help me w/my indoor photos

[luvmyfam444]

I have a canon powershot 520 & my indoor photos are looking all washed out...have tried taking dd photo in natual light near window ---guess its overexposure....I've tried taking then with the auto feature & with the indoor setting & I don't think etiher one is much better than the other. I would think that auto wouldn't let the flas go off if it didn't need it - but maybe I'm wrong here...

plese help me take some good indoor photos fo my dc - would love to be able to set up my own "photo shoot" of them but I've gotta figure some of this stuff out -

 

[Shutterbug]

Does the 520 allow for exposure compensation? If you think your photos are being washed out try setting it for under exposure and see what the results are there. You can under expose it at different increments. Give that a try and see what it looks like.

I have had to do that with my A75 a few times to get what I thought was the proper exposure.

 

[JR6ooo4]

I looked up your camera specs and it does allow exposure compensation, though probably not in full automatic mode. You can adjust the exposure a full two stops brighter or darker depending on the scene. Sometimes the computer just can not figure out the right settings for the composition.
at www.dpreview.com
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_a520.asp

this review shows that your camera has exposure metering options as well. You can choose which type of metering-
Evaluative ~ the whole scene
Center Weighted ~ measures mostly the center area
Spot ~ measure a smaller area around the spot (I believe it is metered at the focus point but double check that in the manual)

If your scene has a large dynamic range like low light on a subjects face and a bright background like a window on a sunny day the range is too great for the camera. Change to spot metering and meter on the subject. The background will probably end up too bright and washed out or way to dark, but the subject will be much closer to properly exposed. You may also find it easier to set one constant focus point so you know hwere the cam is metering every time.
Try the spot metering
then the exposure compensation on top of that
then the flash if you need more light.
if the flash is too bright then adjust the exposure compensation again.
Mikeeee


also... spot metering is a function my $800 Canon rebel XT does not have!
Mikeeee

 

[luvmyfam444]

ok -since I'm COMPLETELY clueless on what y'all said - I think I'll be either digging out my book (which also talks in a foreign language) OR we'r just gonna have to move away from the window....

I naturally wanted an easier answer to this

 

[Kelly Grannell]

I have a canon powershot 520 & my indoor photos are looking all washed out...have tried taking dd photo in natual light near window ---guess its overexposure....I've tried taking then with the auto feature & with the indoor setting & I don't think etiher one is much better than the other. I would think that auto wouldn't let the flas go off if it didn't need it - but maybe I'm wrong here...

plese help me take some good indoor photos fo my dc - would love to be able to set up my own "photo shoot" of them but I've gotta figure some of this stuff out -

For photos like that, try setting you camera to "portrait mode" and force the flash to be on. To my knowledge you can always force flash to be on or off.

hope it helps.

note: the rule of thumb is that in a backlit situation (such as your description), you will need fill-in flash.

 

[luvmyfam444]

OH!!! I was assuming my flash went off making it too bright---NOT the other way! guess I'm gonna try it again & pay attention to the flash this time...

THANKS!

 

[Tink10]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but on the same note, I can't figure out how to turn the flash off on my Rebel XT........

I feel like a goof, but I've been struggling with how to take pics on the indoor rides at WDW without using the flash....

Would you all just recommend using the no-flash mode, or am I missing something that's probably right in front of my face.....

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Set the your Rebel to P mode, set ISO to 1600, and just go snap snap. No forced flash will happen.

 

[manning]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but on the same note, I can't figure out how to turn the flash off on my Rebel XT........

I feel like a goof, but I've been struggling with how to take pics on the indoor rides at WDW without using the flash....

Would you all just recommend using the no-flash mode, or am I missing something that's probably right in front of my face.....

I don't own the camera but looked up the manual. It looks like there is a flash button on the left side just above the lens release button. Put the camera in "P" mode and press that button to see if that will work. If it does you should get an "A" display with a diagonal slash and when you take the picture it should not fire.

Hope this works.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

the flash button is to ACTIVATE the flash.

what I've posted is the correct way of doing it on any Canon dSLR.

 

[manning]

the flash button is to ACTIVATE the flash.

what I've posted is the correct way of doing it on any Canon dSLR.

I just got this from someone who owns one.

"Turn the camera off scene modes or auto mode into P mode and don't popup the flash.

That will disable flash."

 

[Tink10]

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Manning,

wasn't that what I wrote earlier? I used to own RebelXT.

 

[manning]

Manning,

wasn't that what I wrote earlier? I used to own RebelXT.

The other party said you didn't have to put it to iso 1600. I think Tink10, like me, didn't know about pushing the flash down to deactivate the flash. I used to own a Canon film SLR years ago and vaguely remember having to do this, just didn't remember it at the time I posted. At least we got Tink10's problem solved.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Oh, I understand now. I was confused before.

The reason she needs to push it to ISO 1600 is due to her question "I've been struggling with how to take pics on the indoor rides at WDW without using the flash"

You still can use ISO 100 and not having the flash active under P mode, but for indoor rides it'll be too slow of a shutter speed.