So Shrishti and I were out exploring one weekend and ended up at The Pearl, where she's practising shooting on manual. Take a shot... Way too dark. Adjust... Take another shot... Still much too dark...

So I ask, "What ISO are you on?"
"400", she replies.
I look up at the sky, look around where we are sitting, then look at what she's taking a photo of and say, "Try 1/200th of a second at f/8".

Oh snap! It's out by less than half a stop...

"How did you do that?"

"Oh, just experience..."

Yeah, I lied. It's actually experience plus a handy little rule commonly referred to as "the sunny 16 rule".

The sunny 16 rule says that around noon on a nice sunny day, the correct exposure is the reciprocal of the ISO at f/16. So with ISO 400 I would have said shutter of 1/400s and aperture of f/16 if she was shooting something in bright sun. But it wasn't bright sun - it was overcast, so I subtracted a stop for that (1/200s at f/16) - and it was about 4pm so I took off another half a stop - and the subject of the photo was a little dark and in the shade, so I subtracted another half-stop from that to arrive at 1/200s at f/8.

So I took the rule and adjusted it to fit the situation. The rule is the starting point, and knowing how much to shift it is experience.

Next time you're shooting outdoors, give the rule a try. f/16, and shutter of 1/ISO. Take the photo and see how far you have to adjust it to get a good exposure. Do it enough times and it will become second nature.

Now artificial light is a story that will have to wait for another day...

Miss Universe Australia, Scherri-Lee Biggs, brought a little extra sunshine to the children's ward during her visit to the CWM Hospital in Suva, Fiji.

Click to see the photos.

The annual Sari Queen and Choli Princess competition was held at MHCC prior to Diwali. These are photos of the finalists on the catwalk and backstage.

The Gajner Fashion Show was a display of Indian couture held at Shenanigans. There are six albums here, covering several rehearsals, backstage photos, and the show itself.

There were around 60 outfits presented from designers including Samal Singh, Nazia Ali, Shazia Acraman, and Ashley Atelaite.

Fiji Fashion Week had a photoshoot for the models in the upcoming show on the top level of Tappoo City. While I wasn't the official photographer, I was able to get a couple of shots of the group, as well as a few random portraits.

This is a personal website - DivePeak isn't a company, and I don't do paid work. There are other professional photographers in Fiji who would love to shoot your advertisement, capture the special moments of your wedding, or record your function. I take portraits for fun - mostly for friends, but sometimes for others. Most of the weddings and engagements I attend are for friends. I'm the volunteer photographer for the Vodafone Fiji Hibiscus Festival (a committee position), and I also enjoy shooting other pageants, concerts, dance groups, fashion shows, and similar events when I get the chance. For models (or hopeful models) I'm usually open to TF* arrangements. If you really want me to take photos for you, please bear in mind that my work (market research) takes priority over my hobby (photography) - I can only shoot in my spare time, and I can never give you a guarantee that I can be anywhere at a particular time.