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Question: My pictures turn out all WHITE!?
I recently bought a Canon Powershot SX100IS digital camera, and all the picture I took on it look "wiped out", with the colors not being vivid, and with the sky and other light objects coming up white!. Like if the sky is light blue, it will come out nearly white!. And if someone has white hair with light grey streaks, the hair in the photograph looks completely white with barely there grey!. It's like someone sprays translucent white paint all over my pictures!. everything has a hint of white! I take pictures on auto, I didn't change any of the manual settings!. Any help here!? Sample picture included!. In the picture, the sky is white, even though it was light blue in real life!.
http://img299!.imageshack!.us/my!.php!?image!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
This is a simple simple problem which often bothers new photographers to death!. To begin, no your camera is not broken, though to be honest your particular camera has the tendency to amplify the problem!.
In a nutshell and in layman's terms the problem is this "a standard camera can't see as many tones as the human eye can"!. (referring to your posted photo) Although with your eyes you can clearly see that the sky is blue and in addition see everything in detail in the ground below, a camera cannot, at least not in the lighting conditions in that particular image!.
See the camera has a decision to make with its light meter based on what you have framed in the photo!. If you made the decision to fill a majority (if not all of the frame) with the sky, you would have a nice blue sky!. However, the buildings as well as the trees would be a bit dark!. Now what you have done is framed a majority of the frame with buildings and trees and such!. Now, on the ground things are darker than the sky, and the camera light meter knows this and has to compensate by either opening up the aperture more, or keeping the shutter open longer!. In this case the camera opened up the aperture, thus resulting in an overexposed sky!. If you want to have a perfect sky and perfect ground then you need to photograph when the lighting conditions on the ground are the same as the lighting conditions in sky for instance dawn and dusk!.
So in addition to this simple problem regarding light meters, your particular model of camera has some inherent problems in terms of its ability to reproduce colors accurately, most notably yellow and blue!. In addition when you use higher ISO numbers, the cameras dynamic range becomes more limited!. So I would stick to either 100 or 200 ISO, preferably 100!.
Anyhow I know this information must be somewhat of an overload, but I hope you realize that your camera is not broken, and that the only way to really overcome these types of problems is taking the time to read about photography more!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
The exposure looks about like you'd expect for a scene like that!. Histogram looks normal!. EXIF data show:
ISO 200
1/60 sec
f/2!.8
matrix (evaluative) metering
The sky is just a LOT brighter than the rest of the scene!. What happens with scenes of less dynamic range!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
i think your white balance settings are off!. try to go to the options and see whether the white balance is on automatic or manual!. if it is manual, make sure its on automatic! cause that way it adjusts itself to all exposures
let me know if my answer is the best answer or not :)Www@QuestionHome@Com
It must be the ISO and the flash!. Try taking the pic without the flash!. If that does not resolve the color problem, the ISO must be High!. The manual should have the details about the ISO!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Over exposed to light!. Need a filter!. Perhaps you can use Photoshop to improve the image!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Are you related to Michael Barrymore!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
yup some problem with color resolutionWww@QuestionHome@Com
The image you posted has both rather dark areas and a bright sky!. The camera has averaged these areas to get a "middle-of-the-road" exposure, and overexposed somewhat!. The dynamic range you were trying to capture exceeded the sensor's capability!. So you have detail in the darker shadows, but the sky is blown!.
The best way to fix it is to learn how to set your own exposures, but that takes some time and effort!. For now, if your camera constantly over-exposes, set the exposure compensation to a minus number and try again!. Keep going with more minus comp until you like what you see!. You may have to change the setting for different kinds of pictures!. You might need -1!.3 on a landscape, but only -!.7 on your white haired Grandma!. Your camera may need to be set on "P" (program) in order to change any settings, very often the "A" (auto) does not allow any changes to be made!.
I suggest the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson!. also check your library or bookstore for books on beginning photography!. Start learning the technical stuff, then sit down with your camera manual and see what the controls do, how to access them and how the settings affect your photos!. Then get out there and enjoy your new camera!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Just by looking at that one image, it's hard to tell!. That could've been a particularly bright scene and so the camera just adjusted to the main part of the picture which was the building and trees!.
However, if this really is a problem, and you're positive you didn't adjust anything, then bring it back from where you bought it and tell them the problem!.
You may have accidentally changed the shutter speed!. If you can change the shutter speed, make it a faster speed (i!.e!. smaller fraction)!.
Try taking some pictures of dark things only and bright things only, as opposed to pictures that have so much contrast in them (like your example picture)!. Look at how those turn out!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
