Sunlight?

[Lizmo]

I need help. I'm using the manual setting. ISO 100. White balance is auto. f/5 and a shutter speed of 125.

But if the sun is behind me or I'm shooting into the sun, this happens. . .



Yet, if I change the settins to portrait mode this happens, same. . .sun behind me.



Like it's WAY over exposed?

[HoundedByHounds]

Close your aperture? My totally non expert advice LOL.

[Lizmo]

How would I go about doing that? I'm still a newbie, too

[HoundedByHounds]

well what do you have? If it's a Nikon there should be a way to adjust that using the click wheel...I don't run in Manual...I always use Aperture Priority...that uses the click wheel to adjust the aperture. the rest, ISO, etc...is handled thru the menu.

I'd have to grab my camera...
okay in Manual...focus...then hold down, the wee button up top with the pic of the Apeture on it..the plus minus...then spin the click wheel. You should see in your viewfinder the f number getting BIGGER...meaning the opening will be getting SMALLER..admitting less light...

FWIW I seldom shoot at less than 400ISO and that'd be in A-P Mode. I have too much action in my pictures most times to go less...I really like 800...it does get noisy in low light but I don't shoot much in those circumstances.

[Saje]

I never use the program modes so I don't know what the second pic was shot at BUT the first one is overexposed because it's a bright day and you should close your aperature (etc from a 5.6 to an 8) and/or speed up your shutter (125 - 250 or higher)

Do you use the metering bar? it looks like this (inside the red circle)

[Chewbecca]

Originally Posted by Lizmo

I need help. I'm using the manual setting. ISO 100. White balance is auto. f/5 and a shutter speed of 125.

But if the sun is behind me or I'm shooting into the sun, this happens. . .



Yet, if I change the settins to portrait mode this happens, same. . .sun behind me.



Like it's WAY over exposed?

This is why you are getting over-exposure.
You have (obviously) too much light.

You could stop your lens down (close the lens, raise the fnumber), but f5 isn't too open, imo, not unless you WANT the water, grass and background scenery to be as sharp and as in focus as the dog.

My suggestion?
Up that shutter speed.
BIG TIME.

In sunlight like that, photographing a dog, I would never go lower than 1/800 for shutter speed.
For outside shots, especially when photographing in motion subjects like dogs, keep the shutter speed up.
1/125 is way too slow which is allowing way too much exposure.

[Lizmo]

Okay, thanks! I'll go give it a try.

Saje, I don't use the meter bar.

[Saje]

It's your best tool. If you can play with those settings until the bar is close to the middle you will have a very good starting point.

[Lizmo]

Where would I find this meter bar?

[Saje]

Pick up your camera, point it at something, look in the window, and down at the bottom should be your bar. If you want to figure it out I'd flip the camera into manual and do some test shots. All on the same object in the same lighting conditions. play with your shutter speed, your aperture, and watch that bar. If you move to one side of the bar you will be underexposed and if you move to the right you will be overexposed. You figure out which