Having been a professional photographer for several years, I see a lot of nice pictures people are taking on the water, and want to offer a suggestion to improve image quality of the pictures you are taking. When you take a picture and the sun is behind your subjects back, over-ride the automatic settings on your camera and force it to flash. I realize that this procedure may not be possible on some models of the inexpensive disposable cameras.
Many times great pictures (memories) are lost because the camera automatically “sensesâ€
Picture Taking Tips
Moderators: bman, Chalk, Tom Keels
Good tip about taking pics with strong natural back light or side light which is usually the case with pics on the water.
I've commented about this same issue before on here in reference to, "black faces" in an otherwise very bright sunlit scene. Rather than go at a solution involving using the flash to fill-in the face(s) with light, I suggested using the instructions on digital cameras which usually is:
*depress the shutter button half-way and aim the small center frame (the one which allows the camera to set both the focus of the lens and the exposure time/apperture) at the subject's face. Hold the shutter button half-way until the green LED comes on, indicating that both focus and exposure time/apperture has been set by the camera.
*release the shutter button (the digital camera is now adjusted for focus and exposure time for the subject of interest). Now, without the photographer moving, frame the picture, get the subject to smile, hold fish, or whatever is desired, and depress the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.
*remember, the reason that faces usually come out very dark or black, is that strong light from the background or the side, reflect this strong light into the camera lens and the automatic exposure mechanism in the camera senses this bright light and adjusts the time of exposure to a slow time setting or closes down the apperture (or a combination of both) and a face (usually in front of the strong light, and/or shaddowed by a hat or cap) doesn't get enough exposure and turns out dark or black.
*since placing the small center focus and exposure frame on a subject's torso (most fisherfolks wear white or very light colored shirts) you will force the camera's exposure mechanism to reduce the exposure of the subject's face and get an under exposed face (dark or black). So, always set focus and exposure with the exposure frame placed on the face, then frame the picture and press the shutter.
*flash-filling the face will achieve the same effects, providing the subject to camera distance is small (which is usually the case when subject and camera are in a fishing boat).
I've commented about this same issue before on here in reference to, "black faces" in an otherwise very bright sunlit scene. Rather than go at a solution involving using the flash to fill-in the face(s) with light, I suggested using the instructions on digital cameras which usually is:
*depress the shutter button half-way and aim the small center frame (the one which allows the camera to set both the focus of the lens and the exposure time/apperture) at the subject's face. Hold the shutter button half-way until the green LED comes on, indicating that both focus and exposure time/apperture has been set by the camera.
*release the shutter button (the digital camera is now adjusted for focus and exposure time for the subject of interest). Now, without the photographer moving, frame the picture, get the subject to smile, hold fish, or whatever is desired, and depress the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.
*remember, the reason that faces usually come out very dark or black, is that strong light from the background or the side, reflect this strong light into the camera lens and the automatic exposure mechanism in the camera senses this bright light and adjusts the time of exposure to a slow time setting or closes down the apperture (or a combination of both) and a face (usually in front of the strong light, and/or shaddowed by a hat or cap) doesn't get enough exposure and turns out dark or black.
*since placing the small center focus and exposure frame on a subject's torso (most fisherfolks wear white or very light colored shirts) you will force the camera's exposure mechanism to reduce the exposure of the subject's face and get an under exposed face (dark or black). So, always set focus and exposure with the exposure frame placed on the face, then frame the picture and press the shutter.
*flash-filling the face will achieve the same effects, providing the subject to camera distance is small (which is usually the case when subject and camera are in a fishing boat).
In a land called, Perfect, sea grits grows on the beach dunes in patches next to those of sea oats!