photographing snowdrops with a DSLR

[mark smyth]

Can someone give me some pointers on how to photograph snowdrops using a DSLR. I tried stepping down the exposure by two stops but they still come out over exposed.

I'd like to take shots of groups of snowdrops in the garden

[Ian Y]

Mark, depending on what exposure priority you are using it could be that your pictures are over exposed. Try using aperture priority in conjunction with your minus 1 or 2 stops that should work. If you use shutter priority and you are in bright light it may be that you have not selected a high enough speed to get a good exposures

[Steve Garvie]

Using shutter or aperture priority makes no difference to the ultimate exposure "value" as increasing one will reduce the other. I would use spot metering off the white snowdrops and dial in +1.5 to 2.0 Ev of overexposure.

[David Pilling]

As the others have said "exposure compensation", -1 or -2. Metering mode -  use "center spot", point the center of the frame at the brightest white.

After that M manual mode.

Save photos as RAW can often give you a second chance at getting the exposure right.

[Chris Johnson]

It's a natural instinct to wait for a nice bright day for photographing garden plants. However, with white flowers an overcast day is best.

[Martin Baxendale]

It's a natural instinct to wait for a nice bright day for photographing garden plants. However, with white flowers an overcast day is best.

Trouble is, it's on the bright sunny days that the snowdrops tend to open up wide perfect for photography. Same with crocus.

[mark smyth]

Try using aperture priority in conjunction with your minus 1 or 2 stops that should work.

That's what I was doing Ian. I'll post some to let you and others see the results. Maybe I'm being too critical

[Martin Baxendale]

Thinking about that conundrum, maybe it might be worth trying (on bright sunny days when the 'drops are wide open and perfect for snapping) using something to shade the snowdrops - a big sheet of card or something to stop the sunlight shining directly on them. In other words find a way to create your own overcast conditions on warm sunny days.

[Martin Baxendale]

Maybe some horticultural fleece to filter the sunlight?

[Martin Baxendale]

You could increase the layers of fleece as needed to cut down the direct sunlight.

[mark smyth]

I would use spot metering off the white snowdrops and dial in +1.5 to 2.0 Ev of overexposure.

How do I do spot metering? I better go to youtube

[mark smyth]

Martin is correct I'd like to photograph them when they open

Maybe I am being too critical. Maybe .5 or 1 more stop down will do.

Angelique, aperture priority, -2 stops, bright sunshine, reduced in size and sharpened slightly

[mark smyth]

Excelsis
Wendys Gold
both same settings as above

[RichardW]

They look fine to me, think you're being too critical 

I find auto exposure bracketing on my canon useful, takes 3 images one is what the camera thinks it should be then one under, and one over exposed, continuous shooting needs to be enabled.

saves a lot of fiddling around and generally produces a useable image. Does fill the card up quickly though.

[David King]

 I have to say when I first started using a DSLR I had similar problems and it does take time to get used to them.  The answer at the end of the day is practice, practice, practice.  You have a digital camera so it doesn't matter if you take a dozen shots to get it right.  Yes you can use software to tweek them but there is nothing better than getting it right in the camera.  But most of us are not professional photographers so much of the time we make mistakes.  Getting control of the camera and using the manual setting is what I aimed for but it took time.  I now use RAW all the time and it does, as said in an earlier post, give you extra control back on the computer but can be time consuming.

Looking at your photos, like Richard I don't think there is a lot wrong.  The two of Angelique may be slightly over exposed but I would change that on the computer with 'shadows and highlights'.

Sun is always a problem but again, as said earlier, make your own shade but brightish cloudy days are best.