Camera Exposure

Histograms and Their Relation to the Exposure of Photographs

Often times photos are over or under exposed to light, which in turn effects the tonal range of the image (Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights). If you let too much light into the aperture, the higher the contrast (highlights or white tones) your photo will have, and your photo will be overexposed. If you let too little light into the aperture, the lower the contrast (shadows or black tones) your photo will have, and your photo will be under exposed.

Overexposured to Underexposured photographs. My photos, taken at Columbia Plateau Park.

Exposure Compensation circled in red. My Nikon D3000. For more on Exposure Compensation visit: https://youtu.be/ie3MmalSueg

The exposure compensation setting on your camera can make up for the over or underexposure of your photos. Ultimately, exposure compensation is used to alter exposure from the value selected by the camera, making photographs brighter or darker. If you turn up the exposure compensation your photos will become lighter. And if you turn down your exposure compensation your photos will become darker.

The histogram that your photo produces (that you can view on your camera, Lightroom, or Photoshop) is the graphical representation of the tonal range that your photo produces when it is exposed. It measures the frequency of light from darkest to lightest. Dark/black tones are represented as ‘0’ on the far left of the graph, and the light/white tones are represented as ‘255’ on the right side of the graph. In the middle is where you find your mid-tone/normal range. The perfect photograph produces a ‘bell-curved’ shaped histogram; although, there is no perfect photograph.

Underexposed, Normal exposed, and Overexposed photographs and their corresponding histograms. My photos, taken at Columbia Plateau Park. For more on Histograms visit: https://youtu.be/8Gmz1c6oq-4

Overexposed photograph. My photo taken at Columbia Plateau Park.

In my experience of taking photographs I have noticed it is important to take into effect the Aperture and Shutterspeed of your camera. The slower your shutter speed is, the more light is allowed through the aperture, and therefore your photo may become overexposed.

Underexposed photograph. My photo taken at Columbia Plateau Park.

Just the opposite, the faster your shutter speed is, the less light is allowed through the aperture, and therefore the more underexposed your photo will be.

Normal Exposed Photograph. My photo taken at Columbia Plateau Park.

The aperture also effects the exposure just the same. When the aperture is open wide, more light is allowed through and therefore the photo can become overexposed. Likewise, when the aperture is smaller, less light is allowed through making the photo underexposed.

You want a combination of the right aperture and shutterspeed to create a correctly exposed photograph. For more information on exposure visit the website: https://photographylife.com/underexposure-and-overexposure-in-photography