Underexposed photos have been a unique source of frustration for me lately and since my typical Plan A of "experiment, experiment, experiment" wasn't getting me the results I wanted, it was time to move to my typical Plan B - do some research and read about the process to understand where to troubleshoot. In the event that Plan B doesn't pan out, I move to Plan C of find an expert who can explain the problem to me.
Fortunately, in this case, Plan B worked out beautifully. The first source I turned to was Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition by Bryan Peterson. I purchased this book a few weeks ago to read up on some of the theory and finally cracked it open today to start reading more about the technical side of photography and more precisely troubleshoot problematic exposure. It's a veritable textbook (but entirely more accessible and full of pictures!) on the subject and focuses on what Peterson calls the "Photographic Triangle" of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO (film speed). Right away, I knew I'd need to start playing around with setting my own ISO in poor lighting conditions instead of relying purely on the camera to work its automatic magic, as several other photographers have recommended. Since this book will take some time for me to read, absorb, and apply, and the first 27 pages didn't delve into my exact problem, I took to the Interwebs.
My biggest problem was not understanding the discrepancy between my camera's internal light meter, the preview on the LCD screen, and the uploaded image to my "big screen." The magic of Google came into play when I typed in "discrepancy between DSLR camera preview and final image" and this tutorial from SLR Lounge was among the results. I'm not going to repeat all of the technical details, which the author explained so well (I especially enjoyed the colloquial term "chimping"), but now I'm clear on the differences and advantages/disadvantages to the different metering options built into the camera. Additionally, I'm going to look into adding a light meter to my camera bag, or at least learn to use a gray card. After all, I don't want to get so bogged down in gear that I miss life's moments. Not to mention, there's such a thing as creative exposure that may not be the "accurate" exposure, but still an artistic choice nevertheless!
And with that, I'm adding a new category of hours: book learning! Also, celebrating my 151st hour!!
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| You absolutely wouldn't be able to tell from this photo, but this was a perfectly cooked rare steak I made for dinner. |
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| MUCH better!! Food photography is a whole other challenge entirely and the composition is pretty meh, but at least you can finally see the subject to even be able to make those judgments!! |
Active Shooting Hours: 0.5
Review Hours: 0.5
Book Learning: 1
Hours to Date: 151
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