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I'm continually getting blown highlights with my D70. I've used Auto WB, Manual WB (cloudy and sunny) F8 and above. It mainly occurs in the sky and of course white clothing objects etc. UV filter being used and a CPL will be on order at some stage this week (thank you Fathers Day).

I'm using spot metering, and whether shooting for the highlight area or midtone doesn't seem to matter much. Most of the time I'm shooting RAW with basic jpg preview. PP can rectify some of the issues but it is time consuming and frustrating. Main problem times are of course 11am to 2.30pm here in Brisbane.

Any tips on modifying my technique (without having to shoot everything in the golden hours)?

What sort of weather (clear blue skies, scattered clouds, overcast?). Have you tried using matrix metering, sounds like the subject is a lot darker than the sky and as such you're exposing for the subject and causing the sky to blow out.

Also where is the sun in relation to the direction you're shooting.


Give it a go with matrix metering, and if the subject is coming out too dark you probably need some fill flash.

That's my two cents.

Tony,

Seeing as you are using spot meter, you could try the following. In manual mode, dial in EV for your subject (eg. 0 - +1/3 for a fair skinned person). Now have a look at the rest of the scene, particularly highlights. If the meter reading hits +2 or more, then you are going to have problems with background exposure.

There are a few fixes for the problem of background exposure. Move to a different angle, add foreground lighting using fill flash or reflectors, bracket your shots, or come back during the "Golden Hours". The times of day that you specify are probably the hardest.
Also, under blue sky, the blue in the sky would want an EV less than +1 to get reasonable results. Higher values will give a washed out sky.

I have no idea of your level of experience and how well you understand Tone vs EV. A little while back I posted "Metering" in the Tips and Tricks forum. It may be of use to you along with a link posted in that thread. There is also a quick guide to a flash technique included.
I highly recommend understanding "tone vs EV" and becoming intimate with spot metering in manual mode. This can then be extended into TTL flash and setting background exposure using shutterspeed/aperture and foreground using TTL (not TTL-BL) flash with compensation.
Understanding "tone vs EV" usually results in being able to sort most exposure problems.

Cheers

Matt

Thanks Kipper and Matt.

I've looked at the pdf, some points there for me to go back and retry. I appreciate the tips.

Why on Earth are you using spot metering? Most of the time it stinks unless you are a wizard at tone evaluation. Go to Matrix metering and enjoy the finess of this supurb technology. Leave spot metering for night shooting.