I have a camera that I still can't figure out all the settings. I use a Canon PowerShot SX 500 IS. I am having difficulty trying to figure out how to capture something like water drops (even into a sink!!) without constantly getting a white screen. I know that I have to slow the shutter speed, but if I do that, it over exposes my photos and makes everything white. I realized that I was going to have an issue when I couldn't get a great lightening shot because all it did was turn my screen completely white. So I can't even get a weather shot now and that bothers me. I can't even get nice sunrises or sunsets anymore without some kind of spots or flare showing up that I don't want. I miss getting nice sunrises and nice sunsets, too. I wish I hadn't broken my Kodak EasyShare. It did everything without issue. I miss it. Yes, I've read my manual and I still don't get it. I don't know how to do much with my camera except macro and auto. It's becoming frustrating because I would love to have shots that look like things I've seen on the 365. I am tired of taking mundane photos. I want to try new things but I am prohibited due to my limitations on what I can do with my camera. Perhaps it wasn't such a smart purchase after all. Getting extremely discouraged now. This is my last resort.
I have taken a number of water crown, drop etc shots.
I use my macro and a tripod and manually set my camera also.
Here is a shot I took in February - check out the exif data and see if that helps.
It is all very much a game of patients too. I can sometimes spend hours trying to get the right shot and other times have it done in less than 30 minutes.
Here is my insight into this and i hope i understood your question correctly.
First, i don't know how to set manual settings in powershot but i think figuring that out is easier once you get the total grip on exposure. If you are slowing down shutter speed and getting a white screen, your exposure is not right. You have to lower your ISO(100) and increase your aperture number(say 5.6 or more). Experiment with aperture and shutter speed combinations keeping ISO at the lowest until you get perfect exposure. Again, its easier if you understand how exposure works. Here's a great link to understand exposure.
http://digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography
There's many more great resources on the web.
And, if you want to capture a water drop in the sink, you have to increase the shutter speed, not decrease it. High shutter speeds capture motion. Low shutter speeds makes the water smooth and flowy. Your shutter speed choice depends on what effect you are after.
Here's one of my recent shot that captures(freezes) water in motion. I used high shutter speed here. I've shot this in the sink btw. :-)
I've checked the exif on my shot and I used 400 shutter speed which is pretty high and good enough to freeze the motion in water shots and make them look sharp.
Hi Bev! @prttblues
I think if you want to capture a water shot, like drops, you need it to be very quick, not slow. A slow shutter means it will let lots of light in. I've tried to get a 'silky water' shot with a slow shutter and like you just got a white screen because (even though it was a dull day) it let in too much light and washed it out.
I found that if I used the flash it would 'freeze' the subject, might be worth trying that if you want to get a droplet? (Although the flash never seems to fire so quickly, have a spare battery handy!).
Can you lower the exposure for sunrise/sunsets?
Alternative, Missus, is to get to love your picasa/ribbet!! With them you can increase/decrease exposure so easily which often gets rid of the glare. A whole new chapter of exploration, it will keep you going for another year...! :)
You may have heard a slow shutter speed for drops and crowns only if shooting in the dark and using a flash to stop the motion of the water. I've done a few with a 2 second shutter speed but in an almost dark room and timed the flash to light the drop or crown freezing the motion.
But I've had more success in fewer exposures/tries with fast shutter speeds to freeze the motion. A fast shutter speed will let in less light as well and not give you a white shot, but if you don't have the subject lit well enough the faster shutter speed will give you a black screen. Experimentation is the key.
@geocacheking Agree 100% with everyone above. Fast shutter in ambient light for water crowns. Forget the flash with your camera.
If you do want a slow shutter in natural light, then you have to stop your lens way small and ISO as low as you can. And if that is not enough, put a polarizer on the lens and as a last resort Neutral Density (ND) filters. But perhaps filters are not an option for your camera. You are suck then.
@filsie65 How do I lower exposure for sunrises/sunsets? I tried adjusting aperture (or maybe - it might not have been aperture what I was adjusting ... I don't even understand my manual) and still got spots and flare. No pretty sunrises or sunsets like my Kodak gave me (that had settings for sunrises and sunsets that were all set, I just had to select the setting!!!). I'm quite sad that I can't take them anymore without them looking crappy. They get spots and dots and streaks and they look awful. No amount of picmonkey or ribbet will help. Trust me. Once all that stuff is in the shot, it's there. You can't hide it. Everyone takes such great shots that I haven't been able to do ... I can't pan (I have no clue how to do that and am not smart enough to figure it out or learn), I can't get stop action shots like the crowns and drops (I have tried many times even on my camera I broke), I can't get shots like the one that person posted splashing water on their face... I am not a professional and never will be and will never be as good as anyone here ... ever ... I don't this this is the right place for me anymore. I don't even understand half the stuff anyone has said here.
Don't let comparisons to others get you down. Most people here are not professionals. And, frankly, there is A LOT of technical stuff to photography. First, you just have to love taking pictures. Second, know the limitations of your camera. Third, pick a new technical challenge to learn and work on (that is supported by your camera.) I had an old PowerShot a long time ago, I'm not sure what has changed in the last few years but I knew getting crisp clear water drip shots were not going to happen, especially like the ones here. I'd recommend learning about how aperture and shutter speed work together. This is the foundation for photography (with ISO as the third part.) The auto settings on cameras just set these for you trying to guess at what you want. If you practice with setting them yourself you can control your final product more.
Don't let it frustrate you, learn to master it. For example, studio and flash lighting scares me. It's confusing and there is so much to know. So, I spent 2 hours and 500 pictures later learning how one flash and a reflector work together. I ended up with 3 usable photos and a ton of new knowledge. Just remember, for every picture posted here hundreds of attempts are behind them.
@prttblues Hi again! I have no idea how your camera looks, but my canon powershot sx330 hs has a 'wheel' on the back under all the settings options.. if I click the wheel at the top it brings up a line that looks like
-2...1...0...1...2+
By turning the wheel a little arrow moves down the line (to left or right) and lets in more light (right) or less light (left) as it goes.
The Sony is way more complicated and I've only found my way there a couple of times!
Don't put yourself down any more - if you can adjust the shutter speed then you're doing fine, it just wasn't what you wanted for that shot. :)
@prttblues Nearly forgot ... panning. All it means is following the moving object with your camera so that the mover looks still, is in focus and everything around it is blurred. Do you take your shots by looking through a viewfinder or by looking at a screen at the back of the camera? I tried to pan with the latter and it was really hard to follow it - through the viewfinder it was easier as my head turned naturally. Try it with something slow first (a car in town?). You've already done it with planes! ;)
@prttblues I don't know where you are based but the three day coastal course I just did in Sussex, UK has made me understand so much. I can choose AV and TV and work them. I learned about white balance and exposure compensation. All in delightful seaside, boat and South Downs settings. I would highly recommend it. They promised me I would never use Auto again and I laughed. But it just might be true.
Write a Reply
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
I use my macro and a tripod and manually set my camera also.
Here is a shot I took in February - check out the exif data and see if that helps.
It is all very much a game of patients too. I can sometimes spend hours trying to get the right shot and other times have it done in less than 30 minutes.
Good luck.
First, i don't know how to set manual settings in powershot but i think figuring that out is easier once you get the total grip on exposure. If you are slowing down shutter speed and getting a white screen, your exposure is not right. You have to lower your ISO(100) and increase your aperture number(say 5.6 or more). Experiment with aperture and shutter speed combinations keeping ISO at the lowest until you get perfect exposure. Again, its easier if you understand how exposure works. Here's a great link to understand exposure.
http://digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography
There's many more great resources on the web.
And, if you want to capture a water drop in the sink, you have to increase the shutter speed, not decrease it. High shutter speeds capture motion. Low shutter speeds makes the water smooth and flowy. Your shutter speed choice depends on what effect you are after.
Here's one of my recent shot that captures(freezes) water in motion. I used high shutter speed here. I've shot this in the sink btw. :-)
I think if you want to capture a water shot, like drops, you need it to be very quick, not slow. A slow shutter means it will let lots of light in. I've tried to get a 'silky water' shot with a slow shutter and like you just got a white screen because (even though it was a dull day) it let in too much light and washed it out.
I found that if I used the flash it would 'freeze' the subject, might be worth trying that if you want to get a droplet? (Although the flash never seems to fire so quickly, have a spare battery handy!).
Can you lower the exposure for sunrise/sunsets?
Alternative, Missus, is to get to love your picasa/ribbet!! With them you can increase/decrease exposure so easily which often gets rid of the glare. A whole new chapter of exploration, it will keep you going for another year...! :)
But I've had more success in fewer exposures/tries with fast shutter speeds to freeze the motion. A fast shutter speed will let in less light as well and not give you a white shot, but if you don't have the subject lit well enough the faster shutter speed will give you a black screen. Experimentation is the key.
If you do want a slow shutter in natural light, then you have to stop your lens way small and ISO as low as you can. And if that is not enough, put a polarizer on the lens and as a last resort Neutral Density (ND) filters. But perhaps filters are not an option for your camera. You are suck then.
Don't let it frustrate you, learn to master it. For example, studio and flash lighting scares me. It's confusing and there is so much to know. So, I spent 2 hours and 500 pictures later learning how one flash and a reflector work together. I ended up with 3 usable photos and a ton of new knowledge. Just remember, for every picture posted here hundreds of attempts are behind them.
-2...1...0...1...2+
By turning the wheel a little arrow moves down the line (to left or right) and lets in more light (right) or less light (left) as it goes.
The Sony is way more complicated and I've only found my way there a couple of times!
Don't put yourself down any more - if you can adjust the shutter speed then you're doing fine, it just wasn't what you wanted for that shot. :)