Color problem

[jake7363]

Hi,
I'm just a bit past "newbie", so please bear with me.

I have an Olympus C-765 that I really enjoy using, particularly outdoors. With it, I have really gotten some great shots (or at least I think so), but I have a recurring problem with the color that I don't know how to configure.

If I am in a forest scene, I can get very vivid and clear shots of the entire environment - except for the sky. Even though it is a blue sky, it comes out white and the edges of someof the branches look as if they are outlined.

What am I not getting here?

Thanks for any and all input in advance.

Jake

[SmartWombat]

If I am in a forest scene, I can get very vivid and clear shots of the entire environment - except for the sky. Even though it is a blue sky, it comes out white and the edges of someof the branches look as if they are outlined.

What am I not getting here?

The difference in brightness is too great for the camera to capture.
If you're close in to the forest, the camera will expose for the leaves, trunks, and shadows underneath.
Naturally that leaves the sky over exposed and it appears white.

If the sky line is fairly straight, you can use a graduated filter to darken the sky while keeping the forest properly exposed.

[Atomic2]

I dont know if you can fit one to your camera, but a polarizer may give you a blue-r sky. you really cant do anything about overexposing the the sky though, but it may help.

something else that may help is not shooting into the sun. so if you shoot away from the sun, the leaves will be brighter, and the sky wont be as bright, so you have less of a chance of getting the blown out highlights from the sky.

also if your camera allows it, shoot at maybe -.3 to -.7 EV, you will underexpose the trees a bit, but the sky will come out better, and you can correct it on the computer later.

[jake7363]

Much Thanks to both of you! These suggestions seem very much worth a try and I will follow-up.

Jake

[Justintoxicated]

or take several shots with varying exposures and combine them into an HDR image.

or if your good at photoshop and only the sky is off you can use a layer mask and take the sky from the properly exposed pic and the forest from the pic where it is properly exposed.