WB...What do the Histograms say about proper Exposure...
Jun 3, 2018 11:35:36 #
A couple of indoor shots this morning to see how the histograms reflect what the camera determined to be a proper exposure.
So, if you wish to download these shots and look at the histograms in your favorite tool I would be interested to hear what you have to
say about the histograms and proper exposure.
Best,
Todd Ferguson
So, if you wish to download these shots and look at the histograms in your favorite tool I would be interested to hear what you have to
say about the histograms and proper exposure.
Best,
Todd Ferguson
Jun 3, 2018 15:16:47 #
Notorious T.O.D. wrote:
A couple of indoor shots this morning to see how the histograms reflect what the camera determined to be a proper exposure.
So, if you wish to download these shots and look at the histograms in your favorite tool I would be interested to hear what you have to
say about the histograms and proper exposure.
Best,
Todd Ferguson
So, if you wish to download these shots and look at the histograms in your favorite tool I would be interested to hear what you have to
say about the histograms and proper exposure.
Best,
Todd Ferguson
The histogram will not tell you of the true exposure of your subject, but it provides an overall feel for the complete range of contrast!
Jun 3, 2018 15:31:50 #
speters wrote:
The histogram will not tell you of the true exposure of your subject, but it provides an overall feel for the complete range of contrast!
Keep shouting this from the rooftops until this myth is dead and buried!
Jun 3, 2018 15:45:09 #
Getting exposure right is a matter of getting it in the "ball park", which a histogram will show you.. Its more about knowing how to interpret what the histogram is telling you. If I'm in an environment & not sure of my exposure, I will bracket.. There is no other way to tell what your exposure looks like but in playback histogram mode. PP will correct exposure to your liking, so its only important to get it close when shooting...
Jun 3, 2018 16:15:07 #
Notorious T.O.D. wrote:
A couple of indoor shots this morning to see how the histograms reflect what the camera determined to be a proper exposure.
So, if you wish to download these shots and look at the histograms in your favorite tool I would be interested to hear what you have to
say about the histograms and proper exposure.
Best,
Todd Ferguson
So, if you wish to download these shots and look at the histograms in your favorite tool I would be interested to hear what you have to
say about the histograms and proper exposure.
Best,
Todd Ferguson
Histogram, like a light meter, will provide information. It is up to the photographer to interpret it. You cannot get "proper exposure" from a histogram with one exception. But what you can get is a sense of the distribution of tonal information, and whether or not you have blown your highlights, or clipped your black point.
If you are shooting raw, and exposing to the right, the histogram will help you determine how far you can go.
Jun 4, 2018 07:25:07 #
I do not know what type of exposure meter you used for these two images. In the first one the histogram shows that the distribution of pixels in the dark areas is kind of short. In the second image the histogram has an excellent distribution of all tonalities.
A histogram is only a guide to exposure. It is very useful if highlights are clipped because it gives you an indication that you have to correct that to place the bright areas properly within the dynamic range of the sensor. Clipping of the dark areas is not so important UNLESS you are aiming to expose them accurately in which case you have to meter for those areas.
I use spot metering for a majority of my images and I look at the histogram only in rare occasions. Here in South Florida you will see me using "sunny 16" more often than my exposure meter.
What you should keep in mind is that the camera's NORMAL exposure will only be a correct exposure when the subject has a middle tonality (18% gray). Meter a bright area or a dark one and you will have to make adjustments to the exposure to get the correct one for the subject.
I have seen many histograms showing a "correct" exposure where in the majority of the cases the middle tonalities were underexposed.
A histogram is only a guide to exposure. It is very useful if highlights are clipped because it gives you an indication that you have to correct that to place the bright areas properly within the dynamic range of the sensor. Clipping of the dark areas is not so important UNLESS you are aiming to expose them accurately in which case you have to meter for those areas.
I use spot metering for a majority of my images and I look at the histogram only in rare occasions. Here in South Florida you will see me using "sunny 16" more often than my exposure meter.
What you should keep in mind is that the camera's NORMAL exposure will only be a correct exposure when the subject has a middle tonality (18% gray). Meter a bright area or a dark one and you will have to make adjustments to the exposure to get the correct one for the subject.
I have seen many histograms showing a "correct" exposure where in the majority of the cases the middle tonalities were underexposed.
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