Got a Great New Camera? Now Let’s Get Some Great New Photos
In my overview, I have mentioned two important photographic tools that we’ll dive right into. The first is middle gray, and the other is the histogram. The middle gray is the primary concept I’d like you to understand because it’s the base upon which everything that has to do with the exposure of photographs is created.
What is middle gray?
If you consider the landscape from the lightest tone to the darkest tone, middle gray will be the middle tone between these two extremes. It is possible to think the middle grey is just gray, which is the middle of white and black, but that isn’t the case in the actual photographic world. Middle gray simply refers to the color that appears at the center of a specific scene regardless of what type of light is in the scene. There could be a very high-contrast scene or an extremely low-key scene that has low lighting; middle gray could be different depending on the situation.
What is the significance of this to my pictures?
It’s a big deal, and that’s why. Your camera is equipped with a meter inside it. The meter attempts to detect the lighting of the area that you’re pointing your camera towards so that you can get stunning images. What’s interesting is the fact that light meters similar to the ones that you have in your camera utilize an idea of middle grey to assist you in achieving great exposure. Simply put, it analyzes the lighting of a scene and then determines the middle tone for that scene. The method used to determine the middle tone can vary from camera to camera or meter to meter; however, the aim is the same, to find out the middle tone for the particular scene and then provide you with an automatic exposure setting or manually for great exposure. If the camera’s meter picks the correct middle tone, then it is likely that all other tones will fall into place and appear natural.
It sounds simple until you realize that light meters aren’t human and aren’t foolproof. For instance, a possibility for a meter to face could be that some brilliant highlights reflecting off of mirrors could trick it into believing the light is more intense than it really is. In turn, the meter could find the wrong color for middle gray and provide you with the incorrect exposure. In this scenario, the image may be dark. This is only one instance of a real-world problem the camera could be able to determine the right exposure when using an AUTO setting. There are many ways that a camera’s meter could be misled. If you are even the basics of middle gray, it will assist you in improving your meter and eventually achieve better-exposed photos.
The Histogram
In the final moments, before we wrap this up, I’d like to talk briefly regarding the histogram. The majority of digital camera I’ve encountered has a histogram function within them. The histogram is a visual depiction of light that is in the photo. Check the camera’s manual to learn the best way to view your histogram. Also, make sure that it’s turned on the camera. It is possible to see the histogram only after taking photos, or you might be able to see a histogram before taking the picture. The histogram you see before you snap the picture is known as a live histogram and is extremely useful in measuring purposes. The graph displays the information contained in your photo, from the brightest tones to the darkest, and shows the proportion of each ton you may be able to capture in one photo. If the information is located within the right and left sides of your histogram, then you are, at minimum, protected from extreme under or over-exposure. But, that doesn’t mean that the exposure is accurate. The understanding of your histogram with middle gray makes an effective combination in measuring light and great exposure.
We have the idea of middle gray as well as the histogram. Both work in tandem to assist you in gaining control over your photography and produce great quality exposures. This brief article isn’t enough to cover everything; however, hopefully, it lets you know that this is an important thing to be taught. I believe it’s the most crucial knowledge or skill you could acquire about the technical as well as a metering aspect of photography. Learning to learn it will set you free and allow you to take control of your camera, no matter the way you use it. Learn more about it in the instructional guide known as Finding Middle Gray at the link below.
