What settings to prevent overexposure and blowouts?

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ballyhoo42

Active member
I'm a new DVXa user. I'm shooting documentary footage and need some help with camera settings. I'm getting blow out overexposures in these situations:
shooting indoors on a sunny day and the windows (with sunlight streaming in) are completely blown out - at any setting that seems the correct exposure for the people I'm shooting indoors.

Also, shooting people in shadow dappled light outside on a sunny day, and the person moves into the sunlight and the whole area is blown out.

Also, shooting a night in a room with no overhead light and one large fluorescent floor lamp.

Since I'm shooting documentaries I can't tell people to do it again after I change all the lighting.

I've tried different gamma settings and knee settings to no avail. Help!
 
There's nothing about camera settings that will help in those situations. You need to address it by controlling the lighting -- typically using at least a reflector outdoors to bounce more light on your subject, or by netting/scrimming/gelling the window to cut down on the amount of light coming in it during your indoors interviews.
 
Thanks for the reply. I've been documenting groups of kids playing, and a large extended family, so I'm following them around. I may just have to live with the blow out problems. Its just me filming, so there is no way to set up reflectors outdoors as the kids move around.

I've tried closing the drapes and it doesn't help. I don't know what you mean exactly with regard to netting/scrimming/gelling. If you could point me in a direction to research these I'd appreciate it.

Do you have any recommendations for camera settings for these challenging situations? Do other folks doing documentaries just live with blow out?

On another topic - is there an inexpensive stabilization you'd recommend for this type of project? I'm walking around with the camera following people and it's pretty hard to keep the camera steady. I'm using the strap the camera came with and hanging the camera at chest level which is a perfect height for filming kids and helps me steady the camera. But this setup still is darn bouncy when I'm walking after them.

I appreciate your feedback about software (NLE). I downloaded a trial of vegas 6 for my older decktop PC but will have to wait until a local tech intalls a firewire card before I can download my video and try editing.

I'm am really enjoying reading the posts on DVXUser. What a great resource. I've been self-taught in every profession I've worked in, but I've never had access to a source of info like this one.
 
If you're going to be shooting outdoors, by yourself, you may want to look at the Frezzi on-camera 24W HMI light. That'll give you a little bit of "punch" that will allow you to stop down the camera to prevent some blowouts.

What do other camerapeople do? Well, the first thing to try would be to frame your shots such that windows etc. aren't in the shot. If there's something ugly in the frame, compose the shot to get rid of the ugly thing. As far as "living with blowout", watch a bunch of documentaries and see how they approach it.

When outdoors, I try to frame the shot so the sun is mostly at my back, meaning the people's faces are lit by the sun and the sky is a nice rich dark blue. If you face the other way (into the sun) the subject will be a lot darker and the sky will be blown-out white.

scrimming/netting/gelling means various ways of blocking the sun from getting through the window, either with scrims (which are like screen-door material) or nets (similar) or gels (like neutral-density gel). All take time and preparation, and since you say it's basically you, on the run, then you probably won't be able to do that.

Basically, you have to control your lighting, or you'll get the kind of results you've been getting. You can control lighting by adding light (on-camera light), taking away light (scrims & nets & gels) or by composing your shot to bring in the light you want and take away the light you don't want (i.e., positioning your subject so the sun is in their face/at your back).
 
Thanks. I looked up the light at EVS. I think it is the Frezzi HMI MA24. It is a chunk of change. I'll see if I can rent one for a day and look at the results.

Of the three options, adding light is the most feasible.

I understand how adding light would help outdoors.

Outdoors I have some latitude in composing my shot, but not always, since I'm following people.

As to indoors - in a cramped room indoors I often have no choice but to include a window in the composition. And you a right, I don't have time to do the scrims, etc. If I use the Frezzi light will it help? Would the the Frezzi light allow me to change the Iris and shutter settings and thus minimize the overexposure in the window?

In another thread the poster "NBC Shooter" mentioned a soft key light (eg Lowel RifaLIght) and Arri 15W Fresnells - is this for a different application?
Thanks a bunch.
 
No, those would be for the same application, and indoors a setup like that (rifa & 150-watt fresnels) would be much better than using an on-camera light. The whole point of adding lighting is to bring the light level up high enough that you can then stop down the iris, which will help bring the window's exposure back down into range.
 
Are the rooms surrounded by windows? Can you set your subjects on the north side of the room and then use the sun to your advantage instead? Then you'll only have to worry about white balance or color corrections. How about planning, and putting the elements to your advantage instead of fighting them. Then all you'll need are reflectors instead of lights. :thumbsup:
 
Can you tell me what are the disadvantages of an onboard light for indoors? Is there an onboard light that would be suitable for indoors, even if it is an imperfect solution?

Some of my applications I can use an indoor light set-up and I've put the rifa, fresnels, and reflectors and my list.

In a few situations I can chose where I photograph from and can put the windows behind me. Thanks for the reminder.

But I'm photographing a large family and large groups of friends in small rooms - for example, in August I was photographing 10 to 16 people in one 12 x 15' living room stuffed with furniture. There's no place to put fresnels without them being in the composition! As you can imagine, every inch of the room had a person in it so I couldn't avoid having the windows in the composition.
 
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