internal room shots? help please

[sablade]

Hi this is my 1st post, I need to take some internal room shots of a house, I have a Canon 350D with a Sigma EX 10-20mm wide angle lens and a speedlight 430ex flash.

I am new to all this and tried taking the pics with and without flash with mixed results. By crouching in the corner the camera on automatic will always compensate for the light coming in the windows so I point the camera to a dark area of the room, hold the button half way then frame the shot and shoot, this seems to work but there must be a way to do this manually by adjusting the iso and exposure.

I understand I can increase the iso on P mode and maybe change the default button half way down to lock the autoexposure rather than autofocus. what do you suggest is the best way to set the camera for internal room shots where the room is darkish and bright windows please?

[ermintrude]

Hi this is my 1st post, I need to take some internal room shots of a house, I have a Canon 350D with a Sigma EX 10-20mm wide angle lens and a speedlight 430ex flash.

I am new to all this and tried taking the pics with and without flash with mixed results. By crouching in the corner the camera on automatic will always compensate for the light coming in the windows so I point the camera to a dark area of the room, hold the button half way then frame the shot and shoot, this seems to work but there must be a way to do this manually by adjusting the iso and exposure.

I understand I can increase the iso on P mode and maybe change the default button half way down to lock the autoexposure rather than autofocus. what do you suggest is the best way to set the camera for internal room shots where the room is darkish and bright windows please?

If it 'always seems to work' Im not sure why you dont want to just stick with it? As long as your back is to the window it shouldnt interfere with the shot, Just set it to shutter priority at 1/focal length.

Or if you dont want to keep recomposing I would simply aim at the dark corner which is giving you the correct results, check the settings and then enter them manually. Maybe also bracket a little so you have a selection to choose from.

You would have to repeat this for each room if the window lighting is markedly different.

Alternatively why not just close the curtains and use it on auto?

[Fen]

Most 'internal room' shots I've done I always had a few lights and reflectors hidden around the room to level things out

[benji]

If the light coming from the windows is too bright, you can try and soften/mitigate it by using nets or blinds.

If you cant/don't want to, try and shoot when the weather is overcast (the outside light won't be so harsh), although you may still be left with a problem of imbalance left between indoor and outdoor light (it depends on the size of the windows).

Very simply, I'd say bracket a few exposures, and check your histogram. You should end up with something workable.

Now, I don't know what size your room is, but if it's not too large, the flashgun should come in handy.
I would meter for the outside light (in manual mode, with an aperture of -say f/11- as a ball-park figure), keep this setting and fire the flashgun as well to illuminate the room. You may have to resort to some kind of diffuser and/or bounce the flash beam off the ceiling or a wall (opposite side of windows preferably), especially if you use your lens at the widest angle settings, or else the flash beam won't have a wide enough coverage to match the focal length of your lens and you'll end up with totally unlit areas. Also, bounced flash looks loads better for indoor shots anyway.

I mean, you'll have to experiment a bit anyway, but with digital, it's not a problem.

(I would also probably use the flashgun in manual mode by setting the output power manually... Until I get the result/balance I'm after. Remember to stick with the exposure settings you recorded for the outside light at all times, that way the light flooding in from the window won't be overexposed).

Benji
(this is a quick fix DYI method, but unless you want professional results, this should do an ok job. A tripod would help also if you want to keep the ISO down. If shooting handheld, you'll have to play with the ISO ratings to avoid blurring the image)

[madman]

Whenever I have taken room shots manually with my nikon setup I usually spot meter from the brightest source of natural light entering the room (i.e. the window), locked the exposure, re-composed and used the external flash (nikon SB800) as the main fill light for the room itself, which would otherwise (naturally) come out underexposed. The flash lights & exposes the room nicely, whilst the world outside the window (which the camera has actually set the exposure for) remains fully detailed.

[PhilW]

This is how to light a room

[Monobod]

This is how to light a room

this appears to be a broken link

[Norman]

... works for me!!!

[ermintrude]

and me

[Terrywoodenpic]

The problem with shooting interiors is more than about flash or not It is more how you want them to come across.

One of these shots was taken using two bounced 580EX flashes. The other with available light using exposure fusion.
As you can see they look quite different. One has a more "comfy" feel the other is more clinical.

It can sometimes be a difficult choice to make.

[Barney]

As you can see they look quite different. One has a more "comfy" feel the other is more clinical.

I don't think they necessarily need look so different though. For example you can easily tell the flash shot as the exposure was insufficient to record the ambient light outside the window. Exposing for the background and then powering the flash for the inside accordingly might have seen a less clinical flash shot.

[Terrywoodenpic]

As you can see they look quite different. One has a more "comfy" feel the other is more clinical.

I don't think they necessarily need look so different though. For example you can easily tell the flash shot as the exposure was insufficient to record the ambient light outside the window. Exposing for the background and then powering the flash for the inside accordingly might have seen a less clinical flash shot.

Quite true ..
This is one I took today on a local build.
1/25 at F8
One 580 Ex was bounced on the wall to the left; I was not sure how well things would even out, but it was OK for a progress shot.

My previous shots were to show the extremes....

[PhilW]

This is the only way to light a room lol



And yes, I do need to tidy my study