Mastering Exposure

Contents

Technique Enables Creativity, Creativity Fuels Technique

From Capture to Postproduction

Exposure Is the Beginning of Great Photography

1. The Basics (and Please Don’t Skip This!)

If Light Were Water

The Sensor Is the Bucket

The ISO Determines the Size of the Bucket

Aperture Controls the Flow

Shutter Speed Controls the Duration

How Much Is Needed?

Putting It All Together

Aperture Priority (Av or A)

Shutter Priority (Tv or S)

The Side Effects

Sensitivity: ISO

The Standard ISO Numbers

ISO Settings 101: The Scenarios

The Side Effect of ISO Settings

Try It Test Your Camera’s ISO Settings

The Standard Aperture Numbers

The Side Effects of Aperture

Try It Experiment with Depth of Field

The Standard Shutter Speed Numbers

The Side Effects of Shutter Speed

Try It Freeze a Moving Fan

Aperture and Shutter Speed: The Duo

In Automated Modes

Stops and Alternative Exposures

Alternative Exposures: A Practical Example

Try It Manual Exposure

Try It Alternative Exposures

Evaluating Exposure: Histograms

High-Contrast Scenes

2. Aperture: In Depth

The Mathematics of Aperture (Nerdy But Helpful)

Setting the Scene, Shaping the Narrative

Try It Set the Stage

Close Up, Depth of Field Shrinks

Adapting to the Subject and Lighting

Try It Not-So-Still Life

Try It Up Close and Personal

Sensor Dust: Ready to Bite When the Aperture Is Small

Try It Meet the Dust

Portfolio and Practical Examples

Problem-Solving Exercises

3. Shutter Speed: In Depth

A Brief History of Shutter Speed

Try It Stop Action in Its Tracks

It’s All a Blur . . . and Then It’s Not

Tracking (or Panning)

Aperture Selection

Focusing Strategies

Practical Example

Try It Follow That Motion

Time-Lapse Capture

Very Long Exposures

Equipment Considerations

Controlling Noise

Try It Time Lapse Capture

Try It Long Exposures (and Time for a Coffee Break)

Portfolio and Practical Examples

Problem-Solving Exercises

4. The Light

The Color of Light

Color Temperature

Practical Example: Cellist in a Red Dress

18 Percent Gray Card

Try It Test the Temperature

The Quality of Light: Harsh vs. Soft

Practical Example

Try It In the Footsteps of Monet

Portrait Lighting

Add a Diffuser to Soften the Light

Add a Reflector for Fill Light

Try It Diffuser vs. Reflector

The Direction of the Light

Practical Example

There’s an App for That

The Golden Hours

Try It Mark the Hours

Portfolio and Practical Examples

Problem-Solving Exercises

5. Adding Flash to the Exposure

Be Ready to Adapt

Practical Example

The Water Model Revisited

Maximum Flash-Sync Speed

Flash Techniques

Try It Bounce It Off the Wall

Flash as a Fill Light

6. Above and Beyond

Adobe Camera Raw

Shooting in RAW

Fixing Exposure Imperfections

The White Balance Tool

The Crop and Straighten Tools

Extending the Dynamic Range

Exposure Bracketing

Portfolio and Practical Examples