My wife and I both have Samsung phones, S6 and S7. We use them as cameras as well. In virtually all situations they work great, and take great pictures. Except for one. Taking pictures of stained glass in cathedrals. The window colors are not captured, just white light. I've looked at changing the exposure and the white balance, but it hasn't helped much, perhaps I'm doing it wrong. Any advice on smartphone Samsung camera settings for this environment?
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Try turning off the flash. When you look at a stained glass window, all the light is coming from outside, through the window. With a flash you are lighting it from the front and all the flashlight just bounces off the surface of the glass, back to the camera and all you get is white.
Short of turning up the sun, you have to use what light you have got and increase the exposure time if necessary.
The same applies for any camera, not just a smartphone.
Posted by
North Carolina
2502 posts
Turn off the flash, certainly. Also, does your device let you over- or under-expose? If so, you'll probably want to under-expose a bit to throw what's around the windows into silhouette.
Posted by
OP
Atlanta
92 posts
Thanks for the help. Looks like I would be better off getting another camera, there is only so much I can do for adjustments. Appreciate the replies.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32386 posts
Iggy,
Are you using any other Camera App's in your phones, something which may provide more control in a variety of lighting conditions? I use Camera+ and Snapseed for the iPhone, and they've really helped.
Shooting into a light source is always going to be challenging for a camera phone, but I agree with others that switching off the Flash is a good first step. I don't know how the cameras work in Samsung phones, but it's likely that the camera will go to a slower shutter speed, so motion blur will be an increasing problem. Bracing the phones against something sturdy would be advisable. Are you able to change the ISO or other settings on the phone?
Good luck!
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Try turning down the brightness. It makes the walls black but you can get good colors on the glass.
Posted by
Los Angeles
1825 posts
Your phone's camera is probably doing an average reading of the light causing the windows to be over exposed. Force it to spot read the light by tapping on the screen on the stain glass window.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
1341 posts
Agree that decreasing exposure should help.
Another factor is motion blur because of the dark conditions and slow shutter speed. I always try to find a firm horizontal surface to brace my camera.
Posted by
3 posts
Hey Iggy,
It's a common issue and the trouble is the Samsung camera may not be able to cope with the dark, especially if you move it slightly.
If you are looking to take a larger camera, like a DSLR, I recommend having a look through this post on the best DSLR camera steadicams that you can use to get that super still image you require. You can also use different settings on those cameras to capture the correct light in any situation. Hope this helps!
Nim