Have nature and wildlife photography questions? Check out the BCG Forums! Ask and answer gear and technique questions questions, post photos and more. Check it out and sign up today! bcgforums.com/index.php Bonus - I also post exclusive tips, tricks, and techniques to the forum you can't get anywhere else! Check it out!
Nice job. I'm amazed at how many photographers (even pros) don't really understand what the histogram is, or how it works. Too many times I have heard the phrase, "if it's to the right, it's over exposed", as if it is a light meter not a pixel graph.
Excellent video! I learned so much in such a short amount of time. You speak in "people" language instead of tech talk. It was extremely clear and informative. Thanks again!
The best photography teacher I’ve found on RUclips so far! You make everything so easy to understand by giving many examples and very clear explanations which assume no prior knowledge but have a high level of detail! It makes me want to watch all your videos
You know Steve, your videos are not only informational and easy to understand, but I find your delivery inspirational! And at the risk of sounding sycophantic - you're my 'go to' guy for Nikon. BTW, I bought your 'Secrets to the Nikon Autofocus System' ebook which I refer to constantly - and even printed out all 494 pages (when my employers back was turned). Keep it up!
Dear Steve, perfect... I mean perfect explanation and with graphical support ! I am working with histograms for a long time with all my Nikon and Fuji cameras ! This is the trick to keep in mind for newbies as well for experts, I never ever trust any of my LCD screens, only the histogram is talking. Thanks for your time, I will show this video to a friend of mine, who is really into exposing to the left on every photo, which is not good at all.
Thanks Steve, not sure how you don't have more subscribers as your videos are incredibly detailed and extremely informative. Keep up the great work, thoroughly enjoy each and every video you produce. You're single-handedly making us all better photographers with your in-depth videos.
Thanks :) I think the lack of subs is because I don't put out videos at the rate other channels do. I try to leverage the format as much as I can, so there's a lot of b-roll and it takes time. That, and I'm out shooting and running workshops all the time :)
Excellent explanation of histograms. I watched several other videos on this topic and yours is the best. I appreciate the examples you give. Thank you and all the best!
such a simple explanation oh my god, finally. people wrote long tiring articles, long videos, but you just explain things so well. thank you steve, i always love your videos.
Absolutely TO THE POINT...without aaaaaaaaah....hmmmmmmms.... helping people to understand it using simple and logical way like teaching little children...I have known many of the info about histogram and that makes me to even more appreciate the way you explain things in your videos...since English is my secondary language. Really - Great Job. michael
Like most photographers on RUclips, I watch a number of different reviewers/instructors but I find you're perhaps the best one. I learned so much in this video that I didn't think I'd learn beforehand! Great graphics, clear explanations, plus learning about things that didn't make sense to me before like choosing a flatter picture profile. I also like how you show how to change settings; most others just talk about it and that makes no sense. One of the best photog videos I've ever watched!!
Once again. I really like your videos. They’re entertaining without the flash and dash and I can easily understand your information. Well done! You’re making me enjoy my new d850 so much more.
This is the second or third video I have watched, trying to understand histograms, and the ONLY ONE that has been helpful to me. Your explanations are clear and easily understood by this new photographer. Thank you so very much.
Thank you so much! This was by far the clearest and most appropriately nuanced explanation I have seen. Typically, the advice I have run into was to keep everything in the middle and have nothing climbing the walls...actually not helpful with dark and light tones, as he points out.
Why pay for camera school when I can just watch you? Great job! I was kinda avoiding using histograms cause I thought they were hard to use. Thank you soooooo much!!
Just wanted to say this is a level of understanding the Histogram I had not had before. Excellent video and a game changer in my photo world. Thanks, SUBCRIBED.
Back in the film days. We developed (no pun intended) an eye for exposure and compostion. When we saw pictures in a forest . Quite a few could hit it on the nose. I am going to try it. I think it is a useful tool.
Your tutorials are easily one of the best. Very interesting, lucid and to the point. I have a question to ask. How do I control the clippings in the histogram ? Looking to your early revert. Thanks & Regards.
If you're clipping, your exposure is too bright so you have to drop it down, either with exposure compensation or using manual mode. (I have a video somewhere on exposure comp too :) )
With a good understanding of metering you'll know what your image & histogram will look like before you take the shot. I'm glad you said it needs to represent the tones in your image rather than the other 'experts' on youtube saying it always has to be even. They should be kicked off youtube for misleading people.
Thank you so much for these videos! I'm a rookie photographer that used Instamatic's and just bought a Nikon 5600. I'm so overwhelmed. I don't know a f-stop from a ISO, lol. Struggling but having fun. I do a lot of outdoor activities and so many times wished I had a good camera. Now if I can just figure out what 'm doing, this will be fun.
Thanks for this vid!! I've been shooting for over a year without actually knowing how to read the histogram,lol. Granted, 95% percent of the shots still turn out okay but this is definitely a time saver from hours of post processing!! Keep the videos coming!
Reading histogram is the best skill a budding photographers can learn. I practiced a lot of photography exercise but didn't get satisfactory result. But once I learnt the language of histogram, my photos came out outstanding quality. The best way to gauge the photography skills is to watch the jpeg file straight out of camera. If it comes out right, you get maximum data out of sensor and as a result, you need to work less on RAW files. You just need to avoid over exposure by watching the right side of histogram peaks. If the mount is clipped on the right sides and you see blinkies on some areas of the captured pic on the camera screen, you have most probably overexposed. Dial in 1/3rd step of exposure compensation and again look out for blinkies and clipped highlights as per histogram. The best histogram is the one which has peaks spread all over the range of highlights, mid tones and shadows. This way you can capture full range of photographed data in your raw file and need very slight adjustment for final printing.
Steve greatest tutorial on histogram right here. Nailed it as usual. I was teaching my son on understanding histograms and you bro made my life a whole lot easier THANK YOU. Oh and BTW send a link of this video to Ken I think he needs to be reminded how the hell the histogram works..... LOL
Eleftherios Kritikakis, well said sir, he deleted my comments all together too, obviously he cannot handle the truth, people who have good knowledge could see how elementary his shots were. I do thank Steven though for his tutorials, both on YT and on his website, he is a wildlife photography Guru, very modest with acute sense of humor always to the point and away from infomercial BS. Thanks Steven well done my man.
coolpix or non of any available camera would have the GFX dynamic range ...(Girl on a fence ) its all about Dynamic range.... the mind blowing dynamic range of the GFX ,... the Dynamic range.... Not a tourist shots ... not a portrait shooting skills competition ... its the Hi Dynamic range ... thats whats all about it ( girl on a fence).....
Thank you for posting. I do more cine work or broadcast work and really prefer Waveform Monitors.. I really really wish DSLR’s and Mirrorless cameras had that option. Even live histograms would be welcome (only available on higher end DSLR’s and Mirrorless... should be standard on every model, but oh well.). I assume waveforms are far more taxing on small camera CPU’s?
Another great video, already subscribed, downloading the book, looking forward to getting stuck in, I've been a Nikon user for many years now, long before digital, I don't think digital was even science fiction back then. Cheers Steve. Definately the definative site for Nikon users...
Great explanations of the use and meaning of the histograms. I have seen/heard several presentations on the topic and yours was the best. Now, I think I can make real use of what the camera is telling me.
Good presentations. I like how each video handles a particular setting. I wish I'd had these years back but they will be useful for my safari trip to South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe in October 2019.
By far the best video on histograms on YT. You covered every single important aspect and got it right where others sometimes got it wrong when they oversimplify things. Well done!
Steve... as a "newbie" to finally taking the camera out of Auto mode, I really appreciate your informative videos! Easy to understand, engaging and entertaining. You have a gift... and thanks for sharing it! I will surely be ordering your e-book in the very near future! Keep up the great work and best of luck!
Woow the best that i can find on internet , thank you very much for take the time to make this and make it really understadable , easy and professional, thanks a Lot!!
Kick ass. Ive watched a few videos, but this one made the best argument and/or sense for using histograms to get quick useable info. Its also made me understand why I can to shoot one disc in JPEG BUT still do RAW on the other as a Dog Sports photographer. Ive encountered pretty much every problem you described and the added info on cameras settings was a bonus to add to the education base :)
You know, today actually I clearly learned about the histogram for the first time. I've seen many useless videos until this. Thank you very very much. Always love your videos and the channel.
I like you - I like you very much, You have an outstanding presentation style. I've looked at many "tube videos on photography subjects and yours are heads and shoulders above the rest. I feel like I do when I see a great street musician and I have to put some $$ in his/her can. I don't even do nature photography - I do urban landscapes and portraits - but your videos are about the only ones I actually watch all the way through. Thank you
the last few days i'v been looking for tutorials on histogram and Your video's and teaching style is by far the best I've watched,i learned so much watching this video, Great graphics, clear explanations and i am ready to check my exposure after every photo.thank you steve.
How am I just finding out about you now?!?! Your video's and teaching style is by far the best I've watched/followed on RUclips. But, not only that your photography is simply amazing and I feel much better following the advice from someone who not only can talk the talk but can walk the walk. I will be buying your ebooks, but I sure do wish you had them in print as I'm a very tactile person and love books lol....I'm just curious, do you do workshops?
Thanks! I've looked into printing the books, but it's prohibitively expensive due to the length and all the pics. I don't currently do workshops, but that may change in the future. Right now, too busy with books, articles, and videos!
I agree Mona. Could be the level we shoot at. I could see this being too advanced for novice shooters (That most aim at), and the most experienced advanced shooters often don't watch these videos LOL
I use AdobeRGB color space for shooting raw images as this gives me a better idea of how much exposure to add before I start to clip highlights in camera.
Thank ❤ sir for making such wonderful videos. Sir did you make the video of colourful histograms you had mentioned at the end of this video? If yes pls provide the link of the video
Hey Steve, great video and great explanation. I imagine a lot of your viewers are not seasoned photographers and may not know how to "fix" an image that has been clipped, and a bit of "exposure compensation" will work if it is clipped at one end, and clipping at both ends will requiring bracketing shots (and software blending) which may be more than some people want to know about? Keep up the great work.
Have nature and wildlife photography questions? Check out the BCG Forums! Ask and answer gear and technique questions questions, post photos and more. Check it out and sign up today!
bcgforums.com/index.php
Bonus - I also post exclusive tips, tricks, and techniques to the forum you can't get anywhere else! Check it out!
Perfect explanation, thank you so much. I can finally sleep peacefully after having better understanding on histograms.
Nice job. I'm amazed at how many photographers (even pros) don't really understand what the histogram is, or how it works. Too many times I have heard the phrase, "if it's to the right, it's over exposed", as if it is a light meter not a pixel graph.
Better than the last eight videos I've watched explaining the histogram. Thanks!
This is by far the best explanation on YT. Thank you for making such a concise video!
this was the most informative, straight to the point video about histograms. no need for gimmicks. thank you!
Finally a video that explains histograms properly thank you. 😊 Subscribed!!
Excellent video! I learned so much in such a short amount of time. You speak in "people" language instead of tech talk. It was extremely clear and informative. Thanks again!
Steve, I never fail too learn something IMPORTANT when viewing your video’s and this one “Histograms” is no exception, Thank You.
Thank you. Yours is the best Histogram tutodial I have seen so far.
I've been scouring youtube for good photography tutorials. You, Steve Perry, are the best I've found. Thank you thank you! I've just subscribed.
The best photography teacher I’ve found on RUclips so far! You make everything so easy to understand by giving many examples and very clear explanations which assume no prior knowledge but have a high level of detail! It makes me want to watch all your videos
Helped me a lot with understanding a histogram. Each photo will be different. Thank you
Thank you Steve. I always enjoy watching your videos.
You know Steve, your videos are not only informational and easy to understand, but I find your delivery inspirational! And at the risk of sounding sycophantic - you're my 'go to' guy for Nikon. BTW, I bought your 'Secrets to the Nikon Autofocus System' ebook which I refer to constantly - and even printed out all 494 pages (when my employers back was turned). Keep it up!
Thanks so much for the kind words :)
Dear Steve, perfect... I mean perfect explanation and with graphical support ! I am working with histograms for a long time with all my Nikon and Fuji cameras ! This is the trick to keep in mind for newbies as well for experts, I never ever trust any of my LCD screens, only the histogram is talking. Thanks for your time, I will show this video to a friend of mine, who is really into exposing to the left on every photo, which is not good at all.
Thanks Steve, not sure how you don't have more subscribers as your videos are incredibly detailed and extremely informative. Keep up the great work, thoroughly enjoy each and every video you produce. You're single-handedly making us all better photographers with your in-depth videos.
Thanks :) I think the lack of subs is because I don't put out videos at the rate other channels do. I try to leverage the format as much as I can, so there's a lot of b-roll and it takes time. That, and I'm out shooting and running workshops all the time :)
this video was very informative to me ,Im brand new to photography,and this video is much easier to understand, thank you steve perry,
Excellent explanation of histograms. I watched several other videos on this topic and yours is the best. I appreciate the examples you give. Thank you and all the best!
You tutorials are always brilliant 👍👍👍
Thank you very much for your tutorials, for they are most helpful. I do like your presentation.
such a simple explanation oh my god, finally. people wrote long tiring articles, long videos, but you just explain things so well. thank you steve, i always love your videos.
Steve is the new go-to refresher guy. Awesome tips here and his stuff for sale even better.
Thank you for this, finally a clear answer to how to read a histogram!
Absolutely TO THE POINT...without aaaaaaaaah....hmmmmmmms.... helping people to understand it using simple and logical way like teaching little children...I have known many of the info about histogram and that makes me to even more appreciate the way you explain things in your videos...since English is my secondary language. Really - Great Job. michael
Like most photographers on RUclips, I watch a number of different reviewers/instructors but I find you're perhaps the best one. I learned so much in this video that I didn't think I'd learn beforehand! Great graphics, clear explanations, plus learning about things that didn't make sense to me before like choosing a flatter picture profile. I also like how you show how to change settings; most others just talk about it and that makes no sense. One of the best photog videos I've ever watched!!
This lesson, like your books, is excellent.
As always, you are an invaluable resource
The best !!!!!!!
Once again. I really like your videos. They’re entertaining without the flash and dash and I can easily understand your information. Well done! You’re making me enjoy my new d850 so much more.
This is the second or third video I have watched, trying to understand histograms, and the ONLY ONE that has been helpful to me. Your explanations are clear and easily understood by this new photographer. Thank you so very much.
Thank you so much! This was by far the clearest and most appropriately nuanced explanation I have seen. Typically, the advice I have run into was to keep everything in the middle and have nothing climbing the walls...actually not helpful with dark and light tones, as he points out.
Thank you so much for the histogram tutorial, brief, simple and very informative.
Why pay for camera school when I can just watch you? Great job! I was kinda avoiding using histograms cause I thought they were hard to use. Thank you soooooo much!!
Wonderful explanation and video!
Just wanted to say this is a level of understanding the Histogram I had not had before. Excellent video and a game changer in my photo world. Thanks, SUBCRIBED.
Pure knowledge. Informative.
This guy explain about photography like a real professor, i learn alot from you Steve, thanks!
Back in the film days. We developed (no pun intended) an eye for exposure and compostion. When we saw pictures in a forest . Quite a few could hit it on the nose. I am going to try it. I think it is a useful tool.
Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge
Your tutorials are easily one of the best. Very interesting, lucid and to the point. I have a question to ask. How do I control the clippings in the histogram ? Looking to your early revert. Thanks & Regards.
If you're clipping, your exposure is too bright so you have to drop it down, either with exposure compensation or using manual mode. (I have a video somewhere on exposure comp too :) )
The most simple and greatest explanation for histograms. Thank you friend 😊
I definitely agree.
Awesome video and tutorial 👌
With a good understanding of metering you'll know what your image & histogram will look like before you take the shot. I'm glad you said it needs to represent the tones in your image rather than the other 'experts' on youtube saying it always has to be even. They should be kicked off youtube for misleading people.
Love your tutorials! Very good instructional video. Thank you very much for the same 👍😎
Really informative. Great video
Thanks, great video! Now i actually feel that I understand how histagrams work.
This is the by far the best explanation on histograms I have seen. Good job!
Thank you so much for these videos! I'm a rookie photographer that used Instamatic's and just bought a Nikon 5600. I'm so overwhelmed. I don't know a f-stop from a ISO, lol. Struggling but having fun. I do a lot of outdoor activities and so many times wished I had a good camera. Now if I can just figure out what 'm doing, this will be fun.
You’ve just explained something that has baffled me for a long time. Thanks so much! :)
Awesome vid! Great explanation!
Wow! First time I truly understand histogram
Very good voice, good speed, good explanation, great graphics, super clipping - subscriped
Great explanation!!
Absolutely loved it. Good explaining, authentic and some real good knowledge. Thank You Steve!
Thanks for this vid!! I've been shooting for over a year without actually knowing how to read the histogram,lol. Granted, 95% percent of the shots still turn out okay but this is definitely a time saver from hours of post processing!! Keep the videos coming!
Thank you! Such a helpful video
Such a good vid! Thanks :)
Reading histogram is the best skill a budding photographers can learn. I practiced a lot of photography exercise but didn't get satisfactory result.
But once I learnt the language of histogram, my photos came out outstanding quality.
The best way to gauge the photography skills is to watch the jpeg file straight out of camera. If it comes out right, you get maximum data out of sensor and as a result, you need to work less on RAW files.
You just need to avoid over exposure by watching the right side of histogram peaks. If the mount is clipped on the right sides and you see blinkies on some areas of the captured pic on the camera screen, you have most probably overexposed. Dial in 1/3rd step of exposure compensation and again look out for blinkies and clipped highlights as per histogram.
The best histogram is the one which has peaks spread all over the range of highlights, mid tones and shadows.
This way you can capture full range of photographed data in your raw file and need very slight adjustment for final printing.
Great explanation on the histogram! One of the best on youtube.
Wow, thanks!
You're an awesome teacher
Steve greatest tutorial on histogram right here. Nailed it as usual. I was teaching my son on understanding histograms and you bro made my life a whole lot easier THANK YOU. Oh and BTW send a link of this video to Ken I think he needs to be reminded how the hell the histogram works..... LOL
+Christos, whos Ken ? :)
Eleftherios Kritikakis, well said sir, he deleted my comments all together too, obviously he cannot handle the truth, people who have good knowledge could see how elementary his shots were. I do thank Steven though for his tutorials, both on YT and on his website, he is a wildlife photography Guru, very modest with acute sense of humor always to the point and away from infomercial BS. Thanks Steven well done my man.
coolpix or non of any available camera would have the GFX dynamic range ...(Girl on a fence ) its all about Dynamic range.... the mind blowing dynamic range of the GFX ,... the Dynamic range.... Not a tourist shots ... not a portrait shooting skills competition ... its the Hi Dynamic range ... thats whats all about it ( girl on a fence).....
Finally, someone who explain this thing clearly
At last someone has explained the histogram in a way that even I can understand. I was beginning to give up..A huge thanks!
Thank you for posting. I do more cine work or broadcast work and really prefer Waveform Monitors.. I really really wish DSLR’s and Mirrorless cameras had that option. Even live histograms would be welcome (only available on higher end DSLR’s and Mirrorless... should be standard on every model, but oh well.). I assume waveforms are far more taxing on small camera CPU’s?
Another great video, already subscribed, downloading the book, looking forward to getting stuck in, I've been a Nikon user for many years now, long before digital, I don't think digital was even science fiction back then. Cheers Steve. Definately the definative site for Nikon users...
You took me one step further in understanding histograms.
thanks.
Wow, what a great video you had produced! I had learn a lot from it. Please keep up the Good Work!!!
Very informative.. Thank you..
Hi Steve,
looking forward to watch your next Colour Histogram video.
Thanks.
-T.
Finally a video that helps me understand. I've watched several others and they just don't explain it as well as you did. Thanks so much! :)
Great explanations of the use and meaning of the histograms. I have seen/heard several presentations on the topic and yours was the best. Now, I think I can make real use of what the camera is telling me.
Good presentations. I like how each video handles a particular setting. I wish I'd had these years back but they will be useful for my safari trip to South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe in October 2019.
By far the best video on histograms on YT. You covered every single important aspect and got it right where others sometimes got it wrong when they oversimplify things. Well done!
thank you for very informative video
Steve... as a "newbie" to finally taking the camera out of Auto mode, I really appreciate your informative videos! Easy to understand, engaging and entertaining. You have a gift... and thanks for sharing it! I will surely be ordering your e-book in the very near future! Keep up the great work and best of luck!
Woow the best that i can find on internet , thank you very much for take the time to make this and make it really understadable , easy and professional, thanks a Lot!!
Kick ass. Ive watched a few videos, but this one made the best argument and/or sense for using histograms to get quick useable info. Its also made me understand why I can to shoot one disc in JPEG BUT still do RAW on the other as a Dog Sports photographer. Ive encountered pretty much every problem you described and the added info on cameras settings was a bonus to add to the education base :)
Thanks for delivering us a comprehensive and useful video!
Histograms are a valuable source of information. If you can, however, always shoot in RAW. Lots you can do in post production.
Great information
Great teaching! GREAT photography!
You know, today actually I clearly learned about the histogram for the first time. I've seen many useless videos until this.
Thank you very very much. Always love your videos and the channel.
I like you - I like you very much, You have an outstanding presentation style. I've looked at many "tube videos on photography subjects and yours are heads and shoulders above the rest. I feel like I do when I see a great street musician and I have to put some $$ in his/her can. I don't even do nature photography - I do urban landscapes and portraits - but your videos are about the only ones I actually watch all the way through. Thank you
Very helpful Sir.
Wow thanks for explaining that that cleared up a ton of confusion
pretty helpful. Thank you so much
the last few days i'v been looking for tutorials on histogram and Your video's and teaching style is by far the best I've watched,i learned so much watching this video, Great graphics, clear explanations and i am ready to check my exposure after every photo.thank you steve.
How am I just finding out about you now?!?! Your video's and teaching style is by far the best I've watched/followed on RUclips. But, not only that your photography is simply amazing and I feel much better following the advice from someone who not only can talk the talk but can walk the walk. I will be buying your ebooks, but I sure do wish you had them in print as I'm a very tactile person and love books lol....I'm just curious, do you do workshops?
Thanks! I've looked into printing the books, but it's prohibitively expensive due to the length and all the pics. I don't currently do workshops, but that may change in the future. Right now, too busy with books, articles, and videos!
your teaching is the best and ez to understand. Many thanks
I agree Mona. Could be the level we shoot at. I could see this being too advanced for novice shooters (That most aim at), and the most experienced advanced shooters often don't watch these videos LOL
I'm impressed. I always enjoy your videos but your graphics were particularly good this time. Good job!
Great info for this newbie. Thanks!
I use AdobeRGB color space for shooting raw images as this gives me a better idea of how much exposure to add before I start to clip highlights in camera.
Excellent info!!
Thanks for your help
Thank ❤ sir for making such wonderful videos. Sir did you make the video of colourful histograms you had mentioned at the end of this video? If yes pls provide the link of the video
Thanks for giving quite a good education, I had tried to learn some of tricks of yours and really it helps me a lot thank you so much.
Fantastic tutorial. I especially like the way you incorporated the actual pictures and where it shows on the histogram. Thanks.
One of the best explanations I've seen. Thank you.
Brilliant explanation. Thank you!
Hey Steve, great video and great explanation. I imagine a lot of your viewers are not seasoned photographers and may not know how to "fix" an image that has been clipped, and a bit of "exposure compensation" will work if it is clipped at one end, and clipping at both ends will requiring bracketing shots (and software blending) which may be more than some people want to know about? Keep up the great work.