Exposure III
by William Lulow
Many photographers today simply rely on their DSLRs to give them good exposures. They set their cameras to measure overall exposure or to pick out parts of the subject from which they take their readings.
In my last article, I spoke about using light meters (which is rarely done these days) to get more accurate readings. However, even accurate meters can’t decide for you how the subject should look. Only you can do that. So, I used to use an INCIDENT meter to get a good approximation of the light that’s falling on the subject. Then I would tweak it a bit by deciding whether I want the subject lighter, darker, certain colors to be rendered deeper in hue, the sky to be darkened or any other part of the subject to be emphasized.
The same can be done using the camera’s built-in metering system. I don’t always use the incident meter now, but I always decide how I want the subject to look. So, if I’m using the camera’s meter, I use it as a starting point. Then, based on what I want the subject to look like, I adjust the exposure, possible filtration and exposure accordingly. Every once in a while, my camera’s automatic settings get the job done. Usually, I have to adjust the exposure settings a bit. I only use the bracket system when I’m really in doubt as to what I want the image to look like. Many camera manuals tell you that bracketing exposures is the way to ensure you’ll get a proper exposure. I don’t like to waste a lot of disc space on bracketed exposures. They have to be edited later in post-production. I prefer to have images that are all correctly exposed. There is a lot that Photoshop can help you with on the production end, but it’s always better to get it right with the camera in the first place.
So, here is my regimen: I look at a scene (subject) and decide BEFORE I SHOOT, how I want it to be rendered. I will take an incident reading of the scene if I can, and set my camera to one of the choices of aperture and shutter speed (depending on what I’m shooting) with the camera on MANUAL. I will then look at the LCD image. If I think the exposure shows everything I want to show, I’ll leave it. (Sometimes it’s hard to look at an LCD image and see everything. I often have to enlarge the view to zoom in on certain details.) If I’m using the camera’s meter, I will put the camera on its MANUAL setting and get a reading of the scene by using the camera’s built-in exposure graph. Then, I will sometimes use those settings and tweak the exposure making sure I get the saturation, depth of field or stopped action that I need.
All the settings I use are based on what my creative thought processes are telling me about the scene. I always try to think first before I shoot. I’m interested in getting the exposure correct in the camera and not having to adjust it later in Photoshop. Remember that today’s digital cameras can be set to give you readings of a central spot or the scene as a whole. You have to determine which you prefer for your own assignments. Also, there are probably 30 or more different settings using your digital camera’s “Picture Style” menus. You need to experiment with each combination of settings until you find the right one for you style of shooting.
