Five Simple Steps To Perfect Exposure On Every Shot
The main factor in producing stunning images, regardless of the camera you choose, is precise exposure. Here are 5 quick pointers to help you do it correctly every time.
Setting your exposure correctly in-camera will enhance the appearance of your image and save you hours (or days!) in post-production, whether you’re shooting in a compressed format or RAW. The following advice is especially pertinent when using cameras that have low-bitrate recording issues.
Five Simple Steps To Perfect Exposure On Every Shot
Understand Your Zebras
You have undoubtedly used zebra stripes to some degree already unless you are relatively new to shooting. If you didn’t know, zebras can be used to successfully emphasize an area of your image that is excessively exposed so that you can tell when your shot is about to clip to white.
Although working with zebras seems straightforward, there are some difficulties that you should be aware of.
For instance, many photographers underexpose their talent by exposing the zebras (in order to avoid overexposing their shot).
To put it another way, many inexperienced Director of Photographers would be tempted to overexpose the shot if there was a lamp blowing out in the background, but this would result in a drastically underexposed image for most of the scene.
Always keep in mind that, if done reasonably, it’s acceptable for some portions of your image to clip. Just remember never to jeopardize your talent in general or your skin tone.
Here is a helpful video guide for using and understanding zebras:
Use an Electric View Finder During the Day
One of the most crucial aspects of exposure, aside from the use of essential exposure instruments (which we’ll discuss shortly), is the ability to trust your sight.
Unfortunately, intense light sources, like the sunshine, can overwhelm most cameras and monitors, making monitoring difficult during the daytime outdoors. Even though it can appear as though you are getting a precise visual read on your image, the truth is that you are probably estimating your total exposure wrong. The only way to correct this is by utilizing an Electric View Finder (EVF).
Things are fairly simple for you if you have a camera like the Canon EOS R7 that has a powerful EVF built right in. Use it over the LCD screen only, please. However, I strongly advise purchasing an EVF if your camera has a subpar one or none at all.
Your friend is the histogram
Given that a histogram is one of the most important on-camera tools for adjusting exposure, I’m frequently astonished that so few aspiring cinematographers actually understand how to utilise one. Although not all cameras have a built-in histogram, many do; I would strongly advise you to start using yours correctly.
The histogram may appear confusing at first, but it is actually pretty straightforward. To help you determine where your image falls between the range of luminance values (dark vs. light), the histogram simply shows these values from left to right.
The photograph is underexposed if the histogram is completely shifted to the left, whereas the opposite is likely true if it mostly falls to the right. There are certainly exceptions to the rule, but in the majority of circumstances, you want it exactly in the middle.
Here is a video with advice on how to use the histogram to maintain the detail in highlights:
Light metres are nothing to be feared
Even though I don’t use light metres frequently, many DPs still firmly believe they are indispensable in certain situations, even if they aren’t always required. It would be advantageous for you to use a light metre so that you can correctly set your lighting ratios if you were shooting with a camera that has a very small dynamic range.
The truth is that a camera with 7 stops of dynamic range might appear better than one with 14 stops if it is lit properly. We all desire cameras with great dynamic range because it will make our life easier on set. All that remains is to ensure that the lighting arrangement retains the exposure inside those 7 stops, and a light metre is necessary to achieve this successfully.
Know Your Camera's Weirdnesses
Understanding the peculiarities and variances of your current camera is crucial to nailing your exposure because every camera differs somewhat from another.
When utilizing your histogram, for instance, you typically want your exposure to fall somewhere in the middle, but that isn’t always the case, as I indicated in the prior example.
For instance, certain cameras capture detail much better in the highlights, so you might want to “exposure to the right” or purposefully underexpose a little bit to get the greatest result in post-processing.
There are thousands of more examples of camera peculiarities, but the main point is that in order to get the best results when exposing your image, you really must be familiar with your camera and understand how it should be handled.
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FAQs
The employment of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO in conjunction to achieve proper exposure is the most crucial aspect of this. Your shot will either be overexposed (too bright) or underexposed (too dark) if one of the triangle’s parts is off (too bright).
Generally speaking, you should use the lowest ISO level on your camera and the smallest aperture that your tools will allow. When utilising a long exposure during the day, you want to allow in as little light as possible, therefore do this.
By utilising a tiny aperture, you can prevent overexposure. By doing this, you can utilise a slower shutter speed and make your landscape darker. For long exposure photography, you should buy an ND filter if your images still appear to be too bright.
Therefore, at its core, long exposure photography is just the creative use of a slow shutter speed to convey a sense of motion. Anytime there is movement and utter stillness in a situation, you may utilise long exposures to express your tale.
The ideal exposure is one in which neither the shadows nor the highlights lose any information. In other words, it’s the exposure that makes the most of the camera’s sensor’s ability to record as much detail from the image as possible, including shadow and highlight detail.
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About the author: Trent (IMDB | Youtube) has spent 10+ years working on an assortment of film and television projects. He writes about his experiences to help (and amuse) others. If he’s not working, he’s either traveling, reading or writing about travel/film, or planning travel/film projects.
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