameras you can set the zebra levels so the screen will blink if whites are going to be overexposed. A good starting point is setting zebras to 109+, with a range of plus or minus four (from there you can customise to your liking). Mark Galer’s video sets out the steps clearly: www.markgaler.com/zebra-109-for-sony-raw-photographers A very useful tool to use with histograms and blinkies (zebras are like realtime blinkies). The Canon R6 mirrorless has zebras, but I am unsure if they can be adjusted in a similar way. Maybe an R6 user can confirm.

[@Duade]

Thanks Michael, yes Zebras appear to be a good solution, unfortunately Canon do not allow them to be used in photo mode, only video at this stage. Hopefully there is an option in the future to turn them on. Cheers. Duade

[@michaelhains2291]

@@Duade If enough ask you may receive, in time. A great tool to have in the kit.

[@robertkelly28]

Another great video Duade, need to invest in some higher duty shoes for the Aussie outdoors :-)

[@Duade]

Yeah, I should have had my boots on, kept me on my toes that's for sure. 😂

[@dimitristsagdis7340]

Very nice esp. the Lr tips

[@Duade]

Thanks Dimitris, glad you learnt something, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@KisaraGirl]

Lovely as always❤️

[@Duade]

Thank you for your comment. Cheers, Duade

[@brendamilstein1062]

Thanks, a very helpful session. I hope you didnt pay too heavily with ant bites ....

[@Duade]

Hi Brenda, thanks for the comment, no long-term harm from the ants :-)

[@ashfield001]

Learnt plenty, Duade. Happy to pay for a coffee but could not find the ‘join’ button.

[@Duade]

I'm glad you find my videos helpful, I think the join button may not show up on mobile, the link is here kzbin.info/door/7cMXJb97jITBo5jMBdAsTwjoin Thank you very much for your support. Cheers, Duade

[@MrMonfabio]

Duade, we must do not forget that the image shown on the histogram is a jpeg representation and its histogram as well, so we do have a few more latitude in the original raw image.

[@Duade]

Thanks Fabio, yes, you are right, that is probably why you can push the histogram pretty hard and still maintain details. Cheers, Duade

[@MrMonfabio]

@@Duade I have both systems Nikon and Canon and on Nikon I can retrieve more shadows and on Canon I can retrieve more highlights

[@arindamimages]

Hello Duane, Thanks for this wonderful video. Really informative. One quick question. Canon 5D M3 in Manual Mode with Auto ISO does not support Exposure compensation change. Though it is there in new 5D Mark4. Is there anyway we can achieve that in 5D M3. Thank you.

[@Duade]

Arindam, unfortunately it appears you are right that the 5d3 does not support exposure comp with Auto ISO. The only workarounds I can think of is trying partial metering, so it exposes off your subject more than the entire scene. Or try Aperture priority with exposure compensation, you set the aperture say f8, then you select the ISO depending on how much light you have say ISO1600 and the camera will pick the shutter speed. If the shutter speed is too low, you increase the ISO or lower the aperture. Sorry that the camera is missing this feature. Cheers, Duade

[@arindamimages]

@@Duade Hello Duade, Thanks a lot for confirming this. I will try to see how that can be established in AV mode. It's always pleasure & privilege to see your videos. Keep them coming. 🙂. Cheers, Arindam.

[@nordic5490]

The blinkies are dispaying clipped pixels on the 8bit jpeg only (I beleive). To get a better understanding as to how far you might beable to pull those highlights back in post, reduce the contrast to minimum. This wil save the jpeg with reduced contrast, and many of your blinkies will now dissapear.

[@Duade]

Thanks Nor Dic, yes the blinkies are working off the jpeg so the RAW file will have more dynamic range, it is still and excellent guide to know you are getting close to blowing those whites. Cheers, Duade

[@Kiwicruiser355]

I usually use M with auto iso set to 1600max (D7500). Why do I sometimes, get my histogram clipping at both ends, and not a lot of midtones?, dark and light, This is usually darkish birds, sometimes with a light background. Most advice seems to centre on just clipping at one edge. Thanks.

[@Duade]

G'day Arthur, are you photographing the sky or water in many of your photos? The sky is generally very bright and water can be dark so if you photograph them together you will have a lot of dark and bright pixels. If I had a choice, I would always expose to ensure I do not blow the whites, even if it means clipping the shadows or dark pixels. Just be careful using a max auto ISO of 1600 because if the camera needs more light and it cannot adjust the ISO any higher your images could be underexposed. I would usually suggest setting the max ISO to 32000 and checking the ISO, if it is say 3200 you can change your SS or aperture to get it back down to 1600. Cheers, Duade

[@aarice69]

Thanks, very helpful. I'd love the same video but for blacks. Taking pics of flying ravens or black vultures, I frequently get blowouts of solid black - no detail. I'm using Manual with auto-iso and essentially using shutter speed to control light. If I use a high enough ss to avoid blur, I lose the light needed for detail. Appreciate any insights!

[@Duade]

G'day Aaric tricky scenario you have, you can use the histogram in the same way, if you take a test shot and the pixels are hitting the left then you have solid black and you need more light so you would have to add + exposure comp. Unfortunately doing that will lower your shutter speed. You might have to try Auto ISO which will leave your shutter speed and will increase your ISO instead. it is often a balance, shooting with sunlight will help as you have more light to play with. Good luck. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@aarice69]

@@Duade thanks very much. It's a tricky one for sure :)

[@laframe1016]

Tha was a great class Hi from los Angeles CA

[@Duade]

Thanks for leaving a comment, I'm glad it helped, Cheers, Duade

[@BrentTouchstone]

I was watching this WildLife Alaska guy and now I'm thinking about changing how I shoot Wildlife. I've always been a set the aperture, go auto ISO and just adjust the shutter. He suggest setting the aperture, setting the shutter and controlling the iso by assigning it to a thumb dial... then use the histogram for metering. I'm going to try it. Says he sets up the shutter as the second dial/control but mainly controls iso. I think this could be easier than changing compensation all the time to adjust for highlights/shadows.

[@philippelang.photographie]

Excellent video, as always. What about using a different metering mode, such as spot metering, in order to avoid using exposure compensation? Does that work in the field?

[@Duade]

:Gday: Philippe, thanks for the feedback, I find spot can be worse if your bird is white or black as it really tries to compensate towards 18% grey. To be honest new cameras have excellent dynamic range and ISO performance and it's not as big of an issue as it once was. I think it's just important to know if you have white in your bird you have to be careful not to overexpose the image. Checking the blinkies is a good habit to check. Cheers, Duade

[@hirsebrei1944]

Fantastic!

[@Duade]

Thank you, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@usernamemykel]

Which button were you pressing on the back of the camera for exposure compensation, please?

[@angelogarciajr5356]

Thanks for doing these videos. Two things, I never use Auto ISO mainly because it has ruined some of my images (mainly with low light sports). Why bother with exposure compensation when you can just set the ISO to where it needs to be to make a good photo? I cant figure out why I struggle with histograms? Probably why I never look at them.

[@Duade]

Gday Angelo, yes the camera can struggle with auto exposure in dark conditions as it will likely try and make it very bright. Histograms are very helpful with DSLRs however with mirrorless the viewfinder helps you get an accurate exposure. Cheers, Duade

[@usernamemykel]

You gave me no choice but to like and sub!

[@keithlow7586]

Hi Duane, very interesting, one question though, you mentioned if you over expose or blow out in camera the detail is not recoverable. If however you under expose what effect does that have on detail and can this be recovered or repaired. Great channel keep it up.

[@Duade]

G'day Keith, I might have to do a video showing that, but if you badly underexpose an image you lack detail in the dark areas, you can use the shadow slider or the exposure slider to recover those details but you will introduce a lot of noise and grain. Ideally we don't want to under or overexpose but newer cameras have amazing dynamic range meaning it is rare we can't recover details in post. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@Marleydia]

I really look forward to your videos, thanks for all the great content! I’m moving away from auto modes to fully manual and trying to incorporate all the variables to achieve good exposure. Using the R5 with the100-500 zoom and live in Ohio where winters are long and dark. But we do have Swans and white egrets. Is it safe to say, if there are blinkies on the water, you can ignore that if there are no blinkies on the bird? Also exposure compensation is a bit confusing to me. Thoughts on manual with auto ISO and exp. compensation vs. full manual and no exposure compensation?

[@Duade]

Thanks for your comment and I'm glad you are enjoying my content. Thankfully with the R5 it is much easier to adjust exposure as its live in the viewfinder. It might be easiest to start with autoISO, then you just adjust your SS until you have the right balance of SS and ISO. Once you are comfortable with AutoISO you can then try full manual and either set the ISO and Aperture and then adjust the SS until the exposure is right in the viewfinder. Or Set the SS and Aperture and adjust the ISO until the exposure is right. It can be confusing but its about practice in the field. Good luck, Cheers, Duade

[@Texray1]

@@Duade I'm a newbie photographer doing my best in full manual mode. Of the two, do you think ISO or SS affects blowing out whites the most? I'm never sure which to adjust. We have a lot of egrets, gulls, and pelicans here in Texas so I'm always struggling with blowouts.

[@Duade]

@@Texray1 When you change either the ISO or SS they have the same impact on increasing or decreasing exposure (usually in 1/3 of a stop increments). If your whites are blowing you need to darken the image so that is either increasing the shutter speed or lowering the ISO. Maybe take a look at this recent video where I explain exposure further and may help. Cheers, Duade kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZmUfnWciMZ2i6s

[@tryspenketai]

Good tips. I am using highlight blinking and histogram on my omd em1, but still when trying to capture great tit sometimes white cheecks are blown away because I have 1-2 seconds to make photo and no time to adjust, especially when cloudy and sun sudently shines. More hard with eagle in flight, dark bird an white sky and happens dark shadow :) guess need more practice.

[@Duade]

I totally understand where you are coming from and I still blow the whites from time to time. I guess sometimes it's better to underexpose slightly to save those whites if you know a white bird is likely. Cheers, Duade

[@CamillaI]

Nice one Duade very good video you see far too many blown highlights 👍😍

[@Duade]

Thanks, yes I think we have all struggled with them at some stage. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@JerrinJoshua18]

😄 nice video sir thank you

[@Duade]

Jerrin, my pleasure, Cheers, Duade

[@Wavehead12]

Great video! The issue I tend to have is that my pictures always look somewhat grainy. I always try to keep my ISO below 800 to prevent that. However, my photos still sometimes come out grainy, and I am not sure why. I use a Nikon d7200 and my to go lens is a sigma 150-600mm. There are times when I can fix the issue in Lightroom, but I feel that I am still not solving my issue. Any hints or suggestions would be great! Thank you and as always please keep up the great and helpful videos!

[@Duade]

Peter, noise is a common issue when photographing wildlife as we often require high shutter speeds. You are doing the right thing trying to stay under ISO800 with a crop sensor body, I occasionally went to ISO1600 with my 7D but found ISO800 best. I would suggest watching my video on noise kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqjQp5ikr66KrJY. The other thing to consider is looking for a D800 series camera as the full frame body will handle noise a lot better. Good luck, Cheers, Duade

[@TufferImages]

Topaz DeNoise, worth every cent.

[@kentaufderheide8454]

Great video. You still adjust the exposure compensation when you're shooting in Manual Mode and have the ISO set to Auto-ISO, correct?

[@Duade]

G'day Kent, yes, if you have Auto ISO selected the camera is choosing the exposure so you need to use exposure compensation. It's only when shooting in full manual you don't use it. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@darknstormyimages]

Hey mate , what program do you edit with? Did you make all the overlays in your video and also what do you use you tablet for when filming?

[@Duade]

, I use LR for Raw conversion and PS for final edits. The overlays are done in photoshop, I open the RAW file and place the processed image on top and then align the two layers. I use a Microsoft Surface Pro to read my notes. Cheers, Duade

[@myf0c4ld1st4nc3]

Ahhahh those ants!!! Great video. Thanks

[@Duade]

Lol, yeah those ants made it tough, thanks for the comment. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@TGP2033]

Hey Duane- I use a 5D MIII and didn’t know you can access the exposure compensation on the top using the set button like you explained. Did you set that up as a custom setting? The way I’m accessing it is on the LDC screen on the back which is very time consuming when trying to make adjustments.

[@Duade]

Elaine, yes simply go into the custom controls option in the menu where you change what the buttons do, go to the SET option and select exposure compensation, it has a square with + and _ on it and a downward arrow next to it. Once that is set simply hold the set button and turn the top dial. Cheers, Duade

[@djack41]

Wish Canon would enable Zebras for still photography. Zebras are much more accurate than the histogram. Blinkies assist only after an exposure is taken.

[@Duade]

Yes, I totally agree, I have no idea why this is not an option. Hopefully a firmware update will add this feature. Cheers, Duade

[@Rooster0529]

Very helpful.

[@antmusic1000]

Nice video!

[@Duade]

Thank you, Cheers, Duade

[@Hummingbirder1]

Ho-hum... Duade's feeling antsy ;-)

[@Duade]

Lol, I know how frustrating it can be to blow your whites so hopefully this helps. :-)

[@mikejansz9182]

Hey Duane. In one of your recent videos you stated you shot 8,000 images in 3 days. What is your workflow in assessing and culling these?

[@Duade]

Hi Mike, I do it slightly different to most people, I actually review the images on the back of the camera at the end of the day. I zoom in to 100%, check if its sharp and if I like the image, I give it a star rating from 1 star to 5 stars with 5 being the very best. If its soft, doesn't have the pose I like or the image is lacking I don't give it a star rating. I have got into a good system where I can get through the images pretty quick as I know what I am looking for. Once I have reviewed all the images I download them into Lightroom, I then sort by star rating and all the best images come to the top. I then delete all the images that do not have a star rating. I estimate I keep between 5-10% of images I take. I think most people will use a program like Faststone or Photomechanic and go through the photos and either tag the ones they like or delete the ones they don't. What system do you use? Cheers, Duade

[@mikejansz9182]

Hi Duane, l have recently moved to the Sony system which provides in playback, a screen where you scroll and tick off images to be deleted in one action. Would be nice to have a card reader with a screen the size of a iPad to evaluate and delete.

[@krranjit]

Nice video 👍

[@Duade]

Thanks Ranjit, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@kennethcheong4498]

My next question is regarding shooting birds in flight. Now the background is the sky and is too bright, so the bird will become too dark. How much would you compensate for the underexposure?

[@Duade]

Great question Kenneth, when I shot in Auto exposure mode I would often have to add 2 stops of positive compensation to correctly expose the bird. It can be a real challenge but taking some test shots is often key if you can. It also depends if it's a blue sky or overcast. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@kennethcheong4498]

@@Duade Thanks Duade, from my limited experience, I was guessing between 1.67-2 stops, so that's about right.

[@donnaseaman9385]

What tripod setup do you use?

[@Duade]

G'day Donna, all of the gear I use is listed in the description, the Tripod is a Benro model and the head is an induro gimbal. Thanks, Duade

[@comeraczy2483]

Thanks a lot for this video. I have a question: since your ISO is almost always over 400, why not always set an exposure compensation for the worst case and then adjust the exposure in post as needed? Doing so would still give you a correctly exposed kingfisher without any drawback (assuming a reasonably modern camera that is somewhat close to ISO invariance) and you wouldn't blow the whites on the crested cockatoos if you forget to change the adjustment.

[@Duade]

G'day, you raise an interesting point and I suspect with the latest cameras this would work. Traditionally if you underexpose an image when you correct it in post you introduce noise and the quality is not as good as a brighter exposure. I need to do some tests I think to see if there really is a difference between say an image that is 1 stop under vs an image exposed to the right. Might make a video on it. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@markrigg6623]

You have to be careful working this way with the older Canon sensors. (Pre 90D R5 1dxmkiii). They had off - chip AD converters up until recently and the buses connecting them generated a lot of noise inducing heat. It resulted in all this magenta muck if you tried to push the exposure too far. Its also good to remember that every stop of exposure on the histogram has twice as much information as the one below it (to the left of it). Thats why we still need to keep the exposure " to the right" as much as practical without blowing the highlights. It keeps the signal to noise ratio high.

[@magnusjansson4831]

Great👍

[@Duade]

Thanks Magnus, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@lauralynnmclean4593]

I use the spot meter.. and notice a difference.. is this a different method?

[@Duade]

Hi Laura, yes, if you use the spot meter it is taking a reading from around you focus point as opposed to the entire scene. What will usually happen is if the bird is white and your focus point is on the white bird the camera will meter the white and think the scene is too bright and make everything darker, so you will often get underexposed or dark photos. If you place the focus point on something dark the camera will make the scene brighter and may lead to very bright photos. I tend to use evaluative when using auto exposure as it does a better job most of the time. Do you have any issues with your photos being too bright or dark? Cheers, Duade

[@lauralynnmclean4593]

I tend to use the spot meter on bright or dark birds.. I do struggle with gulls in bright light, especially when front lighting.