Whites too white

[Journeyman]

Good day, my white bird images are too white.
I have changed the metering to spot metering to move the metering away from the dark surrounds.
Using different a/f points

The attached photos;
Canon EOS 90D camera, EF400 f5.6 lens. Using manual mode with auto ISO. White balance - daylight.

Upper photo - 1/2000 shutter, f6.3, 400mm, @ iso 2000
Lower photo - 1/1250 shutter, f6.3, 400mm, @ iso 800

The processing I have tried does not really help. Photoshop (up dated) and Paintshop Pro 2019 + any updates.
Unfortunately I have plenty of shots to choose from.
Exposure compensation helps here and there although in darker shots it can be a hindrance.

If I were able to edit them, I would be ok while I figure out the problem.

Thank you, kind regards, Journeyman



2WW IMG_7495.JPG2WW IMG_7240.JPG

[Gazza]

Both of these images have been exposed for the background; note the detail in the shadows.

I'd suggest you change your 90D to BBF (Back button focus) and use AF (Aperture priority) for wildlife, so while you're looking through the view finder you'll be able to lock the focus on your subject and while that little square is on the white area, slightly depress the shutter button to lock the exposure, then, with both those locked in, recompose if necessary and shoot.

Sounds a little complex, but it becomes second nature in a very short time.

There is plenty of info about BBF if you search here on the forum or jump on youtube for some tut's.


Cheers

[ameerat42]

1) Exposure...
As a general basis for even modern digital photography, consider what is variously known as the
"Sunny 16 Rule". The Wikipedia article is fairly good about it, and the first paragraph explains the
basis of it.

Examine your own exposures for these shots, which are quite strongly lit even though the light is
from a lowish angle. That is, they would still be "normal day-lit scenes".

So, given that a starting point would be one of the stated scenarios in that article, viz:
...On a sunny day with ISO 200 film / setting and aperture at f/16, set shutter speed to 1/200 or 1/250...
then normalise your setting to this one. You will find that for:

#1, 1/2000 shutter, f6.3, ... @ iso 2000
your ISO is ~+3 stops (overexposed)
your exposure time is ~-4.5 stops (underexposed)
your f-stop is ~+3.5 stops (overexposed)

Net exposure value is ~+2stops (overexposed)

Now, given that you've got a white bird, add about another +2 stops of overexposure.
(+2 stops for bird because IMO the rest would be within the camera's dynamic range.)

To save space in this post, you can do it for the second shot.

2) Processing...
To quote you:
"...The processing I have tried does not really help. Photoshop (up dated) and..."

So, are these straight OOC jpegs, or did you shoot in raw? If the latter, how did you convert to jpeg?
The raw conversion editor is where you would seriously manipulate the tones. Do you use either of
Adobe LR or Canon DPP?

By the time you get a jpeg that looks like these, any info in the highlights is gone. I don't know the
dynamic range capability of your camera, but from a raw file you should be able to tame the highlights
some more. I can see that the mid-tones and shadows are fairly light as well.

(Ask any more Qs if you like, lest I stray from here.)

- - - Updated - - -

(PS: Technically, it's "highlights are blown/too bright/clipped...")

[Journeyman]

Good day Ameerat, Gazza,

Thank you, I have probably relied on the auto ISO far too much. I have used as much of the lens aperture as I could and let ISO take care of the rest. I can't remember why now, the result has shown itself though.

I had a brief look at Wikipedia and will look more closely this arvo. I use the rule of 11 in my lunar photos. The surprising thing is I see the moon image on the screen and in the view finder as the settings change.

The photos in my post are distilled from RAW via Canon software then resized to place on Aust. Photography. I don't shoot JPG a lot these days, I tend to use it for a bit of sorting. RAW images are either circa 45MB Canon Raw or 23MB for RAW. Plenty of room to move. I will check LR's treatment of the RAW images.

Gazza, I use manual for most of my pics. I do use BBF, probably worth becoming better friends with my viewfinder particularly with light changes. That would give me feed back on what is going on. The exposure lock must very useful. Certainly happy to try aperture priority.

I am fortunate to live about three quarters of a K from a river which hosts pelicans, herons and egrets. No shortage of white birds, I need to go down and check the setting functions,

Many thanks and kind regards,
Deenis

[blkmcs]

If you open the raw file in PaintShop Pro, Camera Raw Lab there is a "Highlight Recovery" option, select "Normal" and the whites will then not be so bright, then complete the edit in PaintShop Pro, if it is too dark try "Adjust" - "Brightness and Contrast" - "Fill Light/Clarity" try different values for "Fill Light" but leave "Clarity" at "0", this will lift the shadows but leave the highlights as they were.

Mike

[Mark L]

I haven't read everything here bt you need to get closer to the bird and with the whites under expose a bt.

[Tannin]

Whooah there! Too much complicated stuff going down in this thread.

The problem is simple: over-exposed whites.

The answer is equally simple: expose the picture a bit less. Do it any way you like. Exposure compensation in any of the semi-auto modes (aperture priority, shutter priority, or auto-ISO) or just drop it a click or two in full manual. Any way you like and that is familiar to you.

You know that bright whites are going to need a bit of compensation and you can do that before you even squeeze the shutter, but always, always chimp to check your histogram and adjust further as required.

[ameerat42]

^For some, it seems