Yesterday we featured a primer on exposure bracketing, explaining how to get the light right by shooting three images of the same scene, and merging them during the editing process. Today you’ll learn how nail exposure in the camera by using the oft-ignored histogram that you can set to appear on the rear LCD.

Histograms are available in modern DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, and even with some full-featured compact models. Today’s tutorial discusses how a camera’s histogram works, make sure it’s available on your display, and use it to take the guesswork out of properly exposing photos in all kinds of light.

Instructor Darren J. Spooley is a seasoned Irish pro, specializing in landscape photography, who says the easy-to-use histogram is one of the photographer’s best friends. Despite the utility of the powerful tool, it only takes Spooley three minutes to explain “how it’s going to help you save your photos.”

Spooley describes the histogram as a graph that provides “a visual representation of the pixels on a sensor in the scene that you’re shooting.” It indicates the brightness of your image with pure black on the left, pure white on the right, and everything else in between.” Spooley notes that. “the taller the bar, the more pixels exist in that particular area.”

What all this means when shooting in the field is this: if you notice that the histogram is leaning to the left, it’s a sure bet that your photo will be underexposed. Conversely, overexposure occurs when the histogram trends to the right side of the graph. Armed with this information, it’s easy to use EV compensation to arrive at a “correct” exposure—with the histogram appearing as a “mountain on the graph,” sloping to either side.

Sometimes, however, a so-call “proper” exposure isn’t what you want. Perhaps you’re after a dark moody effect, or a bright-and-airy look. Spooley demonstrates how the histogram can still be used in such cases to quickly arrive at an exposure that reflects your creative vision.

Spooley says using the histogram will help you nail exposure every time. Or as he puts it, there’s “nothing worse” than wrestling with an over- or under-exposed image during the editing process.

We encourage you to visit Spooley’s YouTube channel for more helpful advice like this.

And be sure to check out the exposure bracketing tutorial mentioned above.

Enter to win a Tamron All-In-One Zoom lens ($729 Value) we are giving away. The winner will have their choice between three remarkable all-in-one zoom lenses:

• Tamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD (Model A071) for Sony E-mount
• Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD (Model B061) for Sony E or Fujifilm X-mounts APS-C mirrorless
• Tamron 18-400mm F3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD (Model B028) for Canon and Nikon APS-C DSLR

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE THE CHANCES OF WINNING.

The Tamron All-In-One Zoom Lens Sweepstakes is only open to legal residents of United States and Canada and 18 years of age as of the date of entry. 

Entry Period: June 22 – July 9, 2023
Winner Announced: July 10, 2023

ENTER HERE

Good Luck! 

Learn more about the Tamron lenses included in the Sweepstakes:

Tamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Lens (Model A071)
Innovative all-in-one lens that does it all.

The Tamron 28-200mm F/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD lens for Sony E-mount features a bright maximum aperture of F2.8 at 28mm, which is a world first for all-in-one zoom lenses for interchangeable lens cameras. It delivers high-level performance across the entire zoom range while remaining lightweight and compact even with such a broad range. The Tamron 28-200mm has a length of 4.6 in and weighs just 20.3 oz. And with its 7.5 in MOD at the wide end and 31.5 in at the tele end, the lens also offers high-level close-up shooting performance. When it comes to all-in-one zooms, the innovative 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 is in a class by itself and vividly captures virtually all possible scenes, from landscape photography to portrait photos and snapshots and close-ups.

Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD (Model B061) 
An all-in-one lens that zooms from wide-angle to ultra-telephoto for Sony E and FUJIFILM X-mount.

The Tamron 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD for Fujifilm X-Mount and Sony E-Mount is an all-in-one zoom lens that’s the first with a zoom ratio of 16.6x (27-450mm full-frame equivalent) for APS-C mirrorless cameras. Effectively able to zoom from wide-angle to ultra-telephoto without compromising image quality, it covers a broad array of shooting situations, including landscape, sports, wildlife, snapshots, and portraits. Its compact design makes the zoom easy to carry every day, and it is ideal for travel and family activities. With an astonishing 5.9 in MOD at the wide end and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2, you can photograph subjects with a unique perspective. With fast VXD autofocus and Tamron’s VC image stabilization system, the Tamron 18-300mm is an all-in-one zoom lens that makes photography more fun because you can use it in an unlimited number of situations.

Tamron 18-400mm for Canon and Nikon Cameras
Go to extremes with the worldls only 22.2x ultra-telephoto all-in-one zoom.

With a focal length ratio of an unprecedented 22.2x, the all-in-one zoom Tamron 18-400mm for Canon and Nikon APS-C cameras delivers an ultra-telephoto range equivalent to 620mm in the full-frame format. From wide-angle to ultra-telephoto, it offers exceptional optical performance across the entire zoom range. And with a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.9, you can even enjoy tele-macro photography. Tamron lenses like the 18-400mm for Canon and Nikon cameras bring the creative art of photography to the joy of travel because it’s the only lens you need to pack to capture everything from stunning landscapes and neon-lit cities to detailed street portraits, delicate flora, and local culinary specialties.

Are you struggling to get correct exposures when shooting landscapes and other outdoor scenes? Well, join the club, because this can be a real challenge with ever-changing light, and a wide range of tones from highlights to shadows.

Fortunately, there’s a straightforward shooting technique known as “exposure bracketing” that goes a long way toward consistently getting the light right. With this approach you shoot multiple images of the same scene at slightly different exposures, and then merge them together during the editing process.

Sometimes your goal is an exposure that looks “correct,” while other times you want to create a unique look by intentionally over- or under-exposing the shot. After shooting a bracketed set of images you can then combine them for a final result that reflects your creative vision.

The video below from the Camera Focus YouTube channel will get you up and running with the basics of exposure bracketing in less than a handful of minutes. As you see, this approach isn’t appropriate for all types of photos, but with the right subjects (like landscape and nature scenes) it works really well.

Instructor Terry Cooper is a landscape pro and an expert at visually storytelling. He says that “exposure bracketing is a great way to get better exposures without having to spend hours in front of your camera adjusting settings.” He also promises that after watching this nine-minute lesson you’ll “be a master” of this important technique.

Cooper explains why bracketing should be reserved for days when the wind is really still, especially when shooting under low-light conditions. His typical approach is to shoot three images; one at the exposure recommended by the camera, another one stop under, and the third one stop over. As he says, “it’s always best to capture the scene in one shot, but it’s nice to know that there’s another technique you can use if that doesn’t work.”

You’ll see how easy it is to dig into the camera’s menu to set up your series of shots. Along the way, Copper provides helpful tips on composing a scene properly for the best possible result. As he notes, the goal is to achieve maximum detail in both highlights and shadows.

While some cameras do all the work for you by capturing an HDR image, Cooper says he prefers the technique demonstrated here, “because it gives me more control and leeway in post processing” for reasons he explains.

After watching the lesson head over to Cooper’s instructional YouTube channel where there’s much more to learn. And don’t miss the tutorial we posted earlier, explaining how to edit sunrise photos in Lightroom for dramatic results.