Exposure and Understanding the Histogram

What does a histogram tell you about contrast, dynamic range, underexposure, and overexposure? Why does exposure differ for digital photography versus film photography? What happens when the exposure is wrong?

In this digital short, author Andrew Gibson answers these questions and more, showing how to use the histogram in practice to obtain optimum exposure. Going beyond simply focusing on how to achieve the "right" exposure for a given situation, he examines how the question of exposure is as open to creative interpretation as any other aspect of photography. By the end of this guide, you’ll understand how to take a photo that is correctly exposed using the tools provided by your DSLR camera.

In this ebook, you will learn about:

• The exposure triangle: ISO, aperture, and shutter speed

• Differences between exposing for raw files and JPEG files

• Exposing to the right to obtain an optimum raw file

• Shooting in automatic mode–when to do so and how to use exposure compensation

• Shooting in manual mode–when to do so and how to adjust exposure