One of the easiest ways to minimize time spent on post-processing is to get your exposure right in camera. If you’re trusting your camera’s light meter, it doesn’t always give you the most accurate results. With these tips you won’t have to take photos only to delete them as soon as you see them on your computer screen.<\/p>\n
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Since then I’ve learned to always keep an eye on the histogram and not worry about the screen showing a very bright image. This alone has helped me a lot with my exposures.<\/p>\n
DON’T TRUST YOUR LCD SCREEN<\/p>\n
Under no circumstances should you ever trust the LCD screen on your camera. While it does give you a representation of your image, the camera\u2019s display screen is exceedingly bright. Therefore, the image you just took will appear brighter than it actually is. To avoid this complication, you should use your camera\u2019s histogram to visualize your image and determine if your shutter speed calculations are correct. Plus if you\u2019re shooting in RAW format, the LCD visual of your image will be a compact version of the photo, and as a result, will not be an accurate representation.<\/p>\n
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR HISTOGRAM<\/p>\n
Histograms are a graphical representation that show the distribution of dark (left side of histogram), light (right side of histogram) and midtones (middle of histogram) within your image. The histogram is one of the\u00a0most useful tools you can use for determining proper exposure levels. If any portion of the histogram is touching either side of the histogram (known as clipping), this indicates a loss of detail. For example, if there are any completely white sections within the image, the graph will be touching the right side of the histogram, while completely dark areas will touch the left side\u2014both of which can be fixed by adjusting your exposure settings.<\/p>\n
USE EXPOSURE BRACKETING<\/p>\n
Sometimes you may experience tricky lighting situations where you are unable to determine the exact exposure speeds to use\u00a0(e.g.\u00a0when you have a start contrast between your light and shadows). This technique uses a series of photos captured either manually by the photographer or automatically by the camera. Each photograph is set at either one stop above or below the camera meter\u2019s reading for the \u2018correct\u2019 exposure to ensure the best exposure level for the photograph.<\/p>\n
PHOTOGRAPH USING RAW FORMAT<\/p>\n
Depending on your camera\u2019s specifications, photos are typically captured in one of two formats: JPEG or RAW.\u00a0RAW files contain all the information possible within your images, and can generate higher quality images.\u00a0JPEG files on the other hand are compressed. Therefore, these images lose some of the information you would capture using a RAW file format. Unfortunately, once this information is lost, you can\u2019t get it back.<\/p>\n
PREPARE AND RESEARCH BEFORE YOUR SHOOT<\/p>\n
As any professional photographer knows,\u00a0just because you found a promising spot to photograph, doesn\u2019t mean your session will be as simple as point and shoot. To ensure you have the best possible location for your setup, you should always plan ahead and research your destination. Check out the site ahead of time, and look around to see where you can capture the best angles and lighting for your photography. Also keep the weather in mind. Check ahead to find out what the weather will be like on the day of your shoot, and if needed, reschedule it to fit the specific needs of your images.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Read the full article with even more tips over at PictureCorrect.<\/a><\/p>\n