Understanding Exposure: Perfect Exposure on Your EOS Camera

Have you ever wondered why your EOS camera has so many exposure modes, and what each one does? Or why it’s so easy to under- or overexpose your photos even with the latest cameras and most advanced evaluative metering modes?

Understanding Exposure explains the principles of exposure so that you understand why your camera doesn’t always get the exposure right (and just how do you define correct exposure anyway?). Your camera’s meter works according to simple principles, and once you understand those you will know why your camera often gets exposure wrong, and what you can do to put it right.

Exposure is an important building block of photographic technique. Underexpose and you lose shadow detail and raise noise level. Overexpose, and you burn out precious highlights. Exposure should be simple, yet most photographers soon come to the realisation that it’s anything but. And what no-one seems to point out is that exposure has changed with digital cameras. The ‘old’ techniques that worked with film no longer apply, and some of the most basic principles have to be relearned.

If you’re struggling to understand why your digital EOS camera doesn’t get the exposure right often enough, or why the principles of exposure that you learnt with film cameras don’t seem to work any more, then Understanding Exposure has the answers. I explain everything you need to know in detail, from what the histogram tells you to what your camera’s exposure modes are for and when to use them. The mysteries of Canon’s Evaluative metering are revealed, and I explore the differences between your camera’s automatic exposure modes and Manual mode, and when to use them.

The overriding principle behind Understanding Exposure is that your camera isn’t smart enough to get exposure right every time, and that when it isn’t it’s up to the photographer to step in and override the camera’s suggested exposure settings.

Understanding Exposure gives you the tools you need to get the perfect exposure every time, by dividing the subject into three different types. If you learn to recognise the three exposure scenarios, and understand how your camera’s sensor reacts to the light in each of them, you are on your way to mastering the art of exposure. By the time you’ve finished Understanding DPP you’ll have the knowledge you need to get the correct exposure every time.

Note: Understanding Exposure is written specifically for the owners of Canon EOS digital SLRS. The images are in full colour; so it looks best on the new Kindle Fire or when viewed using the Kindle apps for computers or the iPad.