Getting consistently good
exposures with a digital camera is not as easy as manufacturers would
have you believe. While the metering systems in today's cameras are
extremely accurate in a wide variety of situations, it still takes some
practice and experience to get good exposures every time. And as most
experienced photographers know, there are some subjects--like high
contrast scenes or backlit portraits--that are particularly tough.
Below are 10 tips that will increase your percentage of good exposures.
But remember, a "good" exposure isn't just one where the lights are
darks are exposed correctly, often the best exposures are intentionally
skewed in one direction or another in order to get images that reflect
your interpretation of that scene.
With that thought in mind, here are 10 things you can do to get better exposures with virtually any digital camera:
1. DO read your camera's manual. It's the only book that was written expressly for the camera that you own.
2. DO take
lots of pictures. Photography is a learn-by-doing process and if you're
shooting digitally (which, of course you are!) there's no film to buy.
3. DO feel
free to leave a new camera in the "Program" mode while you're getting
used to it. Better to shoot pictures right away than to avoid the
camera because of all the options. Experiment with "scene" specific modes too, like the landscape or portrait modes to see how they improve your images. The landscape mode, for example, automatically chooses the best exposure setting, but gives preference to selecting a small aperture that in turn creates more depth of field (near-to-far sharpness).
4. But DON'T
be afraid to experiment with camera controls. Again, just read the
manual and have fun. Short of dropping it on concrete, you can't hurt
the camera. Virtually all cameras have a reset menu choice that will return all camera settings back to the factory specs. If not, just pop out the battery for a second and you're back to ground zero.
5. DO print
your pictures frequently so that you can see your mistakes and
successes more clearly. There's nothing like seeing a nice 8 x 10 of a
great shot to boost your confidence.
6. DON'T shoot all of your photos at high noon--get up early and stay out late, daylight changes constantly and often in dramatic ways. The color of daylight is constantly changing and shooting at different times of day will provide nice variety.
7. DO avoid overly contrasty
situations. You'l have a higher rate of
successes if you wait for the light and contrast to soften up a bit.
Try working in the first two hours after sunrise and before
sunset--photographers refer to these times as the golden hours. Contrast fools even the best meters (and photographers) and the more you avoid it, the more good photos you'll get.
8. DO look at the work of other
photographers--especially the greats like Ansel Adams--to see how they
handled difficult situations. Remember: What you see and what your
camera sees are often two different things. Learn to see the world as
your camera sees it and your success rate will soar.
9. DO use a tripod as often as you can. A tripod is the single most useful photo accessory you will ever own. Don't own one? Buy one.
10. DON'T be afraid to experiment with extreme exposures—long shutter speeds, very fast shutter speeds, etc. Push the creative envelope!
Beleive it or not I shot this photo in the Program Auto mode and just let the camera make the exposure decision. I knew that if the camera saw enough blue sky (which will provide a correct metering reading for most scenes) then the overall exposure would be good. I had no idea how bright the flames might become so trying to calculate an exposure for them would have been futile anyway. The camera produced a good exposure, but I did shoot in RAW and would have been able to adjust the exposure had it been necessary.
Fireworks Display, Connecticut
Entire Site Contents Copyright 2012 Jeff Wignall
An Ambitious Dogs Production In Association with Boo Boo & Mama Cat Films Please also visit my Photo Tip of the Day blog.
