Stained glass windows

[southcoastsounds]

Sorry if this is the wrong thread for this question but I'm not sure where to put it.

I like to take photos of stained glass windows in our English churches. But I find these a very difficult subject, due to the extreme contrast between dark church interiors and often intense light outside. Here is an example of my problem - I haven't done any editing on this photo yetl

stained glass window (http://www.southcoastsounds.org.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=0)

I'd like advice on two aspects of this please.

1. How can I adjust the camera to make the best of these subjects (I am upgrading to a Canon Powershot S5 IS very soon - a "bridge" camera with many manual settings, but not an SLR)

2. Having taken the photo, how can I adjust it - or is the intense light in the highlights too much for Elements to deal with.

If anyone would like to try to improve it, if you click once on the photo above you will see the full size version which you can save and try to improve on.

Many thanks, in anticipation of this forum's usually excellent help.

Tom

[TonyW]

Tom: I've tried taking a few and they really are very difficult. Like in your example if you shoot on Auto you finish up with the clear parts of the window blown out and there's not much you can do to correct that. The best way to do take them is to put the camera on a tripod and bracket the exposure so you get both some interior detail and the light areas of the window detail and then combine the images. Also helps to pick a cloudy day with no direct light on the outside of the window. It does take some work to get a real good picture though.

Tony

[southcoastsounds]

Thanks for that Tony - that's very helpful the cloudy day suggestion particularly (now why didn't I think of that???)

Tom

[Rusty]

Tom,

I just completed the exact same project at the request of my church. I took all with a tripod and made sure the exposure was "for the glass" and not any surrounding stonework. I was set on aperture-priority and most ended up at 1/160th as is this one:

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1MucMYrZ1cjgPcLc9XGFqYZJzsx6_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1MucMYrZ1cjgPcLc9XGFqYZJzsx6)

There were no cloudy days in the forecast so I went over in the morning and photographed all the windows on the west side of the church. I went back in the afternoon and did the east side. I only had four on north or south so I just watched the light to see what seemed to look best and went back the next day for those.

Obviously, it helps to live less than a mile from the church and being retired. I have more than enough time to fool around like this :D

Rusty

[Tom K]

Hi Tom;

I have worked on several of these and found that if I expose for the
window the glass looks good. Then make a new layer (ctrl J ) make a selection around the glass, then invert the selection, and then use
(for starters) a levels adjustment on the area around the glass...

HTH Tom :D

[Wendy]

Hi ...

I usually take two photographs and then mask you the parts I don't want but you could try with this one.

Duplicate the layer
Set the blend mode to multiple .. (adjust the opacity of the layer) and see it you can get the window looking OK.
Then mask out everything except the window :)

Wendy

[sdewenter]

Tom

(I am upgrading to a Canon Powershot S5 IS very soon - a "bridge" camera with many manual settings, but not an SLR)

I am getting one of these cameras too. I just ordered it. I was looking to upgrade my Canon compact digital for a dSLR and didn't realize there was an in between option. 8 megapixels and 12 x optical zoom! I am really psyched to get it!

I just got a new book and it has a technique for shooting stained glass windows and I think someone already posted it...but this is what my book says:

Title: How to photography absolutely everything. Successful pictures from your digital camera. By Tom Ang. (this is a new book (http://http://www.amazon.com/How-Photograph-Absolutely-Everything-Publishing/dp/0756626447), published in 2007. It is really good and I would highly recommend it. The title says it all!)
Page 242, Architecture>>Radiant Stained Glass

1. Steady the camera. Use a tripod.
2. Get the right exposure. Strike between under-and overexposing. Bringing out shadow detail in the stoneworkd will bleach out the colors in the window. It is best to expose for the window.
3. Make your settings. Switch flash off (probably not allowed anyways). Set to a medium sensitivity will hep you capture details of pattern and color in the window.
4. Try different approches. A dramatic view looking up from underneath the windo exploits coverging paralles as a visual device. If you don't want this effect, try capturing details within the windows, or use a wide-angle view to capture something of the soaring, inspiring spaces.

Good Luck, sounds like a fun project!
Susan D