Canon EOS 6D Digital Field Guide

Chapter 3: Working with Exposure

Photography is all about exposures. Exposures can be creative — both deliberately and, other times, accidentally. In challenging light, it sometimes takes multiple exposures to capture the full range of detail. In short, there are all kinds of exposures. However, one thing is certain: Next to image content, exposure is at the top of the list of the things you want to get right. With the Canon EOS 6D, you have all the technical and creative control you need to get exposures right — in the camera.

This chapter concentrates on exposure, and takes a workflow-oriented approach. First, I discuss the in-camera goals for exposures. Next, I detail exposure modes and other exposure controls using the camera’s onboard metering system, as well as how to evaluate and modify exposures when necessary. Finally, I address multiple exposure and High Dynamic Range (HDR) modes, and look at the 6D’s drive modes.

The 6D gives you full control for making excellent exposures. Exposure: ISO 100, f/2.5, 1/60 second in Manual Exposure mode with a Canon 28-70mm, f/2.8L USM.

Setting Exposure Objectives

As a photographer, my goal is to get the exposure right in the camera with every shot. I emphasize this because many photographers look at their images on the LCD monitor, and then say that they’ll fix it in Adobe Photoshop. Sure, many photos can be polished with image editing, ...