If you’re already subscribed to receive email updates from Zoe D. Photography, then you may have already seen this. (And you already know what’s coming up this fall.) But I just had to share this little tip for those who are shooting on manual, but struggling with correct exposure.
During a couple of recent mentoring sessions, I’ve realized that some people are putting their cameras on manual mode (bravo!), but are not truly controlling the exposure of the image themselves. They’re making exposure adjustments based solely on what the in-camera meter says is the correct exposure, therefore letting the camera decide what’s best. Those cameras are very smart, indeed. But…. If you are shooting in manual, then you should be deciding what is the correct exposure – not your camera. (That’s kind of the point of manual, isn’t it?) You should be checking your histogram, looking for blown highlights, and taking a glance at the image on the back of your camera and deciding if it looks right. From there, you can determine if you are under- or overexposed and then adjust your aperture, shutter speed, or ISO accordingly. Yes, this takes practice. Lots of it. But if you’re relying on the in-camera meter, then you might as well just switch over to aperture priority (or shutter speed priority, or Auto) and save yourself the hassle of moving that dial.
Don’t let this happen to you – take control of that camera, my friend. Manually.
Got a photography question? Ask me.
Oh – and because this is a photography blog, here’s a photo of my littlest man today. What a weird expression – not sure what’s going on there, but he’s 8 months old and on the move! We couldn’t stay out there very long though – it’s HOT!
