"correct exposure"

[KVB1085]

i'm reading "understanding exposure" by bryan peterson and it keeps saying things like "set your iso to 200, and your aperature at f/5.6.. then adjust your shutter speed until your view finder reads you've achieved the correct exposure."....

well... the problem is... how am i supposed to know what to look at for correct exposure? this literally is my first few days into photography....

now i do see what i believe is called the light meter,... and when i do the adjustments he says the light meter will either go left or right.. or hit the neutral mark...

when it is at neutral does that mean i have achieved "correct exposure"

 

[JDS]

Yes, you will have achieved the 'correct exposure' according to the light meter in your camera. If it moves left, you'll be underexposing - right means you're overexposing.

 

[adolan20]

Yes as soon as it is in the middle the "correct" exposure is met.

 

[Big Mike]

Yes, the idea is to get the 'needle' centred on the scale for 'correct exposure'.

That may not be the ideal exposure, but that's a discussion for another day. For now, just centre it.

 

[KVB1085]

Thanks!!!!! i appreciate the help and extra details!!

Yes, the idea is to get the 'needle' centred on the scale for 'correct exposure'.

That may not be the ideal exposure, but that's a discussion for another day. For now, just centre it.

yeah, i've skimmed through some.. and "correct" exposure may not be exactly what you(the photographer) wants... so i do understand that.. and i'm slowly learning what all this stuff means... i just don't understand how a book teaching photography tells you to find correct exposure, without telling you how to even tell what it is! lol... thanks again though!

 

[Freedbaby]

I believe it is assumed by Peterson that one would have read the manual by the time they buy his book. When I read it I was with it in one hand and my manual in the other.

I am now reading it a second time...I think I forgot as much as I learned if not more.

Freedbaby

 

[KVB1085]

I believe it is assumed by Peterson that one would have read the manual by the time they buy his book. When I read it I was with it in one hand and my manual in the other.

I am now reading it a second time...I think I forgot as much as I learned if not more.

Freedbaby

i do know that i need to read the manual, but i didn't think it would go into detail about photography... i just figured it would say (A)=Aperature..... things like that... guess i'm wrong! so thanks! i'll make sure to rip that thing out and read it as well!

 

[yeti]

Peterson keeps saying that correct exposure refers to the "creatively correct" exposure, not necessarily what the light meter thinks is correct.

I am afraid that requires a bit more thought than blindly following what your camera says will turn out well. The camera doesn't know what you are trying to achieve, but YOU do.

Sorry for throwing confusion back into your reasoning, but the light meter is just a guide. Always following it to the letter is effectively doing what the camera would do in full automatic anyway. If you are always going to do that, you might as well leave it in full automatic.

My suggestion is to try everything: create a bunch of overexposed and underexposed images, learn well what playing with the "triangle" does to your images and then just start setting them for the effects they produce. Peterson's book also helps in that aspect. Those pictures are there to help you, try to keep track of how each one fits into the narrative of the topic being discussed.

I personally find particularly interesting what he sets his exposure against and how he deals with the too bright/dim light in each picture. I also envy him for all the places he seems to have visited.

 

[KVB1085]

Peterson keeps saying that correct exposure refers to the "creatively correct" exposure, not necessarily what the light meter thinks is correct.

I am afraid that requires a bit more thought than blindly following what your camera says will turn out well. The camera doesn't know what you are trying to achieve, but YOU do.

Sorry for throwing confusion back into your reasoning, but the light meter is just a guide. Always following it to the letter is effectively doing what the camera would do in full automatic anyway. If you are always going to do that, you might as well leave it in full automatic.

My suggestion is to try everything: create a bunch of overexposed and underexposed images, learn well what playing with the "triangle" does to your images and then just start setting them for the effects they produce. Peterson's book also helps in that aspect. Those pictures are there to help you, try to keep track of how each one fits into the narrative of the topic being discussed.

I personally find particularly interesting what he sets his exposure against and how he deals with the too bright/dim light in each picture. I also envy him for all the places he seems to have visited.

thanks a lot! yeah, from a creative aspect the correct exposure is whatever you want it to be..... i just wasn't sure what "technical correct exposure" was...

i basically have just cracked open his book, and i just got the camera friday night.... (nikon d70)

any other info that you guys suggest i read or use as some guidelines to photography?

 

[Big Mike]

any other info that you guys suggest i read or use as some guidelines to photography?

I'd suggest just sticking with that book and your camera's manual. Once you are able to fully digest all of that info....practice will be the way to learn best.

You can't expect to learn it all at once...you need to get out there and shoot. Eventually it will all start to fall into place.

 

[KVB1085]

I'd suggest just sticking with that book and your camera's manual. Once you are able to fully digest all of that info....practice will be the way to learn best.

You can't expect to learn it all at once...you need to get out there and shoot. Eventually it will all start to fall into place.

cool... from what i'm gathering the manual is gonna be a bit more detailed than what i thought...


and yeah i plan on taking the camera with me where ever i go on the weekends....

 

[yeti]

If that's your first SLR, you might want to start with the manual before you even look at "Understanding Exposure" I know I was totally confused by my first SLR and I am not easily confused by gadgets. Try to be patient with it, Rome wasn't built overnight.

 

[osirus]

Yes, you will have achieved the 'correct exposure' according to the light meter in your camera. If it moves left, you'll be underexposing - right means you're overexposing.

But not on all cams,
On Nikons its swapped, right is underexposed.left is overexposed

 

[passerby]

i'm reading "understanding exposure" by bryan peterson and it keeps saying things like "set your iso to 200, and your aperature at f/5.6.. then adjust your shutter speed until your view finder reads you've achieved the correct exposure."....

I agree with other poster/posters posts - you are the boss here. You are the photographer and you decide as what is the best picture for you, not to according other people point of view.

Just like like when viewing the painting works. Mr A said that this painting is the world reknown painting which is priceless. If you don't see it that way than no matter what the whole world opinion is saying - you still can't see it - can you?. Photography is no different. 90% of the pictures are viewed with the same way of viewing by the 90% of viewers. But there are always differences among us in seeing things.

I overide my d40 metering now up and down at will to whatever I like it that suit me. I am still learning you see. Those meterings are the product of other photographers experiences in the past, metering that they think is the best. We use their expertice as the guide.

Just like that the IBM chess mechine called the Deep blue that defeated Kasparov in 1997. Kasparov was fighting against numerous other players - other players expertise that were implanted in that mechine gradually. When Kasparov made a good moves - the mechine records his move also - and it used his moves against him later on.

So - there you go!