Understanding Exposure Part III: How to Maximize Dynamic Range | Master Your Craft

In the third part of Pye's Exposure Series, he stresses how critical exposure is when it comes to higher image quality and flexibility in post-production. He will also show you two tools in-camera that you should always be using to dial in the perfect exposure for your scene: your Histogram and Highlight Alert.

Welcome to “Master Your Craft,” a photography educational series by SLR Lounge, exclusively on Adorama TV. From gear advice to in-depth instruction, our goal is to give you practical, real-world advice to help you master the craft of photography. Whether you’re a beginner just learning your camera, an amateur looking to become pro, or professional seeking inspiration, this is the series you’ve been looking for to help you become a better photographer.

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✘ PRODUCTS USED:

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Body:

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II:

Sigma 50mm Art f/1.4:

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens:

✘ PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT USED:

Canon EOS C200 8.85MP PL Mount 4K UHD Digital Cinema Camera Body:

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Zoom Lens:

Benro S8 Tripod:

Blue Yeti USB Microphone:

Adobe Premiere Pro:

#dynamicrange #perfectexposure #histogram

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THANKS SO MUCH FOR WATCHING!

[DONNYLAI]

Pye x Adorama.... I can watch it all day... Bring it on!!

[timothylinn]

Anyone who aspires to teaching photography should watch Pye do it. He's excellent.

[simianinc]

So many people misunderstand histograms - for some reason they’re looking for a bell curve. Great explanation Pyle.

[p.burley]

Big RELIEF!! Glad those histogram extremes are okay to achieve a look…that the mountain in the middle is not a constant goal.

[louisburley]

This was one of the best videos. Pye you're the best!

[behramcooper]

A good explanation of the histogram. Very well explained. Thanks.

[namonox]

This is the best explanation of histograms that I have seen out of the multitude I’ve watched… Thank you

[airsiddhi]

Beautifully explained. Thank you Pye!!

[joem]

Even though I am fairly well versed in the use of Histograms, seeing another point of view is always a good thing. Even though I have read numerous dissertations on histograms, and watched Mark Wallace's and Gavin Hoey's vids, your point of view is a slight departure and I did indeed learn more from your video. Very enjoyable and informative vid. Thanks for tackling one of the more difficult modern photography concepts. Thanks to you, I know more today than I did yesterday!

[KMaybach]

Fantastic video, very informative! Thanks

[chuckdevlin]

Excellent video. A good refresher presentation.

[UzumakiGowthi]

This is awesome content. Thanks a lot Pye and Adorama

[dlimayasserjosephstephen]

Thanks, got some clarification on the use of the histogram. I tended to get the graph in the middle, without any clipping and not taking the scene into consideration completely.

[Meljoy]

Im new to histograms. Yrs is the easiest to understand so far!

[DavidHarrisGRI]

The luminance histogram on Canon is only the green channel. You could be clipping on blue or red and not know it. There is a setting available to show all three colors.

[sauravus]

Amazing video! I've a question that's not related to the topic. The description says that the mic used was Blue Yeti USB mic but Pye is using a lav mic. I wanted to know which lav mic is used for this video. The audio quality is on point!

[ksnmurthy]

That's an amazing video demonstration.Very enlightening. Full of content with justification. Awesome. Gr8 tutorial. Never seen before on Histogram like this. Thanks., ,

[rzorrilla]

This is the a very similar way I had taught histograms in a photography club.
In general, from a technical perspective, maximize the camera’s dynamic range to allow for maximum exposure latitude adjustment - expose the highlights to the right of the histogram - but never at the expense of the artistic intent. So based on the artistic intent, the photographer should have a good idea how the histogram should look like before taking the shot.
Blinkies are OK if they are in sections of the image that are inconsequential because in some instances - like specular highlights - reducing the blinkies to nil, will probably result in an underexposed image with poor shadow detail (aka noise in shadows).

[CanadianArchivist]

I shoot minor hockey. So my histogram is basically closer to the highlight end. I’m also using exposure compensation due to the reflections from the ice surface which the metering needs that adjustment. If I’m too far over there I’d course no details from the ice surface. So I usually drop my iso or my exposure by 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop to bring them back a bit.

[nelsonclub]

H6D has handy histo on top screen which is perfect - my old GFX was a right fiddle.