How to Not Blow Out the Sky in Photography

Photographing against the sky requires adjustments to the camera's exposure setting.

Photographing an object against the sky requires setting the camera to compensate for the disparity between the bright light of the sky and the light striking the subject. An improper light setting will result in the subject being underexposed, appearing dark in the photograph. Another result is for the sky to become drastically overexposed and appear washed out, sometimes referred to as "blowing out the sky." Most commonly the result of an improper light setting is a combination of both.

Things You'll Need

• Camera
• Light meter
• Photo gray exposure card

Instructions

1. Approach the subject so the person or object fills the camera's viewfinder. Partially depress and hold the shutter button. If the camera is set on automatic, this will lock the exposure setting on the light striking the subject.

2. Compose the photograph as you desire while keeping the shutter button partially depressed. As the setting is locked, you can place the subject anywhere in the frame. Finish depressing the shutter button to take the photograph.

3. Adjust the light setting manually. If your camera does not have an automatic setting, use the camera's built-in meter or a hand-held light meter.

4. Place the gray card in the same light as the subject. Point the camera or hand-held light meter at the gray card. As a grey card is designed to average out the light in an "average" scene, it will give you a middle starting point to set exposure. Taking a grey card reading is the best technique when photographing a distance object, such as a bird or plane, against the sky where you cannot take a reading directly from the subject.

5. Measure the medium bright areas of the sky with the light meter when shooting a sunset or landscape to obtain an average reading of the light in the scene. For example, if the top of the frame is dark with storm clouds and the bottom of the frame is bright, clear blue sky, measure the light where the two disparate areas meet.

6. "Bracket" the photo. Bracketing is a technique in which a series of shots of the subject are taken at different manual exposures settings. Set the camera to the reading taken off the gray card and shoot a photo. Set the camera exposure to one setting below the light meter reading and take a second shot. Take a third photograph one exposure setting above the meter reading. For example, if the meter gave a reading of f-4 at 1/500, shoot a photo at f-4 at 1/250; at f-4 at 1/500; and f-4 at 1/1000. You can also move the f-stop aperture setting up or down instead of the shutter speed. However, adjusting the aperture setting will changing the depth of field as well. Bracketing will work only with cameras with manual settings.

References

• "The Basic Book of Photography"; Tom Grimm and Michele Grimm; 2003

Resources

• Geoff Lawrence: Photography in Sunlight