Thursday 27 October 2011

What you see is what you get!


As we walked from the Art Gallery through The Domain to the Sydney Hospital to get a coffee, I was taken by this storm building up in the west, behind the CBD. So, I took the shot which I have posted second. But it wasn't what I saw. Because, said my daughter, you metered off the buildings. Try metering off the clouds.

So I did, and got the shot which I have posted first. This is what I saw. Both shots vary only in shutter speed. They are F8, ISO=400, with a Focal Length of 60mm. The bottom shot has a shutter speed of 1/1250, whereas the top shot has a s/s of 1/3200.

By the time we got there, the coffee shop was shut.

15 comments:

Jim said...

I noticed they've added the two new outdoor observation decks on the tower, since I was last in the city.

Unknown said...

Isn't it fascinating, what a difference a little tweak can make?

Julie said...

Jim, are you referring to those two little 'handles'? I must go up there one day - when I have saved up enough money! This comment of yours implies that you are still not back at work!! Will FB you ...

Dianne said...

Julie thanks for including the info on your settings - even on my little point and shoot I've worked out how to change some of the settings but it's a matter knowing what to set when.
Bad luck about the coffee!

Kay L. Davies said...

Oooh, you wouldn't get me out on one of those little handles!
Interesting, though, what Kirsten pointed out about your metering, and what you were aiming (as it were) to show about the storm clouds.

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel

Kevin said...

Helpful photography lesson.

Julie said...

Hah, not really Kevin. There are any number of permutations that could have been chosen by people with much more knowledge than I. I was simply locked into F8 (because it is one of the sweet-spots for my particular camera) and an ISO of 400 because I had been shooting my grandaughter in the grass. As I did not change either of these, the shutter speed had to do all the work.

I am learning but it is a long slow grind, when getting the photo is equally as crucial as getting the elements correct.

Joan Elizabeth said...

You are back at all that techie photo stuff ... as you know I go for the photo and suffer the consequences of not having the settings right. I made a concerted effort to learn a while back and promptly forgot it all again. Interesting how the top shot brings out the clouds more and the bottom more detail in the shadows.

Joan Elizabeth said...

When you 'replaced' your camera did you end up with a swankier model than you had before?

Julie said...

umm ... swankier ... like ... a smidge.

My old camera was a Canon 450D. My new camera is a Canon 5Dii with an L series lens, the 24-105mm.

Nathalie H.D. said...

Great story. That's where HDR would come in handy I suppose, leaving in all the dramatic aspects of the sky while still revealing the details in the buildings. I'd love to try it.

Julie said...

*grin* ... but we do. We try it every day ... with our eyes. They saw, at the same time, the detail in the buildings AND the drama in the sky. Both HDR and RAW scare me silly, Nathalie.

diane b said...

Hope you didn't get wet as well as miss out on coffee. Intereting tip about using the sky. We had a guy tell us about RAW at camera club last week., but I doubt that I will bother using it.

Breathtaking said...

Thankyou Julie I learnt something
today.

Joan Elizabeth said...

I always shoot in RAW.