Digital camera question
 

I thought that my Nikon was acting up when I took some graphite on white paper shots. The photographs were dark and no mater what I tried I could not get the paper to look white in the photo.
What is your experience when setting WB (white balance) or when adjusting images in photoshop that is when you are photographing graphite or black and white on white paper drawings.

Mischa, Which Nikon do you have? Is it a DSLR? (D100,D70, D50, D40, D80, D200, D1X, D2X, etc.) I have the D200.

If there is a lot of white of the paper in the frame, by default it will be seen by the camera as a middle value gray, in a fully automatic exposure. If you have a manual mode overide, you can empirically search and find the correct exposure by trial and error; but you basically want to lengthen the exposure time (slower shutter speed). Another way to compensate is to tell the camera to automatically take a longer exposure, with an exposure compensation adjustment your camera may have. You might compensate by half or a whole stop added exposure. This may be designated as "EV". You would want to adjust it to the "+" direction.

I have had accidental mode changes from bumping the wrong button unknowingly; shifting the camera from fully automatic "P", to shutter priority "S", aperture priority "A", or maybe manual "M"; wherein the wrong exposure gets locked in place until discovered. Another possibility is if you have adjusted the exposure value compensation "EV" to a very negative direction (shorter exposures). Still another possibility is bright glare from some reflection from the sun or an overhead lamp, which would definitely short-change the exposure time.

It s probably one or more of the above scenarios. Good luck!

Garth

Garth, I have the D70s. I think I had momentary blindness in reaching the solution but you came to the rescue.

My manual answered a lot of the questions as well but manuals being what they are, confusing sometimes, they do not give the answer as ready as I would have it.

When for a sec. I thought that the camera senses color only, I was stumpt for a brief second. Still to role over and accept that as fact is not a option or rather there must be a solution.

All the best to you

The same problem arises if one is taking photos of snow scenes. Unless you over expose, the snow will come out gray. This is true of film cameras also.
I also found that when photographing water, even with a polarizer, one has to take the meter reading on something of a medium value in dappled sunlight to get the water to look right. The glare from tthe water will make your photo underexposed.