Issues with pics in bright sunlight

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heathramos

Senior Member
I'm a newbie when it comes to SLR cameras and just started taking pics with my D5200.

I tried a few random pics and everything looked okay but then I took a bunch of pics at the zoo and I ran into issues.

When I looked at the pics from the camera, they looked okay but when I transferred the RAW pics to my computer and viewed them within Lightroom, most of the pics had what I can only describe as red blotches in areas that were either really bright or had a reflective surface. I don't know exactly what to call this so it's hard to Google it and find out what the issue really is. Never had this issue when using a point and shoot camera.

Keep in mind that I took pics with 3 different lens (mainly the 55-300mm though), it was outdoors, sunny and taken 11am to 2pm. About half the pics were taken with the auto/no flash setting but others were kind of random, since I just wanted to try different settings. Sometimes shutter priority (various speeds) and a few aperture priority.

Most of the pics with issues seemed to be when the background was bright but subjects were in shade but that wasn't true 100% of the time.

A little frustrated since I can't really see the issue until I transfer the pics to my computer.

I know I shouldn't have used auto and I should have just researched the correct settings and set it manually (F16 rule maybe) but I thought I would see the issue and adjust while I was taking pics.

Going on a safari in 6 weeks so really need to figure this out.
 
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heathramos

Senior Member
No

Forgot it at home unfortunately.

A couple of lens had a circular polarlizing filter, if that makes any difference

and some of the pics were taken when I was under shade
 
Browncoat

Browncoat

Senior Member
yodapic.jpg
 
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DraganDL

Senior Member
It's a typical too contrasty scene - the subjects should have been lit with the flash in the "fillflash" mode, to be "even" with the (over-illuminated) background (the value of aperture should have been set some 2 stops up, higher numbers, to compensate for the difference)...
As for these red blotches, could be something wrong with the compression (RAW to jpg).
 
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heathramos

Senior Member
Browncoat is right

Lightroom must be automatically highlighting areas with that color

It must see those areas as problem areas.

Ugh...I'm a moron

Thanks for the info
 
B

Blacktop

Senior Member
heathramos said:
Browncoat is right

Lightroom must be automatically highlighting areas with that color

It must see those areas as problem areas.

Ugh...I'm a moron

Thanks for the info
Click to expand...

No, you're not a moron you just didn't know.
I've been using LR for 3 months and had no idea either.
 
Browncoat

Browncoat

Senior Member
heathramos said:
screen capture of pic in Lightroom:

View attachment 90999
Click to expand...

Highlight clipping is actually a very useful tool. It shows the area of the image that are "blown out", or "hot spots". These are large areas that are 100% white, where all detail is lost. There are various tools you can use in Lightroom to minimize these areas, but more importantly, this is an excellent image to discuss metering and proper exposure.

The subject of your photo (foreground) is standing under a tree, and poorly lit. The background (unimportant) is out in the bright sun. When you shoot in auto modes, your camera tries to make everyone happy and rarely does a good job of it.
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
The red patches are not in your image. Lightroom does that (adds the red) to specifically show you the overexposed areas in your image.

In the camera on the previously exposed image, you should check the histogram (specifically, the THREE RGB histograms... the single gray histogram is useless to show clipping). Reduce exposure so none of the three channels is clipping at right end.

You can turn off the red patches (which show clipping) in Lightroom (click red icon above right end of histogram). I use Photoshop, but it's the same raw module, so I assume it is icon same in Lightroom.
 
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heathramos

Senior Member
WayneF said:
The red patches are not in your image. Lightroom does that (adds the red) to specifically show you the overexposed areas in your image.

In the camera on the previously exposed image, you should check the histogram (specifically, the THREE RGB histograms... the single gray histogram is useless to show clipping). Reduce exposure so none of the three channels is clipping at right end.

You can turn off the red patches (which show clipping) in Lightroom (click red icon above right end of histogram). I use Photoshop, but it's the same raw module, so I assume it is icon same in Lightroom.
Click to expand...

Can you check the histogram before you take a picture?

Is there an advantage for changing the exposure before taking it as opposed to after thru software on a raw formatted pic?

I assume you need to take pic, review histogram, adjust exposure and take it again?
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
heathramos said:
Can you check the histogram before you take a picture?

Is there an advantage for changing the exposure before taking it as opposed to after thru software on a raw formatted pic?
Click to expand...


The histogram is only in the completed image file, so you check it after. But, if it is not as you want, you simply change exposure (or compensate it), and take it again. The advantage is, you are still at the scene, and can do it again.

It is best to do that that at the scene (especially for clipping), rather than to push it later in software. If it is clipped, color detail in that data is lost, gone, and those areas are not correctable. If the exposure is only off a little, not actually clipped, yes, that can easily be done later, but generally, pushing exposure up much later can add noise. If shooting Raw, we generally have +/- one stop leeway then (if not clipping).
 
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