How can I handle rapidly changing daylight when photographing birds?
Asked 8/26/2019
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2 answers
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I was photographing birds in a sanctuary on a partly cloudy day, so the light kept changing quickly from bright sun to lower light under clouds. By the time I manually adjusted exposure, the bird had often moved.
My gear/settings were:
- Nikon D5600
- 70-300mm lens
- Manual mode
- AF-S, single-point focus
I was trying to keep the exposure meter at 0, but shots still ended up overexposed or underexposed when the light changed suddenly. What’s the best way to handle these fast lighting changes for bird photography?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
6
Slight under or over exposures are not the end of the world. Shoot RAW and adjust in post.
If the lighting is drastically changing, such that your settings would lead to blown out highlights or too dark shadows (risking ample noise on correction), then really the best solution is to let the camera do some of the heavy lifting.
Go with Av or Tv mode (Canon) / A or S mode (Nikon) and then simply keep an eye on the camera computed parameter to make sure it's in spec for your shot. For example, go with Av/A set to f/4 and make sure your shutter speeds stay up and over 1/focal length or some minimum to capture subject motion.
If you are working in some challenging light (apart from the constant changing) like a strong backlight, then use the Exposure Compensation dial combined with Av/A to get a proper exposure on the fly. Alternatively, use the Exposure Lock button to lock in an exposure metered from a similar, but not so strongly backlit, scene that mimics the one you want to shoot. Use of spot or center weighted metering over evaluative will also help a bit in these situations.
Originally by user67377. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user67377
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For fast-changing light, full Manual can be too slow unless the light is stable. A better approach is to let the camera handle part of the exposure.
Good options:
- Use Aperture Priority (A) or Shutter Priority (S).
- Or keep Manual exposure but turn on Auto ISO.
For birds, many photographers choose an aperture they want and make sure shutter speed stays high enough to avoid blur, then let ISO or the camera’s meter adapt as clouds pass.
If the scene has tricky lighting, use exposure compensation to bias the exposure brighter or darker as needed.
Also, shoot RAW if possible. Small under- or overexposure errors are often easy to correct later.
In short: set the creative setting you care most about (aperture or shutter speed), use Auto ISO or a semi-auto mode, watch your minimum shutter speed, and use exposure compensation when the light or background fools the meter.
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