Whether novice or amateur, we have all experienced the same common frustrations. Perhaps you are taking a photo of snow on a bright day only the photo turns out too dark or perhaps you are photographing something in the dark, only the photo turns out too bright. So, why does this happen?
Unfortunately, most people believe that they can just point and shoot their camera and reproduce a photo depicting exactly what they saw. However, this is not the case when a camera is in its automatic mode. This mode makes the camera decide for itself what the proper settings should be.
Unless you are using a fully manual camera, your camera must make the decision as to how much light to allow the sensor to be exposed to. If there is too little light, the subjects of the photograph may appear almost invisible, also known as 'underexposed." In reverse, if there is too much light allowed, areas of the photo may be completely white, also known as "overexposed."
Cameras make these decisions on the basis that most scenes are comprised of equal parts of light and dark. This belief is referred to as 18% grey, however in some situations, this is not always the case.
To better explain, let's look at a common example: taking a photo of a polar bear in the snow on a bright sunny day. You are seeking the ability to reproduce the bright scene you viewed with your own eyes. However, most likely the bear and the snow will appear to be a dirty grey. The reason for this result is that your camera is utilizing its rule of thumb to determine shutter speed and aperture.
The other situation is when you take a photo in dark conditions, perhaps a street at night lit by some streetlamps. Here you want most of the photo to be dark, with perhaps some lighter areas that were illuminated by the streetlights. Instead what you may get is dark areas that are dull brown rather than black, and lighter areas that are overexposed. Again, your camera has assumed this scene, like others, is 18% grey, and has exposed it accordingly.
In order to expose very light and very dark scenes correctly (i.e. close to how you saw them), you will need to take control of your camera, rather than letting it do everything for itself. One way to do this is to dial in exposure compensation " add one stop for bright conditions and the reverse for dark conditions. Or you could simply put the camera in manual mode and try different settings until you get what you want, using the rear LCD to review your results.
Unfortunately, most people believe that they can just point and shoot their camera and reproduce a photo depicting exactly what they saw. However, this is not the case when a camera is in its automatic mode. This mode makes the camera decide for itself what the proper settings should be.
Unless you are using a fully manual camera, your camera must make the decision as to how much light to allow the sensor to be exposed to. If there is too little light, the subjects of the photograph may appear almost invisible, also known as 'underexposed." In reverse, if there is too much light allowed, areas of the photo may be completely white, also known as "overexposed."
Cameras make these decisions on the basis that most scenes are comprised of equal parts of light and dark. This belief is referred to as 18% grey, however in some situations, this is not always the case.
To better explain, let's look at a common example: taking a photo of a polar bear in the snow on a bright sunny day. You are seeking the ability to reproduce the bright scene you viewed with your own eyes. However, most likely the bear and the snow will appear to be a dirty grey. The reason for this result is that your camera is utilizing its rule of thumb to determine shutter speed and aperture.
The other situation is when you take a photo in dark conditions, perhaps a street at night lit by some streetlamps. Here you want most of the photo to be dark, with perhaps some lighter areas that were illuminated by the streetlights. Instead what you may get is dark areas that are dull brown rather than black, and lighter areas that are overexposed. Again, your camera has assumed this scene, like others, is 18% grey, and has exposed it accordingly.
In order to expose very light and very dark scenes correctly (i.e. close to how you saw them), you will need to take control of your camera, rather than letting it do everything for itself. One way to do this is to dial in exposure compensation " add one stop for bright conditions and the reverse for dark conditions. Or you could simply put the camera in manual mode and try different settings until you get what you want, using the rear LCD to review your results.
About the Author:
Tobias Sterling is a keen photography enthusiast and featured writer on Clivir.com. His articles about Beginners Photography Tips and Sensual Photography of Female Body can be found on Clivir.com.
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