Help! I'm Addicted To EXIF!!

snerd · Jul 14, 2013

I mean, I find I'm looking at the exif data more than the photos here! If the exif is available, I'm looking at it!! Shutter speed, ISO, Exposure Mode, you name it. I need to read it! I guess I just want to figure out what settings correlate to good photos, I don't know. I flip between AV and Manual when out shooting, but just can't seem to get good shots yet. Am I just a 'tard?

kathyt · Jul 14, 2013

Exif data is extremely important, but it is more important to look through your own favorite images then review the data on those. Then if you could learn to recreate these lighting scenarios with some of those settings you might be on to something. Obviously you will have to tweak things here and there.

kathyt · Jul 14, 2013

P.S. Yes, I think it is part of the learning process.

ShooterJ · Jul 15, 2013

I agree with Kathy.. you'll gain more by paying close attention to the EXIF data in your own shots. It's not useless to view the EXIF in others, but you have to keep in mind that part of what made that photo good were the conditions and how the photographer adjusted for them... conditions which may be different for you. If the conditions are different the same EXIF data isn't going to work, so while you can to extent get an idea of what settings correlate to good photos, it's going to come down to how well you understand the settings vs. your specific shooting conditions.

Gavjenks · Jul 15, 2013

Don't listen to them! Meticulous spreadsheets are what make a good photographer into a great photographer :sexywink:

Especially ones with pivot tables.

Derrel · Jul 15, 2013

Get over it. The EXIF fever is a newbie disease that's worse than the cure. There is no direct "correlation" to settings and good photos. There exists a wide range of settings that can provide outstanding photos. There is NO, I repeat NO, magic bullet, no magic way to set a camera. It's akin to focusing on the knives a chef uses, and then totally ignoring the entire manner in which the food is prepared. It's a lot like thinking that a certain font, with a certain leading, and a certain page margin setup, will somehow magically lead to "great writing". Sorry. Doesn't work that way.

Yes, EXIF data can be of some use, but fixating on it, and attempting to "figure out what settings correlate to good photos" is a common mistake. Learning to "see" light, and lighting, is much more critical than attempting to correlate EXIF data with "good photos". "Good photos" are not comprised of EXIF data..."good photos" are made by people who use a camera skillfully.

It would probably be better to focus your energy and efforts on learning the "why" and the "what for" that underlies photography, rather than focusing and obsessing on raw data from OTHER peoples' images. It'sa lot like looking at famous movie actors and thinking, "Gosh, I wish I looked like him." You don't, and you never will.And you still have to make your own way in the world.

snerd · Jul 15, 2013

I have to give it up cold turkey?! How about a tapering off until cured?

Benco · Jul 15, 2013

I find that EXIF is only really useful for confirming diagnosis of a photo that's got a problem.

cptkid · Jul 15, 2013

EXIF can be intriguing. But I agree with the above, I think its most useful for diagnosing issues with images.

amolitor · Jul 15, 2013

Eschew EXIF! It's fascinating, and it feels like information. It's just data, though, and not very relevant data at that.

There are people who really want to look at your EXIF data before they're willing to tell you how awful your photos are. More helpfully, there are people who will use EXIF to diagnose specific problems you might have.

Like lighting, though, what matters ultimately is what the picture looks like, not what shutter speed was used or where the lights were placed.

Be strong. Admit that you are powerless. Find an EXIF buddy, and when you feel the urge, MAKE THAT CALL. Your buddy will help you through it, and you will help your buddy when they call you. If you slip and look at some EXIF, don't give up.

snowbear · Jul 15, 2013

Run away from it as fast as you can! Today, it's EXIF; tomorrow you'll be cataloging keywords off of Tin Eye.

ann · Jul 15, 2013

I find it useful when viewing student work that doesn't work as it helps the problem solving process to aid in correcting.

For my work, I am clueless about what i used unless I happen to look

which is rare. It is always about the conditions, the light is the driving factor.

snerd · Jul 15, 2013

Powerful advice, all. I WILL get an exif buddy and lean on him heavily! I can do this!! I will do this!! Thank you all!!

Stacylouwho · Jul 15, 2013

If you only use manual, you will eventually begin to figure it out. I thought I knew how to use manual and I was in you situation. Just keep learning about how the light changes and how you need to adjust ISO, SHUTTER and F stop to get good shots. Once you figure that out you can learn how to adjust other settings then you will fall in love with it

Steve5D · Jul 15, 2013

I don't even know where to find it.

I honestly couldn't care less about it. I rate it right above buying a new lens, taking a photo, and then zooming in to 1/1,000,000,000th of the frame so I can declare that the lens is or isn't sharp.

With regards to EXIF, for me personally, I don't care. A photo either works or it doesn't, and the settings of the camera when the photo was taken mean little to me. I'm not really interested in recreating what someone else has done...