How can I avoid blown-out skies and shoot low-light photos handheld with a Canon S90?
Asked 7/10/2011
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I use a Canon S90 compact camera and want to improve my results without moving to a DSLR yet. How can I avoid blown-out skies and other clipped highlights when shooting landscapes? Also, what’s the best way to handle low-light photography without a tripod?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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Your first question should be How do you prevent blown out skies without underexposing other parts of the image? because you can always expose for the sky.
It turns out the answer is the same for a compact or a DSLR because all cameras have a limited dynamic range. Yes, modern DSLRs have more dynamic range than your S90 but that only moves the point at which these techniques start applying:
- Shoot when the contrast is low. The golden hour is popular for landscape photography mainly because the contrast is at it lowest. As a bonus, things take a golden tone before sunset and after sunrise which generally adds appeal.
- Frame and point your camera to that DR in your frame is low. In other words, work with the light to select your framing, do not work against the sun. It took me years to make this into a habit but very rewarding.
When all else fail, you can try Exposure-Fusion or HDR. If you do it subtly it wont look nauseating like most such images seen on the web.
About your second question, without a tripod you have to increase the ISO. Cameras with small sensors are weak in this area as they produce much more noise than DSLRs at higher ISO sensitivities. If it becomes truly important to you, you'll either start using a tripod (try a Gorillapod if you want something very small and light) or get a camera with a bigger sensor.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
15y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Blown skies usually happen because the scene’s brightness range is greater than the camera can record. That applies to both compacts and DSLRs, though the S90 has less dynamic range.
To reduce blown highlights:
- Expose for the sky if keeping sky detail is the priority.
- Shoot when contrast is lower, especially around golden hour.
- Reframe so you’re not shooting into the brightest light or directly against the sun.
- Look for compositions with a smaller brightness difference between sky and land.
The key idea is not just “how do I stop the sky blowing out,” but “how do I keep sky detail without making everything else too dark?” Sometimes that means accepting a compromise or changing the scene/timing.
For low light without a tripod, your main limits are camera shake and subject movement. Handheld results improve if you use the widest aperture available, keep shutter speed as high as you can, and raise ISO when needed. This helps, but in very dim light there are still situations where a tripod or other support is the only reliable answer.
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