How to Correctly EXPOSE Your Landscape Photographs
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Setting the correct expose is essential step in producing high quality landscape photographs. You can take full control of exposure by switching to manual exposure mode.
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In this video I share how I use manual exposure mode to get the perfect exposure every time.
Check out this video to learn more about the Exposure Triangle...
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Watch this video to understand how to read a Histogram...
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Nicely done Mr Sale very clear and easy to follow.
Great video. Very clear. Will certainly try manual exposure next time I am out. Thanks.
Nicely done, as usual. As an old film guy using old technology, manual exposure was all I knew and it's still all I use. The other benefit is that we were taught to get the photograph as right as possible in the camera. Unless you were Ansel Adams, darkroom wizardry was beyond most of our skill levels. I kept that same approach when I migrated to digital and to this day, I do very little manipulation of the image. No layers, no masks or anything like that. The one thing I do use is focus stacking. That was revolutionary for an old film guy.
Good points Chris although I've given up on graduated filters as they are a 'destructive' form of photography. You can't undo their effects and it's rare the horizon matches the smooth line of the grads. I prefer to use the HDR blend function in ON1 Photo Raw but go for 'natural' look. With movement you are right it can give problems so occasionally I have to use layers to manually blend them. I need to look into luminosity masking too! I know of quite a few pros who shoot in Aperture priority except when doing Panos and long exposures. I used to do that too but have moved to manual almost by accident when I was setting up the Custom settings on my camera. I'll also use Timer priority for wildlife shooting. Whatever you shoot with I agree you should know how to shoot manually as it's essential for certain shots. I agree about Live View and further now I have a mirrorless EOS R having the ability to see the histogram in the EVF is as big a leap forward as the original Live View as I prefer composing with my eye to a viewfinder.
Good video. Love the presentation of the facts in practice.
Would be nice to see a short series demonstrating each technique... for example, showing manual exposure in practice to get the image...
Outstanding result on the initial image.
Nice work overall.
Hi Chris, Personally I prefer not to use graduated filters for two reasons. One, you can't undo the effects and two, if you're shooting a landscape which has an uneven horizon which is normally the case the graduation cuts into areas where you don't want it. Therefore I prefer the HDR approach but hey..... whatever go with suits you most. If you're looking at luminosity masking, I recommend you take a look at Sean Bagshaw and the TK actions panels for photoshop. It's a bit overwhelming to begin but there's so much you can do with it and keep things looking natural.
This was a very useful video thank you very much
Thanks Chris good clear advice in laypersons terms which I put into practice on a trip to Pistyll Rhaeadr this week. 👍
You really should try luminosity masking (a very basic form of which is in Lightroom CC) , because it only looks unnatural if the creator of the image *chooses* to make it unnatural. One has complete control over the process (unlike, for example, HDR blending in Lightroom) over the adjustments and can make it as subtle or extreme alone wishes. Sure, many people push it to the same unnatural levels you see with HDR, but that's entirely a choice with luminosity masking - it's not something intrinsic to the process. In my case, I use masks in Capture One to do the requisite job, I don't even need to resort to Photoshop.
Very good video,very well explained 👍
Very well explained! 🙂👍
If all you are doing with a grad filter is darkening the sky, you can take two exposures and use a software grad filter to blend in post. This isn’t exactly hdr or luminosity masking, but it is more forgiving than an actual grad filter IMO. You can easily brush the edges of the filter if it doesn’t line up perfectly with the horizon.
Luminosity masking doesn't give an unreal result, as long as you don't exaggerate. It gives you the ability to control the high dynamic range, which your camera (or at least mine) can't. It's like blending exposures but on a more precise level. I use them very often.
Thanks for another great video! I’m still very much a new comer to photographer but I’ve learnt and been taught by a friend to ETTR so just always stuck with that. Never tried and HDR but will probably avoid it for now.
Excellent tutorial, Chris, and very well explained. I always use manual mode and copy your technique for landscapes but if I’m shooting my other interest, horse racing, I will put the ISO on auto as the exposure is forever changing and the TV and AV are the more important settings.
Absolutely Tony - the semi-automatic modes are essential for other genres of photography.
Chris Sale I think you misunderstood me. I still shoot in manual but set the ISO to auto.
Great points Chris. Using auto exposure, it's easy to blow out highlights if not paying attention and then be disappointed later. It helps having the histogram displayed and overexposure alerts turned on so you can avoid clipping highlights rather than be surprised later!
If you shoot a mirrorless camera you also get a live view histogram in the viewfinder. I would not go back to shooting a DSLR now after 3 years.
I'm with you. I ditched all of my dslr equipment and don't regret it at all.
Excellent video Chris, full of absolute vital info, I've always struggled to understand histograms, gonna check out your video on that now, thanks again Chris for this great tutorial, much needed.
I'm a long time user of the ETTR method, mostly because I am also a long time owner of a Canon 5D2.
This camera has excellent highlight retention, but any shadow lifting soon results in banding and noise.
What Exposing To The Right means in practice is that you expose more light to the sensor which increases the signal to noise ratio, and there is more 'signal' or light, in the shadows for when you post process. You can always darken later without penalty (so long as you didn't clip highlights of course).
I've discussed the importance of this a few times, but turns out me and my camera are dinosaurs. Most modern cameras can handle 2-3 stops shadow lift which is plenty.
Sort of already knew most of this Chris, but a very useful reminder. As someone who always shoots in AP mode, the idea of switching to manual so that you can actually see the exposure in live view is something I might have to try. Oh, and I learned the dynamic range of my D850, so thanks for that!😁
Nice video. Light is the ruler of everything in photography.
Beautifully explained, Chris. I have used luminosity masks, and it is a great technique to have a go at, although quite involved. I'd love to know what you think when you get round to it. I have to confess to using HDR, but sparingly! It can be overdone, so I prefer to use ND grads when out on my own. I take on board what Steve2426 says about them, but that is not enough reason for me to ditch mine just yet! The way I see it, if you get the effect you want with them 'in camera', then they are not 'destructive'. I'm loving these discussions you are starting, and reading other photographer's opinions and experiences. There is always something else to learn!
Thanks Chris. I tend to shoot my histogram a bit more to the left - just my preference : )
Thanx Chris,
So relaxing and easy and educational with your videos.
Nick
Very, very good job Chris, contrary to your video where I said that you were "all over the place", this time you redeem yourself and made a stelar video very professional, very informative, and using other records of your work, plugging them and stuff, really good job, congrats Chris, real congrats!!!!
Thanks Nélio - this new approach to my videos is a work in progress but I think things are getting better. :)
Super video Chris. Really clear explanations of concepts that I know baffle some people. My preferance is to use Aperture priority, and then adjust the exposure according to the histogram using exposure compensation. Effectively, this is exactly the same as manual, but I take confidence in knowing that the aperture is where I want it to be. On the subject of long exposures, the later Olympus cameras have a LiveTime function, which is just like bulb but with a live building histogram being shown. This is very useful to ensure that you don't "blow" your histogram during a long exposure. I use it a lot in fading light where exposure calculation is tricky because light levels are dropping. It is also quite cool to see both the image and the histogram build up during the exposure. All the best fella.
I have seen people using that function for long exposures. Very, very handy indeed. I am forever having long exposures ruined by changing light levels!
Hi Chris
The "file size larger hen exposed to the right" works only with a Canon camera
I had no idea Jean-Claude!
Nice work as always chris! Very well explained. I've heard you talk several times now about live view, I must really learn to utilize this more. Hope all is well, stay safe over there!
Great explanation again. Thanks Chris.
Thanks Chris clear and concise with some nice examples and work around a.
Very good tips Chris. Some of that is to much for my brain cells. I normally shoot in aperture priority but i will give full manual a go. Thank you for sharing and take care.
Good luck John and remember to let me know how you get on.
Another good video and explained in layman's terms.
Spot on Chris, well worth trying exposure blending, Jimmy McIntyre has some great vlogs on the subject. But it is a bit of a goldilocks art, too little, Too much, ahhh just right
Hello Chris, beautifully explained from A to Z ...
As always Chris-well explained. Nice job!
Another great video as usual. Thanks ! ... Living in a sunny island with high contrast, to solve dynamic range problems on my Canon 6D mk2, when GND filter can't help, I'm used to take two shot with about 2 stop of difference, then merge with Affinity Photo (stacking) using a layer mark and brush to reveal the parts of the photo I need. I don't like HDR ...
My camera is a bit of a fossil and doesn't seem to have live view histogram but I suspect SWMBO's does (another argument for getting some more modern glass). Fortunately I'm a bit of a fossil and find spot checking and setting the shot up manually easier than bothering with all that fancy semi-auto-magic stuff. ;-D
Hi Chris: This has been a very comprehensive video. I really like how you have taken a somewhat complicated subject and broken it out into manageable pieces. I did view the accompanying videos on the Exposure Triangle and Histogram to see how they supported this video, and you have done a great job on this subject. I do have a question about what the impact of using Exposure Compensation has on ensuring you don't blow out the highlights or clip the shadows. How do you approach in your shooting? My son is new to photography so I have shared this video with him and I believe he is now following you as well. Keep safe . . . Cheers, Keith
Hi Keith - because I only ever shoot in manual I never use exposure compensation. There are some basic guidelines for example when shooting snow on a sunny day you would set EC to +2 (I think).
@@ChrisSalePhoto I'd say plus 2 sounds right, as you say bright snow will fool the meter and under expose, all a matter of experimenting, and maybe exposure bracketing.
Oh - one more thing about histograms - I believe it presents you with the histogram of the jpeg preview of the image as determined by the internal jpeg processing settings. In many cameras this can skew the information (especially with certain HDR or dynamic range optimization switched on) and therefore misrepresent the available room you have in the RAW file to the right. In my case, the histogram indicates 100% blowouts in the jpeg when the RAW file showed the pixels were only at about 240 so still with a bit of room for ETTR. So I now use "zebra" marks to determine genuine blowout. It is calibrated to kick in at about 108% of the jpeg blowout point, and so my "blowouts" point as indicated by the zebra marks is much closer to (but just below) the real blowout point of 255. ... but I'm guessing that complicates things waaay too much for the purposes of your excellent video!
Hi Chris. I mainly shoot in Aperture priority as it seems more time consuming to shoot fully manually with same result. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but here's my workflow: ISO fixed at 100, Aperture at whatever the situation calls for. The camera then suggests, in the live view, a shutter speed. Looking at the histogram and the image I can accept that shutter speed or fine tune it using the exposure compensation dial, which only affects shutter speed in this case. Isn't that initial shutter speed suggestion faster than fully manual?
I am fine with doing this technique but may have been worth mentioning exposure bracketing. It has its place.
I find that if I use the techniques described in this video I never have need for bracketed shots as a fall back. I only ever bracket if I am planning to do a blend.
Another interesting video with great tips! I always shoot in manual mode, I like to have complete control over my images, and if it turns out bad, at least I know it was my fault 🤣🤣 My camera has such great dynamic range though, I'm very happy with that! Now I still need time to finish editing the pictures I took in Austria and also put a few of them on Instagram.. 🙈
Looking forward to seeing them Elly.
Thanks Chris another good one. Sadly my d7200 doesn’t feature either of the live view features you mention (histogram and simulation), just a basic exposure meter. So I resort to experience from similar scenes/conditions, then reviewing the histogram after taking the shot and making minor adjustments.
I rarely do HDR for the same reasons and because I do find that the "properly" exposed photo in the HDR series is usually quite workable.
Great information Chris, this will help many people!!! Those rocks at Grassmere, look really familiar to me😉
I thought it might. Can you believe it has taken me nearly a year to revisit that location!
@@ChrisSalePhoto you have so many great locations to choose from, that it's no surprise to me!!
Nicely done Mr Sale very clear and easy to follow.