Exposure
Neist Point Lighthouse sits at the edge of its outcrop on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Exposure: The Ultimate Balancing Act
Let's dive into the fascinating world of exposure and how we can have a blast with it.
So, what exactly is exposure? Think of it as the magical dance between light and your camera. It's about how much light reaches your camera's sensor and how that light is processed by the camera.
We'll begin by understanding what makes a "balanced exposure" and how we can have some fun with it. It's about finding that perfect harmony where your photo captures the essence of the moment – not too dark and not too bright.
Imagine you're capturing a stunning sunset. A balanced exposure might means that your photo beautifully captures the rich hues of the setting sun, the delicate shades of the sky, and even the intricate details of the landscape. In simpler terms, it's about making sure your photo isn't too dark (underexposed) or too bright (overexposed). We're aiming for that sweet spot where everything looks just right, like your favorite recipe turning out perfect every time.
I said what a balanced exposure 'might' mean for a photo. Might, as it's all relative to you and how you want to capture the scene. Below are two photos, showing one that tries to have an exposure that doesn't cut any detail in the highlights or shadows and one that deliberately remove detail.
Kirkjufell - the arrow mountain - and Kirkjufellsfoss cascade, Iceland.
In this picturesque Icelandic scene, the clouds and waterfalls are of an almost pure white colour, whilst only the darkest nooks and crannies of the rocks are in shadow. A generally balanced exposure with no distracting clipping of either the highlights or shadows.
The overcast sky still lets some high-intensity sunlight through some of the thinner clouds creating a challenging scene to expose, but as it was taken in a RAW format - rather than a JPEG - we can recover a lot of the light and use our camera's dynamic range.
Dynamic range is the maximum and minimum measured light intensity values of you image. It's dependent on your camera sensor.
Warm sunset light spills over the Pembrokeshire hills, Wales.
A have a warm summer evening where I'm shooting straight against the sun. I could've used either my RAW photo or a blend of few photos taken with different exposures to capture the full range of the scene and preserve the blue sky.
Contrary to that, I intentionally clipped my highlights so the sky and sun appear pure white which creates a very warn, soothing, ethereal feeling. Almost as if the summer breeze is coming through the photo.
Most cameras and smartphones can shoot in a file format known as RAW - where as the usual default for the camera is JPEG. Switching to RAW will let you use the full range of light captured by your camera which comes very handy when editing the photos later.
You'll be able to change your exposure, colour settings and more after you've taken your photo!
Why is it so complicated?
It's not! You see, in today's photography world, many cameras, even those on our trusty smartphones, are designed to nail a balanced exposure almost every time you hit that shutter button. It's like having a super-smart camera sidekick that's always got your back.
On most cameras the 'Auto' setting is the one that delivers this balanced exposure. Usually found on a rotating dial or in you menus alongside some other exposure settings such as 'P', 'S', 'A' and 'M' - we'll talk about them later.
So, if your camera or phone can do all the work for you, why do you need to learn about exposure at all?
Well, because sometimes you might want to have more control over how your photos look. You might want to make them brighter or darker to suit your artistic vision or to create a certain mood or effect. For example, you might want to make a sunset photo more vibrant by making it darker, or you might want to make a portrait more flattering by making it brighter.
Shifting The Light: How to Change Exposire Easily
Why change your exposure?
Breaking the rules in photography isn't about being rebellious – it's about unleashing your creativity and making your images truly stand out. While a balanced exposure captures a scene accurately, deliberately adjusting exposure can turn a good shot into a stunning masterpiece and let you express the way you want.
Adding Drama and Mood: By intentionally underexposing a photo, you can add a sense of mystery and drama. Imagine a portrait in a dimly lit room, with shadows accentuating the subject's emotions. This moody effect can evoke stronger feelings in your viewers.
Creating Silhouettes: Silhouettes are a mere suggestions of light. By exposing for the background and allowing your subject to go dark, you create a captivating outline that draws attention to shapes and forms. Picture a lone tree against a vibrant sunset – the silhouette emphasizes the simplicity and beauty of the scene.
Long Exposures for Creativity: Slow down that shutter speed, and watch as ordinary scenes transform into mesmerizing works of art. Long exposures can turn flowing water into silky smooth textures, and city lights into enchanting trails. It's a fantastic way to capture the passage of time in a single frame.
Artistic Interpretation: Adjusting exposure is about embracing your unique perspective and making a statement. For example, by slightly overexposing an urban scene, you can imbue it with an ethereal quality, making the city seem like a dreamy oasis.
Exposure Compensation
Exposure compensation - the easiest way to change your exposure - allows you to override the camera’s automatic exposure and make it brighter or darker by adding or subtracting stops of light.
A stop of light is a unit of measurement that indicates how much light is doubled or halved. For example, if you add one stop of light, you make the photo twice as bright. If you subtract one stop of light, you make the photo half as bright.
How can you use exposure compensation? It depends on your camera or phone model, but usually there is a button or a dial that has a symbol like this: +/-. By pressing this button or turning this dial, you can change the exposure value (EV) from 0 to + or -. The higher the EV, the brighter the photo. The lower the EV, the darker the photo. You can see the effect of exposure compensation on your screen or viewfinder before you take the photo.
Moody blue hour at the cottages, after snowfall, Sweden.
Here I've stopped down my exposure by 1 stop in order to make the scene gloomier and darker. Perfect fit to relay the calm and moody feeling of the oncoming twilight.
Exposure "Side Effects". Do You Feel Grainy Today?
When you use auto mode or exposure compensation what happens is that the camera adjusts one or more of the three fundamental parameters that dictate how your picture will be exposed.
These are the camera's shutter speed, the lens' aperture (also known as f-number or f-stop) and the ISO.
The first two dictate how much light light will reach the sensor and the third - ISO - will amplify the signal coming from the sensor once the light hits it. Each changed individually will change the overall exposure and either increase or decrease the picture's brightness.
Think of them as your creative tools. Each has certain side effects - besides making the image brighter or darker - that can be used to tell the story of the scene in front of you and your camera.
Shutter Speed - The Time Machine
Shutter speed, the magic time machine of photography. Think of your camera as a time traveler, capturing moments in fractions of a second.
Most cameras can capture a time capsule that represents anything from 1/2000th of a second to 30 seconds or more. If you want to freeze fast action, like a sports car whizzing by, use a quick shutter speed, like 1/1000 seconds. But if you want to create a sense of motion, like a flowing river, go for a slower shutter speed, like 1/30 seconds - for that amount of time the water would've flowed some distance which you'll be able to capture. Just remember, the longer your camera travels through time, the more chance there is for blurry shots if you're not steady. So, keep those hands steady or use a tripod!
A fast flowing torrent slicing through cliffs in autumnal Scotland.
Shutter speed is the main consideration with this scene. We have two needs that will affect which speed we go for. First, we want to have smooth out the torrential water and second, preserve the crisp outlines of the colourful leaves and branches.
To achieve that we need a shutter speed slow enough so the water can travel some distance but fast enough for the trees' branches not to sway. In this particular case that shutter speed was 1 second and luckily there was no wind to sway the trees.
Stop moving objects in their tracks with faster shutter speeds or let them blur across your image with slower ones.
Aperture and f-number - Moving Your Focus
The f-number (f) - like the shutter speed - will decide how much light you let into the camera. It is a ratio of the camera's focal length - usually given in millimetres (mm) - divided by the diameter of the lens' opening (aperture) that lets light through. That's too technical!
What you need to remember is that the lower the f-number is the more light you let in and the opening in the lens will be larger. Conversely, the larger the number is you'll be letting less light through the lens and the aperture of the lens will be smaller. Most lenses range anything in between f/1.4 and f/22 and many smaller cameras - like the one on your phone - usually have only one f-number and a constant lens aperture/opening.
The lens' aperture (opening) will also affect how much of your scene will be in focus. Adjusting the aperture is like having control over the "focus zone" of your lens, allowing you to shape the visual story of your photos by deciding what's crystal clear and what gently recedes into the background. This play part in what's own as the depth of field (DoF) which will touch upon in the next section.
The bigger your lens opening (lower f-number, i.e. f/1.4) the more blurry things outside of your main focus will be. The smaller the opening (larger f-number, i.e. f/12) the more of your scene will be in complete focus. Skip to the 'Focus' section if curious.
ISO - Noisy Nights
Imagine ISO as your camera's super suit. On a bright, sunny day, you don't need any extra protection, so you're in regular clothing (low ISO). But as the day turns to night and darkness creeps in, you put on your super suit with night vision goggles (high ISO) to see in the dark. However, the downside of wearing the super suit is that it adds a bit of graininess to your vision, just like higher ISO settings introduce noise or grain - like static on an old TV - to your photos. So, you only wear it when you really need that extra sensitivity to light.
Keep ISO as low as possible in bright well-lit environments (around a 100) and raise it when the light is not enough - dusk, indoors, etc.
ISO is a complicated subject, unlike the two previously mentioned variables of f-number and shutter speed, but to simplify, ISO amplifies the signal received by your sensor with a value that you set. The higher your ISO setting the more amplification (gain) you'll introduce into your picture and the brighter that picture will be.
In dark scenes, using high ISOs will introduce visible graininess or noise in your photos. This can also reduce the fidelity of the photo.
The Old Man of Storr surrounded by the night's sky brilliance, Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Here we have all tree fundamental camera settings play a careful dance so we can expose the night scene correctly. We want to lift shutter for 30 seconds so the stars do not turn from dots to tiny streaks. We want to increase the ISO to 3200 so we can properly capture the sky and foreground without keeping the shutter speed too long. The aperture is kept to the lowest - although we might lose some clarity we need as much light gathering ability form the lens as possible.
The aperture is kept to the lowest - although we might lose some clarity we need as much light gathering ability form the lens as possible. The last trick is to use a torch to light the midground subject for a split second.
Exposure modes
As mentioned, besides using 'Auto mode' for a balanced exposure you can choose a different mode that will either let you fully control the shutter speed, aperture and ISO or selectively control some of them whilst the camera balances the exposure by automatically adjusts the rest of the settings.
Aperture Priority (A/Av) Mode
Aperture Priority mode is like having your camera set to "artistic storytelling." In this mode, you choose the aperture (f-number), and the camera takes care of the shutter speed for you. It's fantastic for controlling depth of field/what's in focus, allowing you to create dreamy backgrounds or crisp, detailed landscapes while the camera ensures the exposure is spot on.
This is my go to mode for the majority of my time and it's great for everything from landscapes, cityscapes to portraiture.
Shutter Priority (S/Tv) Mode
Shutter Priority mode is like your time-traveling control panel. Here, you set the shutter speed, and the camera adjusts the aperture accordingly. It's perfect for capturing fast action with a quick shutter or creating artistic motion blur with a slow one. Think of it as a tool to freeze or flow time, while the camera manages the rest.
I use this mode less and only when trying to freeze time such as capturing waves, seascapes, animals and anything fast moving. Also it's great to light streaks of passing cars.
Manual (M) Mode
Manual mode is your photography playground where you're in full control of everything. It's like being the chef in your own kitchen, where you set the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed to your liking. This mode is ideal when you want absolute creative control or need to adapt to tricky lighting conditions. It's your go-to when you want to take charge and craft the exposure precisely as you envision it.
I use this mode for night photography where I want to let the shutter go beyond the usual 30 seconds in S mode. It's great for waterfall scenes where you want slower shutter speed, high aperture and variable ISO. It's something you'll also use in studio photography as the environment is constant there.
The birches reflecting their white bark onto the lake surface. The last snowy patches of winter are melting on the shore, Sweden.
Switching to Manual mode let me set my shutter speed to 1 second to blur the reflections onto the lake's surface as well as my aperture to narrow enough number to make sure as much of the picture is in focus.
- Exposure is the interaction between light and a camera's sensor, determining how much light reaches the sensor and how it's processed.
- A balanced exposure captures a scene accurately, avoiding extremes of being too dark (underexposed) or too bright (overexposed).
- Shooting in RAW format allows for greater flexibility in post-processing, enabling adjustments to exposure, color settings, and more after the photo is taken.
- Cameras' "Auto" setting generally achieves a balanced exposure automatically, but learning exposure is valuable for those seeking more creative control.
- Exposure compensation allows adjusting the camera's automatic exposure, making photos brighter or darker by adding or subtracting stops of light.
- Deliberately adjusting exposure can add drama, create silhouettes, enable long exposures for artistic effects, and allow for unique artistic interpretations.
- Shutter speed controls the time the camera captures an image, affecting the clarity of moving objects. Faster speeds freeze motion, while slower speeds introduce blur.
- Aperture, determined by f-number, controls the amount of light entering the camera and influences the depth of field. Lower f-numbers result in larger apertures and more background blur.
- ISO amplifies the camera sensor's signal to produce for brighter images. Higher ISO settings are used in low-light conditions but may introduce noise or graininess to photos.