Blown Out Highlights? This is the Key To Perfect Exposures
Today I show you two tools that can help you get better exposures in your photography. These really can help build your confidence so you know that you will get a much better photo with details in your highlights and shadows.
To learn about exposure bracketing: • Exposure bracketing wi...
For a more indepth video on the histogram and zebras: • Histogram vs Zebras - ...
I suppose you could called this a landscape photography vlog ... but I prefer on location landscape photography!
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Sirui Tripod: geni.us/sirui-tripod-legs
Sirui Tripod ballhead: geni.us/sirui-tripod-ballhead
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Jacket: geni.us/MyJacket
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iFootage TC7: geni.us/ifootage-TC7
Manfrotto video head: geni.us/Manfrotto-video-head
Sony A7C: geni.us/Sony-A7C-FF
Hollyland Lark 150: geni.us/Lark150wirelessMic (Not the best but it does the job for now)
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Mike
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#mikesmithphotography #onlocationphotography #photography #landscapephotography
The most challenging part of photography is to shoot pics that tell something
My favourite saying from when I was young is "If you want better pictures put your camera in front of interesting shit."
Haha! That is exactly right Chris!! 👍
it is fine. just shoot something and time will tell
Take pictures of everything! Something interesting is bound to pop up eventually :)
@@camerachris Rather put some interesting shit infront of yor camera.
I love those rapid cuts when you suddenly turn arround into screen. It reminds me a game NPC being clicked 😀
Haha! Thanks very much!! Well I keep messing up what I want to say, so I thought this might be a good way to get around that!! 😆 Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great explanation on how to use combination of histogram and Zebras, Mike. Thanks.
No worries Edward. Great to hear you liked my explanation and thanks for watching 😁👍
A Masterclass in how something like this should be explained and demonstrated. Thank you.
Thanks so much Marc!
I could watch your KZhead channel for hours! Its easy to know when someone really knows what they are talking about as they make it a subject ao easy to follow. I really appreciate the time and effort you have put into this and your other videos.
Another great video. So many tips in such a short video! I have generally used blinkies but you make a compelling case for the use of zebras. Your videos continue to be fun and informative, and definitely engaging. Thanks for the creative effort you put into these. 👍👍
Thanks very much Dennis! It's worth trying, and well worth testing out. When I first tried it, I went out on a grey day and shot a load of images at different zebra settings noting what I put them on and this really helped me understand the tool. I'm working hard on making the video as watchable as possible so it's great to hear you like it. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Just came across your channel, this video is super helpful. And helped me further understand the histogram as a complete beginner, thank you ☺
That's great to hear! I have loads of videos in my back catalogue, so be sure to check out my KZhead page. 😁👍
Many Thanks , Great Video Mike
Great to hear you like it Ramin! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Hey thanks for this video! I learned more about the histogram in this video than I have in any of the others I've seen. Especially about when to use bracketing. I just always bracketed my landscape shots. Now I can save some hard drive space by only bracketing when I need to!
No worries, great to hear it has helped! Thanks for watching 😁👍
I have both those functions (blinkies, not zebra, on my Fuji (it has it for the video function only)) yet I've not really used the histogram for the purposes of exposure. So a great tip, thanks. I tend to mostly go off the electronic exposure dial in the viewfinder/on the LCD screen. It isn't always perfect but it gets me close enough for most shots. I'll definitely cast an eye over the histogram next time I'm out 👍🏼
Cheers dude, it is a good one to know about just in case you're not 100% sure. I sometimes flick past it if the dynamic range is huge. As always thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography Which older cameras have live histograms ..thank u for the info
Thanks for explaining blinkies and zebra's I've been mystified by recently. This is with a Canon t1i I am still learning on. Great video!
Great to hear I could help Scott. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thanks Mike. In the first 2 minutes, you could clearly and simply tell how histogram works and how it is edited on the camera. I have never been able to understand how it works. Good work. I will follow your channel from now on.
That's great to hear I could help Erik. Thanks for watching and thanks for following my channel. I have a lot more content to come as well as a big back catalogue on my channel ... and if you can't find what you are looking for, let me know and I'll see if I can help. Thanks for watching 👍
Really great video - well explained, well edited, no nonsense. Much appreciated!
No worries, great to hear you like it!! Thanks for watching 😁👍
i feel so happy that i found your channel, man you tell everything with so much patience and so nicely using proper words. big respect for you thank you so much for making such youtube videos.
Thanks so much for your kind words Vaibhav, great to hear you like my videos. I have a lot of fun making them and have a lot more planned. Thanks for watching and welcome to the community 😁👍
@@mikesphotography thank you so much, happy to be a subscriber. my best wishes for future work
Amazing explanation. Hats off!
Thanks very much! 😁👍
Excellent tips, especially for the horse shoe graph. I have done plenty of bracketing, but not because of the histogram, more for blue hour shots. I have always struggled with the snow photos (which is half the year). Maybe paying more attention to the histogram will help. Cheers.
Thanks very much Michael. It can get tricky in the blue hour, and bracketing is a great way not only to get a wider dynamic range when blending them together, but also to get a few different exposures of the scene when you're not 100% sure. I do this sometimes just to make sure I have the exposure where I want it when editing. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Excellent, excellent, excellent! Beautifully explained, concise and to the point. Well done Mike.
Great to hear it all made sense Alan!! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thank you so much for all those tutorials you put on photography. You really are my reference. Following your advice, today I ordered my first good full frame lens. I have been watching the price at my local shop (I hate Amazon as it is destroying local businesses) for several months and today, it was 100$ off so I gave it a go. I ordered the Tamron 28-200 as you convinced me about its qualities for an all-around travel/landscape lens. Thanks again.
Thanks so much for your kind words. I'm glad I am able to help you with your photography progression! This always motivates me to keep making more. The 28-200mm is a great allrounder and fantastic for hiking! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thank you for helpful tips, Mike! I've already know about histogram, but you're explanation helps me to understand how it works. Second tips "zebra" I've used smetimes when shoting very contrast scenes
That's great to hear Aleksandr! They are both great tools to help in controlling your exposure. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thanks for explaining this in a concise manner, and getting to the point. Too many KZheadrs take too long getting to the important bits!
No worries Martin, great to hear you like the way I put my videos together. This is one of the reasons I started here in the first place... Too many people taking too long to get to the point. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Excellent share. Cheers!
Thanks very much!
The biggest challenge in photography is not mastering the gear anymore. Nowadays, in the mirrorless+phone era, it's more important to find a good subject, shooting angle, nail the lighting and composition. This is what I struggle with the most. Maybe this is what photography should be all about though.
That is true, but for a beginner, all of the features in the camera can be a little confusing and sometimes take away from the actual reason we do photography. However, once this is understood, stepping back from this and focussing on the things you mentioned is the next step from getting snapshots to actual photographs to be proud of. Thanks for watching Dominik 😁👍
@@mikesphotography Absolutely, a beginner will definitely struggle with the gear. What I'm getting at is that the gear is making life easier and easier for everyone, making the learning curve much shallower than it was even 10 years ago. So it's less of an issue than it used to be, whereas finding the right photo is as hard as ever.
I have a DSLR. Does that mean I live in a different era or that you're a jerk!?
A useful reminder Mike. I always shoot with my zebras on and don't find the need to use the histogram as much as I used to. Getting fed up with the wet weather , certainly putting my gear through its paces, thank goodness for weather sealing!!! Best Regards
Haha! I know what you mean about the weather. When are we going to get a break!? I filmed this one Wednesday morning when there was a break in the rain ... and just as I finished filming the outro, it started to rain again!! 🙈 Roll on the spring time when hopefully we get some high pressure systems rolling through to break up the greyness!! As always thanks for watching Barry 😁👍
Thanks for illustrating this feature so well. I didn't know it even existed on my Sony. Just switched it on and looking forward to trying it out.
No worries Tim, I hope it made sense. Zebras are a fantastic visual reminder when the highlights are getting close to ebing blown out. With anything like this, it's worth trying them out and seeing if you like them. Also try shooting with different levels to see how the exposure comes out. The more you understand it, the more you'll get out of it. Thanks for watching 😁👍
as someone who is new to mirrorless cameras, this has been SUPER helpful. Thank you!
That's great to hear!! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great explanation without complicating things! Thank you!
No worries, thanks for watching!
Good explanation of all of the nuances! And as always - great video! 👍🏻
Thanks so much Roman! 😁👍
Thank you very much for your video and you’ve explain many things that I’ve not fully understand this is part of my continuing education in photography, such as most Fields have
No worries, thanks for your kind words and thanks for watching Clark.
Man this is the BEST video I’ve ever seen on this subject . New Subscriber
Thanks so much for your kind words Joe! I had a lot of fun making this one! Thanks for watching and welcome to the community 😁👍
Good, straightforward explanation of two very useful tools. I definitely rely on my zebras! Great video as always, Mike! Btw, I think your collection of hats ( we call them toques in Canada) has now taken the place of your Dubai tee shirts!
Haha!! You might be right!! ... and you never know, the Tee's might make a comeback in the summer time ... 🤔 It's nice to have the zebras as a reminder, always there, always monitoring and then as soon as you over expose, right in your face! 😆 As always thanks for watching 😁👍
Great stuff Mike - always a pleasure to watch 🙂
Thanks very much Nick! 😁👍
Thanks Mike,this will help me a lot. I actually had a blown out sky today and was wondering what I can do next time.
It's annoying when that happens, but great to hear these two tools could help. Thanks for watching RJ. 😁👍
Thanks for this educational moment. Very helpful.
No worries Mathieu, great to hear it has helped! Thanks for watching 😁👍
super helpful explanation. Just got a new to me A7III so im working through the camera options now.
No worries, I'm glad I could help! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thx 🙏😄 that was well explained to understand how to read histogram.
No worries, Thanks for watching 😁👍
That's a really clear explanation and very helpful to someone like me who's starting out.
That's great to hear Simon! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great explanation, Mike. Thank you for all this valuable content. Greetings.
Thanks very much Luis! I'm having a lot of fun writing, filming and editing these videos ... and there are a lot more to come! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thank you for this video. Had no idea how to use the Histogram before. Your explanation was very to understand. Will be using this more often now..
That's great to hear Jose!! Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography I will be watching your channel from now on.
Great explaination of the histogram. Something I never use because I just used the metering bar on my R6II.
No worries, glad you liked it!! Thanks for watching 😁👍
I am really glad I stumbled across your video...The explanation of the Histogram was brilliant, I have asked people about this and all I got was waffle because they either didn't know how to use it properly or couldn't explain it well..Thanks heaps, and I have subscribed and am looking forward to watching your other videos...I use both Nikon D300 and D200, neither of which a Zebra inside them (LOL) but I will work around that...
Great to hear my explanation of the histogram has helped! Zebras are very new thing when it comes to photography, although they have been in videography for a while... so Nikon and Canon have been a little slow to implement them... however, the histograms are used well within all brands and have been around for a long time. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great video which clearly explains the subject matter.
Thanks very much John. 😁👍
Phenomenal video mate! Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much for your kind words Dylan! Lots more to come!! 😁👍
Awesome! Thanks.
Great and clear explanation. Something useful learned, thanks
Great to hear you got something from this. Thanks for watching 😁👍
RESPECT!
Very useful information, and you demonstrated and explained it perfectly, thank you.
No worries, thanks for watching 😁👍
That's another good video, have just started using the histogram on my camera
It's a great little inbuilt tool. Thanks for watching Robert. 😁👍
Another great video, Mike. I can see you are putting in more effort into your video editing. Great job there as well. Stay safe and warm.
Thanks so much Lance! I'm really getting in deep with the editing now ... and spending a lot more time writing the scripts to make them flow nicely. It's a lot of fun and it's starting to show in the stats as well! 😀👍 Have you been on your trip abroad yet? As always thanks for watching my friend 😁👍
@@mikesphotography Mike, it's always great when hard work pays off like your editing. The family trip to Los Angeles is for all of June. We are all looking forward to it. Thank you for asking. I hope you are seeing all your loved ones as well. Stay safe and warm out there.
thank you. It's helpful and interesting
No worries, thanks for watching 😁👍
Good explanation Thanks
Really useful and easy to follow tutorial video. Thanks. 👏
No worries, thanks for watching Donald! 😁👍
Did I just discover the best photography channel or what? Concise explanation, good examples and great transitions :).
I think you just did! 😆 ... but I might be a little biased ... Thanks for watching and welcome to the community 😁👍
thanks for that simple and effective explanation if only I saw your video 2 days earlier, I might have shot that full moon correctly yesterday night !
No worries, and thanks for your kind words Arnaud. That's a shame, but I bet you'll have another opportunity soon! The moon is a tricky one to shoot, check out some of Alyn Wallace's videos on it, he has some great advice for it! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Nicely explained.
Thank you! ❤❤❤❤❤
No worries Dave, thanks for watching! 😁👍
aha the first photo was above the George pub down the road from Barmouth and Dolgellau. lovely pub :)
Haha! Well spotted, this is from the hills on the opposite side of the estuary! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Very clear explanation, thank you - subscribing
Great to hear it all made sense Greg! Thanks for watching 😁👍
This is a great tutorial. I do a bit of drone photography and the DJI products have both of these features. Unfortunately, most have a fixed aperture, so you can only adjust shutter speed and iso. Unfortunately for video, you can't really adjust shutter speed without affecting your motion blur. I use ND filters to act as a different shutter setting, and usually go slightly darker using the histogram as a reference. That way there's little chance that my shot will be over exposed (because there isnt a way to fix that while airborne) and then bump up the iso only if necessary. Just thought this might be a helpful tip to any drone photographers out there
Thanks for sharing your experiences Calvin. Having a drone with a fixed aperture is annoying ins't it. Mine is the same. If only they'd put the better cameras on the smaller drones, that would be great! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Some great tips. Thank you
Thanks very much James! 👍
Another informative video, thank you Mike ..... Just replaced a7iii with A7c --love it... going to try exp. bracketing as my dull sky pics are always over exposed ...
Great to hear! Bracketing is well worth it and gives you so much more detail when the dynamic range is bigger than what the camera can handle. As always thanks for watching 😁👍
Great explanation. Thanks!
No worries, thanks for watching! 😁👍
Mount bromo, Indonesia in your thumbnail! Went there and took that exact picture. Super cool.
Haha! It is an amazing place to shoot isn't it. We were there for 3 days and my wife and I hiked up to that viewpoint 3 times!! I definitely want to go back there soon as well... such a unique landscape. Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography oh yeah man! Gorgeous view. If you want something that will absolutely blow your mind, do a boat trip in Labuanbajo, Indonesia. They take you to 8 or so islands. And the sunsets are absolutely unreal. Just got back from Indonesia/Japan. Safe travels man, cheers.
Damn!!! This is gold!
Thanks so much! 😁👍
Awesome video. Didn't have a clue what blinkies was I thought my camera was messed up. Now I know what to do. Glad I clicked this video. Canon 80D shooter
Haha! Sometimes these cameras can do weird things!! Great to hear my video helped Amar and thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography it more than helped. I used to get frustrated as I didn't know what was going on so I'd turn off the camera and use my G7Xii instead. But thanks to your video I can now start using it again
That's awesome to hear!! It always inspires me to make lots more videos when I hear they are really helping. 😁👍
Your video made my day
That's great to hear!! Thanks for watching Renju 😁👍
Great video. Thank you from a newbie
Thanks so much Nathan! ... and welcome to my channel! 😁👍
Happy birthday Mike 🎉
Cheers dude!! 😀
Very helpful. Thanks!
No worries, thanks for watching Eddie 😁👍
Composition & light!
👍
AWESOME! Thank you… Thank you for the explanation. Do you have any vids of what your settings are for your A7R V.
No worries, Goku Son. I only have the A7iv ... although I wish I had the A7r V! 😆 Thanks for watching 😁👍
Very good video as usual Mike. I can see how these exposure techniques can work on a landscape scene, for instance, but I'm just wondering how the zebras or histogram can work with portrait photography where the emphasis is on a particular subject?
That's a good question. I used to shoot a lot of corporate headshots, sometimes with 5 minutes for each person ... having the zebras on meant that I would never clip any shiney faces or any reflections on glasses ... and it actually came in handy as the zebras would remind me to get the settings right in high pressured situations. Thanks for watching 😁👍
When I saw a landscaper capture Bromo, I click the vid and give likes. Then your communicating skill is good and clear even for a beginner like me, I click subs
Bromo is one of my all time favourite places to photograph! ❤️ Great to hear you liked the video Fariz! Thanks for watching and subscribing. 😁👍
@mikesphotography my pleasure..even tho we got different gear I knew what you mean and explore my Fuji, thanks a bunch
Thank you!!
No worries Soni, thanks for watching 😁👍
thank you👍
No worries, thanks for watching 😁👍
The histogram on a digital camera is a really helpful tool. In the analog days, I used an external meter with grid, sphere and disc to expose reversal film correctly, but using such a device with digital camera's is not a good idea because the ISO values don't always match. The histogram is a representation of what the sensor sees and is therefore the ultimate tool. Although it might be said - again - that the histogram is a result of the in camera jpeg and not the raw image. Still useful because of it's consistency. The only moments where exposing is tricky, is when photographing bright spots like they appear e.g. in clouds near the sun. In that case I use the spot meter and manual exposure and if I'm using a zoom, I can even make the spot more accurate. The big difference between digital and analog photography is that we can view the photo's taken immediately and it became a habit really fast to check the exposure regularly after taking a photo (which was of course impossible with analog).
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences Jos. You're right about it being a result of the jpeg and not the raw file, and you're also right about it being helpful for it's consistency. When I switched to digital, I was wondering why sometimes I was getting darker images that I thought I got at the time, and it was because the brightness of the monitor was way over what I needed for the conditions I was shooting in, making me think I needed to drop the exposure, and it wasn't until I started using the histogram, that I started getting more consistent results. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Also to conduct your on test on how your editing software interprets highlights. Take the shots before the highlights are blown out then take several over exposed shots in 1/3 increments. Open them in your editing software and see what exposure the software sees blow outs. You'll be able to fine tune on the go if your camera is going to over expose or not.
That is a great way to do it. Then you will have a fantastic understanding of where the limits are in your camera. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great explanation
Thanks very much! 😃👍
👍 zebras so helpful
Most definitely! Thanks for watching 😁👍
zebras are great for checking your highlights in portrait photos as well
Most definitely! I used to shoot a lot of video interviews and I'd set the zebras to 70, get them just appearing on the persons face and then I'd know I have a great exposure. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thanks for the explanation about why you can set zebra to 100 on stills. My first introduction to Zebras was on my Sony FDR-AX700 video camera. The MasterClass recommended setting the alert to 75 or 80. When I heard you say "100" I thought - What? but video from that camcorder is baked in unlike RAW photos from my Sony A7III which I bought later. Really liking it so far.
No worries. It very much is a different way to use zebras with photography. I just wish the video files had the same latitude as RAW files ... maybe one day when SD cards are 64Tb and raw video files have trickled down to the consumer cameras. The other trick I remember when filming was with interviews, to set it to 70 and get the zebras just showing on the persons face so you knew the IRE70 level was right there on the subject. I always found the zebras to be so distracting when shooting interviews like that though. Great to hear you are liking the A7iii, it is a great little camera isn't it! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thanks as usual.
No worries Alex, Thanks for watching 😁👍
Good tips for those who are just beginning.
Thanks very much Michael and thanks for watching 😁👍
Excellent content. Can you also do a tutorial for landscape photography handheld😂
Come on, Mike. ALMOST at a hundred thousand subs.
Haha! Almost there!!! 👍 Thanks for watching😁😁
thank you so much.
No worries, Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great video. You're basically explaining the Exposure Triangle without actually naming it, and that's a solid thing for beginning photographers to learn early on. I also recommend learning the Sunny 16 Rule, because that is a great starting point to getting great exposure from the outset.
Thanks very much Charles! The sunny 16 rule brings back memories from the good old film days. 😆 Such a great way to be able to get a good exposure without the need to look at the shot. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thanks, good Info...
Thanks very much Don!
I often shoot street photos where there is often little time to fritz about with adjusting exposure. My solution on most occasions is crude but effective. (1) Set the exposure compensation to under expose all images by around 1 stop (perhaps a little more in really contrasty situations and less if in flatter light), and (2) Always shoot in RAW format. RAW usually affords lots to ability to mess further with exposure in post processing. If you are shooting a modern camera (with a CMOS sensor and good modern firmware) this avoids 99% of problems with blown highlights by avoiding them and/or giving you the opportunity to rectify it in post.
Hi Peter, The way you describe is a really effective way to get photographs quickly and efficiently in aperture or shutter priority mode. I do this with events and sports shoots and it works really well. It's also good to have that reminder with the zebras just in case there are some peaked highlights on your subject or an important part of the frame. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great tips!
Thanks Felipe!!
Great video man.
Thanks so much! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Really nice and informative video, Mike. Can you remember the mount tripod you're using for the 35-150? Thanks!
Thanks very much Jose! It is actually the 50-400mm, although it does look like the 35-150mm. Do you mean the tripod collar on the lens, or the tripod itself? If you mean the collar, I have this one: www.wexphotovideo.com/tamron-tripod-collar-for-100-400mm-f-5-6-3-di-vc-usd-1645287/?cpgnid=17870678074&adext=&account=853-353-2386&campaign=&group=&mkwid=_dc&pcrid=&kword=&match=&plid=&pgrid=&ptaid=&si=&gclid=Cj0KCQjww4-hBhCtARIsAC9gR3Zb_do-bxByW2KBQHUqPYlRKXS6HKYqF8XMOmvyFcesWR69Igjt02IaAp2fEALw_wcB (Sorry about the long URL! 😆🙈) And the tripod I have is this one: geni.us/Sirui-tripod-kit I hope that helps. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Excellent video - informative and understandable - well done and thanks! One question though - I have terrible circulation and also struggle with operating a camera with gloves - interesting to see you managing just fine - can you tell me what make they are and whether you'd recommend them, please?
Photography gloves are fantastic for bad circulation. They have fingertips that you can open up to get to the buttons you want to. I have the Vallarret Gloves, but they are a little expensive for what they are. www.photographygloves.com I much prefer the fishing ones I got a while back. They are more snug and are a fair bit cheaper. geni.us/MyGloves My wife suffers with raynauds so I completely understand the poor circulation problem. I hope that helps and thanks for watching Duncan 😁👍
excellent video and explanation, I just have a question about how the camera is held up on your left bag strap, because I travel with my dslr a lot and this seems really convenient. thanks
Thanks very much!! That is the capture clip from Peak Design. Here's the link: geni.us/PDCameraClip It is a great tool to have your camera there ready to go, and even though it is a little expensive, I wish I had got mine a lot earlier in my photography career. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great explanation Mike! The thing I really struggle with is noise in low light situations, but maybe I’m expecting too much from my camera.
Thanks Alun! It is hard to control in testing conditions like low light scenes. What type of low light scenes do you normally struggle with?
@@mikesphotography Hi Mike, thanks for coming back to me. Portraits inside historic buildings, so big darkly furnished rooms with small windows and minimal artificial light. I’m seeing videos emerge on YT suggesting that high ISO isn’t the cause of noise, but I have maximised the amount of light I can get in to the camera, so these claims are leaving me somewhat confused and perhaps overly hopeful. In my mind I simply need more light to get the shots to work (and therefore lower ISO), but I don’t always have the option to set up the lighting kit.
If you learn to do bracketing on your camera, this will help with noise, noise will get canceled out. Worth testing when u find a great subject
That is a tricky shooting scenario, especially because of the lack of light. I have shot some video interviews in a similar situation and it was very hard to get right ... I ended up having to get the interviewees as close to the window as possible. Learning about noise can be a bit of a rabbit hole to go down. You have invariable sensors, signal to noise ratios, amplification of the signal, etc. Basically ISO is the way that a camera can increase the signal from the sensor to make the photo bright enough to look like a good exposure. No more light is being introduced, it is just amplifying what is there ... the problem with your scenario is that there isn't much light to start with, so the camera is trying to boost this signal and is struggling to get it right ... in essence this is what noise is. A bit like static in an old tv when the broadcast signal becomes weak. Noise is technically always there, but the better the light source, the better the signal to noise ratio. Because you are shooting portraits, you can't really stack your shots to get a better signal to noise ratio, so the only way you are going to get less noise in your shot is to increase the amount of light, by moving the subject closer to the windows you have, or by bringing in artificial light. Technically high ISO's are not the cause of noise, it is the lack of light coming into the camera through the aperture and the time that the shutter is open, however, because you have to use higher ISO's to then get a proper exposure, this is where it seems like there is a correlation. High ISOs don't cause the noise but they emphasis it by making the photo brighter. I hope that makes sense...
@@mikesphotography Thanks Mike, that does make perfect sense. The weather, time of day and year add to my problem as repeatability then goes out the window, but not expectations. I’ll have start carrying more speed lights with me!
Very nice video, thank you. The first photo you took which you said its a typical photo, if u had shown the adjustments for it, would have been great.
Thanks very much for the tip to make the video better, I'll see what I can do next time. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Hi with the double super moon this month one tomorrow and at the end of August as well i really struggle keeping details in the blacks whilst having to keep my ISO and exposure down and a high shutter speed to ensure sharpness of the moon and that the moon is not over exposed. I would like to know how to do this in one shot as i have been advised to take one over exposed moon shoot to get the details in the shadows and one under exposed to the the moon just at the right exposure for the detail in moon and merge them but can this be done in one shot? I am saving and will have the Sigma 150-600mm contemporary lens at the end of this month but for tomorrow i will be using a 28-200mm manual vintage lens not ideal but its the only lens i have until the end of the month.
Because the moon is so bright, you will have to get a few exposures and blend them afterwards. If you see a photograph of the moon with the background showing in the shot, this is what they will have done. The only way you can get it in one shot is to shoot something like the blood moon, where the moon is in the shadow of the earth so it is a lot darker and then you can shoot with settings that better suit the background. I hope that makes sense.
Thanks, never used the Histogram, really good explanation. About the other tool, had no idea it existed, my cameras are too old they do not have 🦓😂 Regards.
Thanks Alex, Histograms are great in either giving you the confidence that you have a good exposure, or by showing you that you're out a little. When I've been doing an astro shoot and the monitor is turned to its minimum brightness, sometimes I'll forget to turn it back up and the next day, my photo sometimes come out over exposed ... until I remember to check the histogram! 😆 🦓 are great but very much something that has been introduced more recently. Thanks for watching 😁👍
always expose for highlights on digital and shadows on film.
When I got my Canon 20D and a pair of 580ex flashes and started testing them with different key/fill lighting ratios I realized the easiest way to judge exposure and ratios was to drape white and black towels over a gray card. They create three very easy to see spikes on the histogram and it is possible to magnify and visually inspect the texture in the towels to judge when detail is being lost on either end. Setting studio lights with that the towels is simple. Select aperture desired for DOF then start with just the fill light, raising its power until detail is seem in the black towel. The white one will be reproduced as gray at that point. Next turn on the key light and raise it until the white towel is 1/3 stop below clipping and is retaining detail. Most noobs put flash and key on opposite sides of the subject but that results in a crossed shadow lighting pattern and dark unfilled areas on the face in low areas like smile lines and corners of the mouth. But if placed directly above the lens high enough to cast the shadow behind the subject the camera will see no unfilled voids and the shadow transitions will fall off smoothly, per the inverse square law, from tip of nose backwards, with distance of fill from subject controlling the rate of fall off.
Thanks for sharing that. Very handy for studio and portrait shooters. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Nice man
Thanks very much!