Hi there!
My name is Franco and I'm a Photographer-by-passion
I'm here to share my photography skill with you: Easy, Simple and right to the point.
Exposure ๐ท
In Photo TIPS #2 we learn what appen when you change Aperture Value, Time Value and ISO in your camera, in Photo TIPS #3 we learn how to read an Histogram, and I left you with a question:
how can I understand how to set my camera to have a perfect exposure?
Here we go!
There are 2 ways (actually 3 but we'll see the third one later)
- use an external exposimeter and set the camera with values you read on it
- Shoot a photo trusting the internal exposimeter of the camera and check the histogram
External Exposimeter
This is my Sekonic L-758
This is an advanced photography tool (but I prefer call it Toy :D ) that if used properly give you the right values for have a perfectly-exposed photo. An external exposimeter is much better than any camera-internal exp for a lot of things, but this is not the right place to talk about ;)
Do I have to buy something like that? No and Yes depend. I bought it a few months ago, never had one. Why I bought it? because recently some times I shoot with a film camera, and considering how expensive are films, I don't want to make even one frame over/under exposed.
Your Camera
Here we go! after 3 Photo TIPS we are going to talk about camera. Franco, witch one is the best brand of Camera?
Who knows me , knows that I'm a Canon user since 2002, but this doesn't mean that if I fell comfortable with this brand, have to be the same for you.
I don't really like who says that his/her brand is better than others (fan-boy) because every brand is really really good, and the best one is the one that make you feel home, believe me. This is a very important thing and sooner or later I'll write something about it!
I will reveal a secret: the first thing to do before use your camera is..... Read the manual! I know in this moment you think I'm joking, but believe in me, reading that book (is not so big, is multy language!) is the best thing you can do. Probably boring, but know everything about menus, buttons and functions of your camera is the really first step.
And now we finally can talk about all the way your camera can be setted. We'll see the most common and important 5 (your camera probably have more, check your manual! ;) )
From Wikipedia: (just copy because I couldn't write better than this)
P: Program mode has the camera calculate both shutter speed and aperture (given a manually or automatically selected ISO). Higher-end cameras offer partial manual control to shift away from the automatically calculated values (increasing aperture and decreasing shutter time or conversely). The difference between Program mode and Full Auto mode is that in program mode, only the exposure is automatic, while other camera settings (e.g. shooting mode, exposure compensation, flash) can be set manually; in Full Auto mode, everything is automatic.
Av or A: Aperture priority or Aperture value enables manual control of the aperture, and shutter speed is calculated by the camera for proper exposure (given an ISO sensitivity).
Tv or S: Shutter priority or Time value enables manual control of the shutter speed, and aperture is calculated by the camera for proper exposure (given an ISO sensitivity).
M: Manual mode both shutter speed and aperture are independently set manually (with ISO sensitivity also set manually), where proper image exposure requires accurate manual adjustment.
Now, after this copy/paste from wiki, give me the keyboard 'cause I've a lot of things to write.
Let's make an example: you're in a beautiful place and you want make a portrait of your wife (or husband), It's time to see step by step what to do.
1 turn on your camera (seriously???) 2 put yout camera in Program mode 3 Choose a low ISO value if you're outside in the daylight (100-400) or an high value if you're outside in the evening/night or inside (800-12800) 4 without worry too much, shoot a picture
Ok, you made a portrait. What is the first thing to do? Let's check our friend Histogram. Is everything ok? is under/over exposed? at this point if exposure is not perfectly correct, you can compensate it (you've read your manual, so you know how to do it, right? ). Now I've compensated and verything is ok, with those settings:
1/250 f 5.6 ISO 200
What I've to do? You can choose 2 different roads.
1 - keep shooting in Program 2 - put your camera in Manual mode and set it with the setting we read above
What change between two options? a LOT of things, lets see what.
First one: You've compensate exposure, now if nothing change in front of you all your photo will be exposed like the correct one.
Is that true? Well, yes and no. If you left your camera in Program, every time you take a photo probably you will have different settings. Why? Because taking another shot changing from landscape to portrait mode your camera will pick other settings, and you will have to compensate them to have the right exposure. (one tipical example is put more sky in the frame)
Second one: in this case if you take other shot, moving close or far, shooting from top to bottom or from bottom to top exposure will be always correct.
Reading what you wrote it seems better to use Manual mode with right settings for a correct exposure. and my answer is absolutely YES.
Using the camera in Manual mode is absolutely the best thing you can do to take great photos, I swear!
BUT.....
If the light change, your photos will be for sure over/under exposed. that's a fact. If a cloud cover the sun or show it you will have to change your settings.
I realize a wrote a lot, but was absolutely necessary explain those things.
In the 5th PhotoTIPS we'll conclude this argument, now try to focus in 3rd and 4th Tip, because in there you can find everything you need to expose properly your photos ;)
But Franco, you wrote "actually 3 but we'll see the third one later"
wich one is the third?
Well, new MirrorLess Camera have the opportunity to check the histogram in real time, and this is a real game-changer, because you have no excuses to bring home under-over exposed shot.
We'll talk about differences between DSLR and MirrorLess Camera soon!
P.S.: For me most difficult part is write in english, and I think that probably I'll wrote an entire Lession from A to Z in Italian too.
See you for next Photo-Tip where "Exposure" will be concluded!
Franco