Using graphs to gauge exposure

Chad Perkins: Some DSLR cameras, such as the Canon 5D and a Panasonic GH2, have an on screen …histogram which can really help you gauge the exposure of your shot. …To enable this on the Canon 5D, go to the back of the camera and click on the Info button …a few times to cycle through the info modes, and eventually you will get to the mode with the histogram. …This histogram is a read out of the luminance or brightness levels in your shot. …From left to right we have shadows, mid tones and highlights. …The height of the graph in these areas shows you how much of that particular luminance range you have.…

So this histogram suggests that our shot might be a bit too dark--certainly got a lot of …shadows and not much in the way of highlights. …This shot on the other hand suggests the opposite; lot of bright areas and not much shadow detail. …Using a histogram could help you make sure that your image is balanced and could help …you prevent blowing out highlights or crushing shadows. …If your DSLR doesn't have a histogram, that's ok, it will still have a light meter called a spot meter.…