Yet More Handy Tricks: Volume 5

Step 29 Monster Wagon

Have to cross a swamp on the way to the fleamarket?
No problem with this home-customized monster-truck style wagon. The high-flotation tires will keep it from sinking into the muck.

Notice the washed out first picture? My pentax optio w30 has trouble shooting toward the sun. Any suggestions?

Comments

[pfred2]

In the gimp right click, colors, levels, play with the triangular sliders until you're happy. I didn't spend too much time. Oh and the curves thing can be fun as well.

[killerjackalope]

Do your half press focus and exposure either pointing the camera up more, for less washed out skies and point more towards the ground for better subject exposure.

Though sun in the backs just a nuisance to shoot...

[edugeek]

Photographer's back to the sun makes for better photos.

[static]

Then again the opportunity of the moment may not allow for that. So you snap away and, hope for the best. The good news with today's digital image capabilities one now may have a chance to rescue a bad shot. Anyway the photo of topic did clearly show the subject.

[thewetturd]

Yes, it's true that it is better to have the photographer's back to the sun but sometimes adjusting the iso will help also the camera's setting for sunny conditions etc. Nice wagon by the way.

[NormMonkey]

The haze comes from inner surface reflections. Imagine looking down an open-ended Pringles can. You're not looking directly at the sun, but you can see light from the sun reflected off the inside of the can. The inner surfaces of a camera lens assembly should be matte black, but nothing perfectly absorbs all light. Solution: get the sun farther away from your field of view, and use a lens hood. Since this is a Tim Anderson instructable, fold and tape a black piece of paper into a cylinder to make your lens hood.

[racer_x124]

Via flickr, monster wagon:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3146/2423954430_1cafe0932e.jpg?v=0

[amplificar]

Just a thought; if this only happens with the sun and not artificial lighting then it might be due to IR or UV. To block IR, try holding a piece of plexiglass in front of the lens. Plexiglass is transparent to visible light, but not infrared. Sunscreen on the plexiglass or lens might block some UV. (most sunscreens will probably cause blur)

[Kent]

Exposure time does not matter when shooting the sun, unless "less than" means 1/100 or 1/50 of a second. That is longer than 1/200. Slower shutter speed will cause the camera to need a smaller aperture. A smaller aperture will help. To get a smaller aperture, use a longer exposure time, or a higher ISO. To avoid glare, keep the sun off the lens with a lens hood, or even a shadow from your hand, a hat, or any object. Sometimes you can find a shadow of something you can use. The lens has to be clean. This kind of glare can be a greasy fingerprint on the lens. It can also be because the anti-reflection coating on the lens is gone, from cleaning with ammonia based glass cleaner or too-vigorous cleaning.

[frazeeg]

Not much you can do to eliminate that problem but adjust the exposure time. You'll probably want something less than 1/200th of a second when shooting into the sun. A smaller f-stop will also help.