5 Ways to Greater Competence & Control
In my last dispatch, I talked about competence, hoping that asking “Is my work getting better?” might lead you to more productive places in your craft than asking “Is it good?” I suggested that a first step might be to get better at the basics of your craft before running off all half-cocked to make “art.” Baby steps, right?
“Craft” is a hypernym, an umbrella word covering a hundred different ideas and techniques, and it might be helpful to narrow it down a bit—and since nothing will ruin a potentially good photograph like blowing the exposure, I’ve got five ideas for you, or things you can change or work on, to gain competence with and control of your exposure. Remember: competence leads to confidence, and since confidence opens the way to experimentation and play, it’s one doorway to greater creativity and stronger photographs.
Drop the Brightness
If you’re one of those photographers who cranks the brightness up on your back-of-camera LCD or your electronic viewfinder (EVF), then it’s time for some tough love: knock it off. Or rather, knock it down. If you want your images to look brighter on the LCD, then there’s a better way: make them actually brighter by giving them more exposure. Cranking the LCD up won’t help.
When you’re happily shooting away with a really bright LCD/EVF, you’re also probably wildly underexposing because you “think it looks good.” It won’t.
Your LCD/EVF is fantastic for seeing composition, not for judging the brightness of an image. It’s the same reason we don’t use our laptop or desktop displays at full brightness; 50% is usually about right. You do all your development, it looks great, you print it, and whoa! Why’s it so dark? It’s dark because your monitor (LCD/EVF) is too bright, and it’s giving you a false impression.
Dial your LCD/EVF brightness down to 50% and you’ll begin exposing differently.
Turn on the Blinkies!
Before I return to the “don’t use your LCD/EVF for judging your exposure” lecture, grab your camera and make sure your blinkies or highlight warnings are all turned on. Don’t know how? Just Google your camera model and the words “how to turn on highlight alerts.” Three minutes on YouTube will have you sorted out.
Your blinkies will not only tell you that parts of the image are overexposed, they’ll also tell you which parts and give you the ability to decide if that’s what you want or not. Specular highlights glinting off something metallic? That’s probably OK, since there’s no detail in there anyway, and trying to reclaim them will make the rest of the picture way too dark. But a wide patch of blinkies on the forehead of your portrait subject? Not so much. Dial your exposure down until that goes away.
If you’re shooting in RAW, you’ve got some leeway to recover those lost highlight details later in development, but not so much that you can afford to be lazy about this. My blinkies are always on, and they are a big help when I get distracted by other things.
Learn to Use the Histogram
If you can’t use your LCD/EVF brightness to judge exposure (you can’t), what do you use? The histogram. This is a non-negotiable for digital photographers: you must learn to read your histogram. It’s the only way to know what your exposure is doing. I did a video about this 10 years ago, and you can see it here. It’s not the worst explanation ever, but if histograms are a mystery to you, consider spending some time watching several videos about this so you really understand it.
My histogram is always visible in my viewfinder, and I keep an eye on it constantly.
Consider Using M+Auto-ISO
Now might be a good time to wean yourself off Aperture or Shutter priority mode and go fully manual (sort of). The control you gain from this will serve you for the rest of your life.
A few years ago, a friend showed me how he had recently learned to expose: set the shutter speed manually, set the aperture manually, then turn on Auto-ISO. “No way,” I said. And then I tried it, and I haven’t looked back since. Why? Total control over the settings that make the most difference to the way a photograph looks and feels. I always know what those two settings are doing to my image; the camera doesn’t get to change them. Ever. But ISO? Well, now that our sensors are so good and noise reduction software has come so far, I don’t even think twice about it. My max ISO is set to 12,800, and I’m careful to nail my exposure (see points 1, 2, and 3 above), and I let the ISO go where it needs to (mostly—see below). This approach means I control what’s important, and the camera still helps with exposure.
Shutter and aperture are something you should decide, not your camera. ISO is less important. Switching to this way of shooting means fewer surprises and greater control. Almost every photographer I know who shoots this way wouldn’t go back. Give it a try.
Learn to Use Your EV Compensation
Any photographer using any auto mode (including what I described above) needs to understand and use EV compensation. I’ve programmed my cameras to control the EV compensation with a small scroll wheel on the back, easily the most accessible control on my camera. I set my shutter and aperture, and let the camera control the exposure with ISO. But I keep an eye on my blinkies and always watch my histogram, and when the camera doesn’t make the same decision I would have, I step in and spin the EV Compensation wheel. A little lighter. A little darker.
Exposure Value compensation, or EV comp, is your way of telling the camera, “Hey, nice try, but I want this one to be two stops darker or brighter,” and the camera (if you’re shooting as above) will then raise or lower the ISO as needed. It won’t touch shutter or aperture because you control those manually. And if it’s too bright and your ISO can’t go any lower, the camera will blink a warning. Same if it’s too dark and the ISO can’t go higher. And then you can decide what to do with your shutter or aperture to correct that.
You must learn to use your EV compensation when using any auto or program mode: it’s your only way to tell the camera you want a little more or a little less exposure. A quick Google search with your camera model and “EV compensation” ought to get you there if you don’t know where to find this on your camera. It’s usually on a button with a +/- symbol.
In Real Life
The “make it brighter” button in real life is a bit harder to find, but I’m convinced it lies in our choice to be kind to one another, to show empathy, compassion, and generosity: qualities that feel conspicuously in short supply these days. Qualities we’ve always celebrated at this time of year, and which—I’m convinced—are the secret to the yet-unrealized dream of peace on Earth, if it’s ever going to come at all. But in the meantime, it can get pretty dark, and this year’s been a tough one. Spin the dial on that exposure compensation, knock the kindness up a little. Photographers, of all people, should be particularly sensitive to the beauty of light. I wish you all the light you can get, the happiest of holidays, and a new year filled with love.
I hope this helps. If you’ve got questions, or just want to say hello, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
For the Love of the Photograph,
David
The post (In)Decent Exposures? first appeared on David duChemin – Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.
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