Getting the right exposure the first time

So after a few weeks I've come to the realization that I have a shotgun approach to photography. I shoot in manual mode almost 100% of the time unless I hand the camera to someone else while I'm in the picture.

I look through the VF on my XTi and hold down the shutter button half way to see the exposure (ie +2, +1, 0, -1, -2) to make sure it's at 0. If not I adjust ISO, Shutter speed, and aperture.

The problem is, I take shitty pictures 75-80% of the time. It's hard for me to get good DOF pics.

Any suggestions?

 

Good DOF you're referring to comes from aperture size or the 2.8, 5.6, 8.0, etc. settings on your camera. Lower numbers mean you are opening up the iris of the lens to let in more light. The larger your opening (huh huh) the more shallow your depth of field (i.e., face is in focus, background real fuzzy). Also, the more you open your iris, the faster you need your shutter speed to be so as not to overexpose the pic.

Put your settings on the Av mode and go for the smallest possible aperture and play around with it a bit until you understand the relationship it has on DOF.

Shutter speed, ISO, and aperture... those three things are crucial to understanding exposure... once you have those figured out, then master metering and you are a regular kick ass photog.

 

Agreed. Stick with Av mode (or Tv for sports or anything else where you're more concerned with shutter speed than DOF) until you master the relationship between Aperture, shutter speed and ISO. I still shoot 95% of my shots in one of those 2 modes.

 

I promise you the percentages will go down over time and I applaud you for shooting in manual. It is the only way you will learn the relationship between f-stops and shutter speeds. The only drawback, in my opinion, to choosing either shutter or aperture priority is that you will leave the camera in that one setting and adjust only one adjustment when there are other combinations that may give you a stronger photograph. It just depneds on what you want your photography to be. I've been in this business for over 30 years now and it takes a while but it will sink in if you keep at it. I am just learning the digital aspects, but the basic premises are still the same. The approach you are taking will certainly make you think about what you want and how you want to get there.

Think about photographing a stream in motion and what you want out of that stream in your photograph. There are several ways to do it and you have to ask questions to yourself. Do I want a motion blur and how will that happen? Slow shutter speed. Slower the better. You can't hand hold it though and you will need a tripod with a shutter release cable or use the self-timer. So, for correct exposure that will mean a smaller aperture, up in the f11-16 area most likely and will give you good depth of field.

In contrast, say you want to stop the motion of the water. Higher shutter speed, larger aperture, less DOF. There are ways to stop motion to a point and still have a decent DOF by shooting action coming straight at you.

Different focal lengths have different DOF characteristics. Wide angles will have greater DOF latitude while longer lengths will have shorter DOF latitudes. It only means you have to think. If your camera has a DOF preview button, make it your friend.

ISO, ASA, film speed . . . whatever term you use (ASA is from the old days), will have an impact on that exposure, but isn't critical. In the film days a smaller ISO meant finer grain with a sharper look. It translates somewhat with digital, I think, in that larger ISO's equal more noise which equates to grain structure in film. It will have an impact on "how" you shoot your photographs.

Metering is the basic hurdle for you it sounds like. Realize that in your frame, you could be facing "meter cheaters." A basic example is a white swan on a dark pond. Meter on the light part and you need to open up a stop or two for a more correct exposure (if there is such a thing). meter on the dark part and you need to stop down some. If you have an opportunity, green grass in the same light as your subject makes an excellent point to base your exposure. Lock your exposure there, recompose and shoot away.

Another excellent way to arrive at a decent exposure the old "Sunny 16" rule. It is 1/ISO @ f/16. If your ISO setting is 200 for example, set the shutter speed at 1/200 or 1/250 and the f-stop at f16 and shoot away. You can get equivalent exposures by adjust f/stops and shutter speeds in opposite directions.

Exposure meters are calibrated somewhere around 18% gray for reflectance." So look for something the same color density like green grass. 0" isn't always the best choice however it is something to get close to for 90% of your shots I'd say. Even if you were shooting in full auto, there would still be situations to over-ride your metering to a +1 or -2, or whatever.

Fortunately, digital gives you an opportunity for an immediate do-over. Don't give up, it will get better and one day you can say, "I 'made' that shot" instead of I took it.

 

Great advice! Thanks guys!

 

Mark,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but with those two settings you can't disable the flash. Right?