Photo Clinic #2

[Rolan Duffield]

Correcting Dark Pictures:

Are you having problems with your digital camera pictures that are dark and it’s difficult to see detail in the shadows. The lack of shadow detail and/or dark areas in the digital picture is caused by lack of adequate camera exposure. So, how do we correct this? We’ll discuss some basics here.

First you need to understand that the basic “auto exposure” of the camera depends on what the central camera viewfinder focus zone sees. The exposure is calculated for an average area that has good mid- tone light levels, not too dark or too light. If the center focus zone is seeing light colors and there are many dark shadows in the picture, expect to see a dark picture unless you make an exposure correction.

Once you take the picture, check your results by looking at the picture in the reviewing screen of the camera. It’s also a good idea to compare the displayed camera picture with the printed results to learn how they compare. Does the printed image represent the same contrast, detail and quality as seen in the camera review screen? Study these comparisons as it will help you understand if the image in the review screen represents the final printed results.

If you’re using a digital camera, you should be using some type of photo editing software program to correct darkness, contrast and color results, especially if you intend to display pictures on a web site. There are a lot of good software programs available and many of them are very easy to use and reasonably priced. Some camera manufactures include a basic program with their camera components. Kodak includes the “Easy Share” software with some of their cameras.

Here’s a source you might visit for general information. There are several other new programs on the market. So shop around. www.digital-photo-print-site.com/articles/DigitalPhotoPrintSite8.html

Back to taking pictures. If you are taking pictures of people in bright sunlight, position them so the sunlight is at your back or no more than a 45-degree angle to your back. This will minimize deep, dark shadows that show up as black blobs in your pictures. In addition, use the fill-flash of the camera when taking these type pictures. The fill in flash will generally make a big improvement in picture quality. Just realize it’s likely to be most effective in the range of 4 to 8 feet.

Select bright shadow areas for taking “people” pictures, wherever possible. This is a great technique to obtain good detail with good bright colors.

If taking pictures in heavy shade, always use the camera’s flash unit when taking the picture. The flash unit will greatly improve picture contrast and make colors brighter.

How about reporting back to us after you have tried some of these recommendations. If you have questions and need more information, ask and we’ll try to provide an answer for you.