photography 101 {exposure}
December 20, 2011 I’m back with the next post in my photography 101 series. Today, we’ll talk about exposure. I could go on for days on this topic, or really any of the others. I plan to write at least one post, showing you how to put it all together, which I briefly go over at the end of this post. I’ll also be assigning “homework” as requested by many of you.
Exposure - The brightness or darkness level of the photo, caused by the amount of light captured on the photographic medium, as the photo is taken.
There are 3 controls that affect + control exposure.
- aperture [depth of field]
- shutter speed [motion/speed]
- ISO [noise]
washed out/blown out photo = overexposed = too long of an exposure
dark photo = underexposed = too short of an exposure
Tip! When working in manual mode, a rule of thumb for a properly exposed photo, is getting the in-camera exposure meter to read right in the center at “0.” However, this is not always the case. Maybe you prefer a slightly brighter photo or artistically, want a photo darker or brighter for a specific reason. Or, maybe your camera shoots on the dark side. Mine does! Aim for setting the exposure meter [aka: light meter] in the middle, then preview the photo and adjust accordingly for your next shot.
[source for all 3 images below]
Brighter ----------------------------------> to the right
to the left <------------------------------------ Darker
When in manual mode, you can’t physically change the exposure reading. You have to adjust the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture settings [one or all of them] to change the exposure reading. When in Av [aperture priority] or Tv [shutter priority] you are able to manually change the exposure reading in the camera.
Typically, when shooting food photos at home, I like to have my exposure set 1/3-2/3 stops above “0.” Below, is 1/3+ stop higher. Sometimes, however, the photo is too washed out and setting it directly in the center works best. Rarely, when indoors, do I ever go into the negative.
Remember, it’s not just aperture/f-stops that change your exposure readings. Shutter speed + ISO affect it as well!
[source]
In the 5 examples below, watch how the shutter speed affects the exposure. The aperture and ISO remain constant. As more light is let in, with a slower shutter speed, the exposure brightens.
- when shutter speed is increased [faster], the exposure is darkened
- when shutter speed is decreased [slower], the exposure is brightened
Remember! The shutter speed is measured in seconds. 1/100 = 1, 100th of a second : 1/5 = 1, 5th of a second
Aperture + Exposure
- when aperture is decreased [larger f-stop #, wider depth of field, less light passing through], the exposure is darkened.
- when aperture is increased [smaller f-stop #, narrower depth of field, more light passing through], the exposure is brightened.
ISO + Exposure
- when ISO is decreased [less sensitive to light], exposure is darkened.
- when ISO is increased [more sensitive to light], exposure is lightened.
The photos below are all properly exposed, while varying the depth of field. To achieve the depth of field I wanted, with proper exposure, I made adjustments to the shutter speed. The ISO remained constant.
Here is the basic rundown of how I set up my photo.
- Set the ISO. I’ve gotten pretty good at being able to read the light coming in our house, and knowing what the ISO needs to be set at. Typically, it’s 400. Sometimes, I’m able to set it to 200 and sometimes I have to set it to 800. Even when using a tripod, I typically keep it at 400 and don’t set the shutter speed slower than 1” [1 second]. This is because the camera can pick up movement from the slight shake of actuating the shutter release button. If I had a detached shutter actuator or used the camera’s delayed timer function, I would have a little more wiggle room with the shutter speed. I have a very beginner dSLR camera, so higher end models might allow you to set the speed even lower, and notice no motion in the photo. Setting the ISO at 400, still gives great, crisp results.
- Set the aperture. This depends how much of the photo I want in focus. Typically, I don’t set it lower than f/3.5 and usually work around f/5, but sometimes all the way to f/7. Remember, the depth of field not only varies by what you set your aperture too, but how far away you are from your subject!
- Set the shutter speed. After setting the aperture, I make changes to the shutter speed, to properly expose the photo. Say the shutter speed was at 1/15” and the exposure meter was reading +1. I know this will give me an overexposed photo, so to compensate, I might adjust the shutter to 1/20” [faster –> less light –> darker photo] to see if that bumps the exposure down enough.
- From there, I take the photo and evaluate the light on the preview screen. I make any adjustments to the shutter + aperture and take a few more shots, so I have a variety to choose from. I also will manually play around with the focal point, but that is another lesson for another day.
Once again, I hope this has helped introduce you to the idea of exposure and what that little light meter on your camera is all about. Understanding the light meter should start to make things easier as you’re playing around in manual mode. You know if it’s reading at “-2” that some of your settings definitely need to change! Check all of your settings to evaluate where you need to make changes. You might even have to increase your ISO, if your shutter speed is already set to a fairly slow number.
Dinner recipe coming tomorrow! Stock up on a few russet potatoes, Greek yogurt, green onions, liquid smoke, broccoli + tempeh [or chickpeas] to get ready!
Yesterday’s cookie recipe, was entered in a contest for the Love Grown Foods Holiday LOVE cookie contest, with the other LOVE bloggers. If you want to check out the entries and cast your vote, head over to the LGF facebook page and “like” your favorite. All of the entries look delicious! If I win, the LOVE prizes will be shared!
Ashley
Photography 101
Reader Comments (20)
mmmmmm brussels sprout photos!!!!
Yummy! Thanks for all the tips!
Awesome post re exposure. As a general rule, I overexpose b/c I shoot in RAW and then go in with LR3 and add in blacks, contrast, clarity, sharpening, and all those things tend to darken the photo anyway.
So if I start with a "properly exposed photo"..what "they" would call one anyway..by the time I add the detail back in, it's too dark for my liking.
Or it may look okay on my screen, but once it gets compressed and uploaded onto a blog or the food site...gah...wayyy too dark for my taste.
It's such an experimentation process, for sure!
Great post and loved your thoughts on the matter.
thank you again ashley! i feel so lucky to have these posts to help me with my new camera! i didn't feel like as much of a beginner going in because i had read your photography posts in the past.
Once again, super informative post Ashley!! I'm learning so much from you, and up until today, I had no idea what the Av and Tv settings meant! I'm printing all of these posts so that I have them with me when I'm playing with my camera over the holidays!
This post was so helpful. I cannot wait to go and play with the exposure on my camera. I am still looking for a tripod... I can't wait to have one for food photography so that I can really put your advice into practice. Thank you so much!
These make me a little giddy when they get posted. I'm a camera geek, trying to soak up all I can with lots of trial and error -- these posts take the time out of that and get right down to it! THANK YOU, Ashley!
What a helpful post, thank you Ashley! I am no photographer. I don't know why, but camera functions, what they do, and what they are called, is a language I just don't understand (yet). You managed to break it down so succinctly and simply. I usually take most of the photos for my blog at night, and needless to say it can get really chanllenging to take a decent photo. Your post will really help me out.
Good luck with the LOVE Grown Foods contest. Those cookies looked amazing!
Wow to making brussels look so pretty. You use a tripod for all of those, right? I know setting the shutter speed below about 1/60 makes it extra shaky or blurry. Thanks for the tips, everything I know about dslrs came from you! I think the lens you use has a lot to do with making those pretty images too. It's the perfect distance.
I love love love your photography posts! It's like all these things I think about each day all neatly written out for me to reference in a clear format. You rock!
Oh and I thought I was the only one who has a camera that shoots dark!!! Or maybe that's just a thing called winter...lol. I dont think Ive been able to shoot with the sun out in so long!!!
What an awesome post! Bookmarked for future reference as I inevitably fail time and time again with such things :)
Thanks Ang! That means a lot coming from a photo expert like yourself. They either shoot dark, or we like bright photos. ;) I think both!
Yes, definitely using a tripod! :) I try not to hand hold once it's slower than 1/60, like you said. Sometimes I get really annoyed with overhead shots though. It's hard to get them with the tripod, unless you put the food on the floor. The lenses I have are still so so basic + beginner. [50mm 1.8 + 28-75mm 2.8] I definitely need a major lens upgrade at some point!
You're very welcome Maria! It's great to get feedback on these posts, because I can never quite tell how they read to other people! Thanks!
The tripods are definitely worth investing in!! I have a few tips on this link, if you haven't seen it yet! :) http://edibleperspective.com/2010/11/see-the-difference/
Love these posts, thanks. Looking forward to homework! Perhaps food styling/scene setup could be a future post? Or post-processing?
I must make some time to go through ( and understand ;-)) your great photography posts over the holidays! I really feel like I have learned something already! Never realized that's what the little meter was for...doh... Thanks for taking the time to write these posts :-)
Post processing is such a hard topic, because people use different software for editing and have different editing styles. Plus, I know I am not using Lightroom to nearly it's full extent!! I'm not sure about the styling/scene post either, haha. Angela [oh she glows] has a great post on styling! I don't do too much styling and feel like a beginner in that category. :) Maybe I'll do a simple post on it though...we shall see! :) I like going through the technical posts first, which are the most important!
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