In some situations, traditional matrix metering will give you great results. Matrix metering tends to be the default mode for most cameras. As long as your scene is evenly lit, it will work great. The camera’s light meter will look at the whole picture and determine what the correct exposure should be. The exposure will be incorrect, however, when there are areas of intense white or black in the photo. For example, if you take a picture in front of a window or other bright light source, your picture will end up underexposed. If you take a picture in front … Continue reading →

Perfect exposure, tack-sharp focus and ideal composition make up the “perfect” photo, although there’s more to art than technical perfection. Mastering your technical skills does allow you to take your photos to the next level, however. Depending on what you are photographing, getting sharp focus is part technique and part intuition. While you can adjust your settings and use the proper equipment, when photographing children, sometimes it’s knowing when to press the shutter, since they can pause or run around at any given moment! With that noted, here are some ways you can improve your chances of getting that tack-sharp … Continue reading →

One of the most common mistakes new photographers make when it comes to exposure is either making the photo too dark (underexposed) or clipping highlights (overexposed). The difference between a bright photo and an overexposed photo is that in an overexposed photo, the brightest spots will be printed without detail, simply appearing as white. These are also sometimes called “blown” highlights. They are not a good thing, but neither is a dark photograph. If you are serious about photography and want perfect exposure, you need to be shooting in RAW format so that you can tweak your exposures in post … Continue reading →