First Pics W/ My D90

[Brett9917]

Ok, so I purchased a factory refurbished Nikon D90 the other day, and it arrived yesterday evening. I spent most of last of night just messing around with the new gadgets... This afternoon, I took it outside and got a few photographs of my dog out playing in the snow. I have a second dog, but she just hung out in the garage in protest of the wind. You can see her in the second picture lol. I can't figure out for the life of me, how to properly expose snow. Either the snow is fine and the dogs are too dark, or the dogs are properly exposed and the snow is blindingly white. I try to shoot in spot metering, but that can be difficult when the dog is running around like a maniac. I use a cheap CPL from Ritz, and it helps a bit... are there any tips? Either in shooting or PP?? I have LR3 and CS5...

 

[Lego&Jacub]

haha... great photos! Looks like all the puppers are enjoying the snow!

 

[IPT]

you've just experienced the dynamic range limitations of photography. The number of stops between the dark dog and the white snow are too great for the capabilities of a single frame exposure. One will suffer. The workaround is easier with a static subject. Two shots, one exposed for the snow, one for the dog, then merge them in PS or LR. The option for you is the same . Hopefully you are shooting in RAW. Adjsut one for the snow and export. Then adjust the other for the dog and export. Merge them together and then use a layer mask to expose the best (proper exposure) of each image.

Have fun, experiment, and look up some tutorials.

 

[Brett9917]

haha... great photos! Looks like all the puppers are enjoying the snow!

Thanks!! The one being "showcased" loves playing out in the snow, but the other one has to be coaxed out. Usually she just makes an appearance to go to the bathroom, or steal the tennis ball and run back into the garage so we can't play any more haha.

you've just experienced the dynamic range limitations of photography. The number of stops between the dark dog and the white snow are too great for the capabilities of a single frame exposure. One will suffer. The workaround is easier with a static subject. Two shots, one exposed for the snow, one for the dog, then merge them in PS or LR. The option for you is the same . Hopefully you are shooting in RAW. Adjsut one for the snow and export. Then adjust the other for the dog and export. Merge them together and then use a layer mask to expose the best (proper exposure) of each image.

Have fun, experiment, and look up some tutorials.

Yeah, I have known about their limitations and have experienced them before, I was just hoping there was a secret that you pros could share... I have merged photos before, but with a dog running it makes a little more difficult. I also find that some of the action shots tend to be a bit more overexposed than static shots. One of the features on the D90 that isn't on the D40 is AEB. I guess I can try that out and see if that helps any...

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Lego&Jacub]

Thanks!! The one being "showcased" loves playing out in the snow, but the other one has to be coaxed out. Usually she just makes an appearance to go to the bathroom, or steal the tennis ball and run back into the garage so we can't play any more haha.

My goodness, I didn't even notice that there was a second dog lol! But I definitely spot a shadow in the second photo now that you mention it!

And isn't there always one stinker in the bunch? We have two goldens, and our female has to play with us when the male is outside, as if she tries while he's around he tugs on her ears and generally is a nuisance :hammer:

Sandra

 

[Brett9917]

Haha, well they are both stinkers to each other, in their own ways. The older one tends to get bossy when it's breakfast or dinner time, or when she has had enough playing. The younger one (the one in the pictures) is usually a pest when he wants to play, and especially if she has a toy that he wants to play with.:bigeyes: