When to Ignore the Histogram and Choose Your Own Exposure

Landscape Photography  •  Photography Tips

Exposure in photography can be subjective. When deciding whether the exposure on a particular image is overexposed, underexposed or just right, the definitions can be vague. So what’s the best way to decide your exposure settings? Your camera comes with tools that can help you, but how seriously you adhere to those is up to you. Landscape photographer James Popsys explains his thought process when deciding on a proper exposure in today’s video:

“The correct exposure is the exposure that the photographer deems correct—not the exposure that the camera deems correct.”

When starting out in photography, beginners are told to keep a close eye on the histogram. The general idea is to try and have most of the information toward the middle. While this is technically correct, what you need to keep in mind is that this is an ideal scenario. In reality, things can be way different.

While it is a good practice to listen to your camera, don’t follow it blindly. Listen to your creative mind more and make your own judgments. Your exposure should be determined by what you want to convey with your image. If you’re going for a light and happy mood, slightly overexposing the image helps. If you’re aiming for a dark and moody image, crush those shadows by underexposing things.

How do you decide whether your exposure is “correct” or not? Feel free to share your tips in the comments. We’d love to read about your technique.