Learning is tough

[Braineack]

They’re either over exposed or under.
I’ve been very adamant about doing the settings myself which is why. I don’t want to use automatic.
If anyone has any tips feel free to let me know.

Regardless of the shooting mode, understanding the meter, the metering modes, and what the camera is telling you by it goes a LONG way.

This is one of the basics you should really work at. Without the meter, everything about your exposure is just a guess.

Then understanding the exposure triangle we take you to the finish line.

If you don't understand how the meter works, and how to make it work for you, you'll have a hard time mastering exposure. Learning the Sunny 16 chart above, IMHO, doesn't help you whatsoever. I would never shoot at 1/60 [or f/16] for one, and for two, as soon as you adjust the ISO you can blow it out of the window. I concede it does help you understand the relationship between the aperture and shutter speed and how it can affect the final exposure -- but as a useful chart that you can actually use in real life shoot; no. Just learn the exposure triangle -- ISO matters -- regardless of what the technicality nerds will start spewing about it after my post here.

 

[Designer]

"..technicality nerds.."?

"..spewing.."?

Moi?

 

[Braineack]

You can't just walk into TPF, say ISO determines the final exposure, and expect to walk away unscathed.

 

[CherpeAr]

Well as far as histogram and metering , uhhh I really don’t pay attention or fully understand those which is probably the problem

 

[Tailgunner]

Take a shot with Auto first. And take a look at what the camera choose for ISO, Shutter speed and Aperture. (The exposure triangle)
So now turn the camera to manual mode and dial the same settings for ISO, Shutter speed and Aperture and take the same photo again It should roughly about the same.
How about up the ISO settings once (means turn that dial with one click) and take the same photo? Is the photo become slightly over exposed? With the increased ISO settings, increase the shutting speed settings once (turn that dial with one click so that the number is smaller. Remember, the number shown could be a fraction number, for example, 1/200 is smaller than 1/100) and take the same photo again. The exposure of the photo should be similar to the 1st photo.

Now decrease the Aperture (reduce the physical size) by increase the F number. Is the photo become darker?


So basically changing one setting at a time and see how that one change affect the photo.

Here is a general idea of the ISO, Shutter speed and Aperture settings
Increase ISO settings will yield a brighter photo. (e.g. change ISO from 100 to 200. Of course, decrease it will yield a darker photo if other settings keep the same)
Increase Shutter speed will yield a darker photo. (In seconds, e.g. you change the shutter speed from 1/125 seconds to 1/250 seconds)
Increase the Aperture (lower the F number) will yield a brighter photo. (e.g. change the F number from f/5.6 to f/4 . Yes, the actual number is smaller when you increase the aperture)

Please note that I am not trying to tell you to shoot with Manual mode as a beginner, I just want to show you how settings of ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture will affect the photo. Once you understand that, it will be easier for you to use those Semi -Auto mode such as Av, Tv mode.

Also, metering is also important. Sometimes the camera may not know what you really like to capture. Especially when you try to take a photo of a scene which have a very bright and dark area. (i.e. you are inside a cave looking at the opening during the day. The cave is dark and the opening is bright) Learn more about different metering mode and how to use it.

Good info!

This is exactly what I did starting out and it really helped me a lot! I would take photos under various conditions in auto and see what the camera would select. Then I would switch to manual and take some photos etc.

Also, try out some of the other modes like Shutter or Aperture priority.

 

[ac12]

Well as far as histogram and metering , uhhh I really don’t pay attention or fully understand those which is probably the problem

One problem is that there are many things that need to be learned close together or in parallel, at least in my thinking.
Metering is one of the basics; how to meter and what metering modes to use.
Part of metering is reading and using the histogram to help your metering and correcting your exposure.

I would look for a good book on basic photography and work through it.
It will be tedious, because there is a LOT to learn, if you want to.
Again, take it in small bites, so that you don't choke on the volume of stuff to learn. Example, do a chapter a week, rather than the entire book in a week. And take as much time as you need to learn the subject.

I personally like the idea of taking a photo class, where you can ask questions of the instructor and get an immediate answer. Books and video do not give you the ability to get immediate answers to your questions.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Histograms are your friend and your enemy; when used for obtaining basic exposure and color or black and white balance, they are fairly easy. When you get sucked down the rabbit hole of trying to optimize your photo, you can spend a lot of time tweaking a photo only to look back in a day or so and dump it.

There is no short cut to becoming a photo artist.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Not using the meter much less looking at it - that's your problem right there! lol

Learn to 'meter a scene'. Your camera is recording light. You need to get a reading of the amount of light coming in to your camera so you can adjust the camera settings to get proper exposures.

Many videos etc. 'out there' seem to be done by someone selling books & videos or who are inexperienced or giving inadequate or inaccurate info.; having been a photographer forever I don't often see many that are all that great or that I'd recommend. If possible a class thru a local community art center or anyplace offering adult continuing ed courses would probably be better. I think it can help to be shown how to set and use a camera.

It'll take time and practice. I still love to go out and take pictures, so you have to like something well enough to spend time on it so you can get good at it.

 

[Derrel]

I would start by using the camera in P exposure mode. Set the ISO to 320 or 400. Let the camera meter the scene and set its suggested f/stop and shutter speeds. You can "shift" the exposure with just ONE control wheel. Easy-peasey!

 

[Braineack]

Histograms are your friend and your enemy; when used for obtaining basic exposure and color or black and white balance, they are fairly easy. When you get sucked down the rabbit hole of trying to optimize your photo, you can spend a lot of time tweaking a photo only to look back in a day or so and dump it.

There is no short cut to becoming a photo artist.

I find highlight zebras more beneficial to histograms when shooting. Last thing I wanna do is stand around trying to read histograms on a hard-to-see LCD screen. flashing zebra will quickly show you if you're overexposing, you can correct easily with -EV, and keep shooting -- even in bright sun when the LCD screen is the hardest to see.

Histograms IMHO should be very low on the list of things to learn for a beginner.

 

[JonFZ300]

My thought is what's the goal? What do you want to accomplish? Do you just want nice pics to show off on FB or here or where-ever? Do you want to be a pro and sell fine art prints? Do you just want to know how your camera works?

All you really need to know is what aperture, shutter speed and ISO mean and how they relate to each other, how changing one affects the other. Your camera will tell you what the correct exposure is based on the metering method you choose.

I agree with people saying take some shots in P mode and fully auto and see if what the camera chose is what you want. If it's not, figure out why based on your basic knowledge of what aperture, shutter speed and ISO mean. If you want more depth of field, change the aperture to higher-number f-stop. If it's blurry, choose a faster shutter speed. If it's noisy, lower the ISO. The trick is knowing how to compromise between these three settings when you can't have the ideal for all three.

Learning about your camera is key too. For example, my camera is a small sensor superzoom. It's an amazing camera but it's no DSLR. It has a Leica 25-600mm, f2.8 lens, shoots 4K video, 30 frame per second burst mode, shoots raw, etc... but the highest I can go on ISO is about 400 because of the small sensor. DSLR sensors are 10 times the size of mine, and the ISO range is way better than my camera for making higher quality images in lower light settings. I'm ok with that compromise because my camera was $400 and the last time I checked, there was no 600mm lens available as fast as f2.8 for a DSLR. The closest I've seen is a Nikon 600mm f4 and it's $13k new. I love my camera but I know its strengths and shortcomings. Knowing how high you can drive your ISO and still get good pics is a useful piece of information. That's just one example.

Another thing I would say is don't delete pics in-camera until you're very familiar with what works and what doesn't. That little screen on the back of your camera will never do justice to an image like a large monitor will. Look at the images on a big screen before you decide to delete or not. In fact, I don't delete any pics ever, and I never re-use memory cards. I fill them up and store them and buy new ones. Memory is so cheap, don't delete!! lol

And the last thing I'll say is have fun. Don't get bogged down with technical stuff. Learn it over time while you're having fun shooting and enjoying yourself. There's nothing wrong with going out and taking a whole day's worth of pictures in P mode. Push that red button that records video in auto mode. Hell, put the camera into full auto mode and see what it can do. Chances are, the images will be just fine. Cheers!

 

[D7K]

As they say, advice is nothing more than one mans experience, taken from the garbage, dusted off and sold on for more than it's worth..

Learning is hard, and despite that comment I stated, the advice here is great, but the main pointers remain the same throughout;

- Learn about exposure - Not just to get a picture exposed "correctly" but to get the picture you want and envision when you push that shutter (ISO/Aperture/Shutterspeed)
- Think about the shots you take, You're always going to go home with throw away shots but the more you think about what you try to capture the less these will become
- Have fun, don't imitate others' style
- The more you shoot the more you learn, everyday....

And don't forget to share your journey with us here too...

 

[Tom Szabo]

Been practicting a Little with my new equip when I have time. Man it is tough! I really have a new appreciation for photographers now.
I like my new camera and lenses but getting the exposure right is tough. They’re either over exposed or under.
I’ve been very adamant about doing the settings myself which is why. I don’t want to use automatic.
If anyone has any tips feel free to let me know.
Just feeling like a failure

CherpeAr:
So many of the replies have some great nuggets of info and as some have stated, they have certain biases and preferences. The fact that the responses vary so much is a good indication that you will need to find techniques that work for you.
Keep in mind that shutter speed, f-stop, ISO, lighting(color and direction) and the like are all consideration for the image you want to "create". In addition because of their function, they can be considered creative tools. Just like any tool, they may or may not be easy to understand their use.
I've had many people ask me for help understanding photography. So I've created some very basic experiential learning tools. If you would like to look at them or try them, you are welcome to send me an email request. I'd be happy to share them with you. Good luck and let us know how things are going for you.

 

[StevenW]

Meters, Histograms and White Balance are deceptive in that they all are based on something truly boring and something that doesn't exist in an interesting photograph. That thing is the mid-tone exactly centered between black and white. In fact, the reference we (and meters) use is a grey that's just that. Whether it's a grey card or a fancier kit of some sort, that mid-tone grey is going to be in the mix. We prefer photos with a tad more visual interest, splashes of color and contrast between highlight and shadow. Cameras cannot yet record the range of light that our eyes have the ability to see. The name for this is dynamic range and in a single exposure cameras are considerably limited between black shadow and white highlight. This is why you may photograph someone and they look fine in the picture but the sky isn't pretty blue but white instead because the range between the light illuminating the person and the light of the sky is too great. Because that range is too wide for the camera to record, if the settings were changed to provide a blue sky, the subject would be rendered as a shadow or silhouette. Occasionally we have to decide what part of the picture we want to come out properly exposed, what part blown white and what part blocked black. In some cases we have to modify more than just the settings on the camera, by re-directing some light or shading some light or perhaps adding light of our own. So when you are exploring and taking test shots, or learning photos don't delete those that "didn't come out". You can gain useful information from them. Recorded on each is all the data about the camera settings and if your camera's clock is set correctly you'll have time and date, all great stuff when you're looking at what went right and what didn't. The EXIF information provides many clues.

There are only three settings that effect the exposure: aperture ISO and shutter speed. They are connected to one another in rational proportion and measured in "stops" which is a relative measure of light. Each one has a different impact on the final image even if the combinations are changed to provide the exact same exposure. Motion and how you wish to present it or eliminate it is governed by the shutter speed; the depth of field is (amount of focus from front to back) is governed by the aperture; and, the sensitivity to the light is governed by the ISO setting. There are infinite setting combinations of these three things that will yield the exact same exposure because of their rational relationship. Selecting which combination could be determined by subject matter (e.g. a slow shutter speed to blur the motion of a waterfall) or might be a compromise (giving up some depth of field to eliminate motion blur). Photography is much like a obstacle course getting to the finish line means reacting to a variety of roadblocks. We usually begin with what we want out of our photograph and then compromise with setting adjustments to achieve an end result that comes closest.

There are some handy rules you'll pick up along the way that help. Some are hard fast laws of physics which can be relied upon; others are simply rules of thumb that help to find a starting place. Most of them won't make sense until you've used them. Two that helped me are the Sunny 16 Rule and the Rule of Reciprocity. The Sunny 16 Rule says proper exposure on a sunny day is achieved at f-16 and the shutter speed being the reciprocal of the ISO. A sunny day I might use ISO 100 so the exposure combination would be ISO 100 / SS 90-125 / f-16 . My camera doesn't have a shutter speed of 100 so I'd have to experiment to tune that in. Once the exposure is narrowed down the settings can be changed rationally (changing one setting requires changing one of the other two the same amount [called stops]). Rules won't hamper your creativity, they are not intended to. They will give you a reasonable set of expectations so you can figure out how best to get that creativity into the photograph.

Photography is like a trip. Options abound; you can walk, bike, drive or fly from point A to B. Each option has its own limitations and advantage over the others. The option you take only has to make sense to you. Enjoy the journey.

 

[Braineack]

What happens when you're shooting indoors and taking pictures of cats?

If there was only a method of determining what the exposure might up at without having to use guess-and-check...