Proper Exposure and Light Meter BasicsInstructor: Ms. Davis

A camera measures how much light is reflecting off of a subject. You use the camera’s light meter to determine how much light your photo will need.

Proper Exposure-what is it?• The first step in making a good image, is to properly

expose it.• An exposure is a single image on your camera’s sensor or

film.• We call it an exposure because the sensor or film is

being exposed to the light outside of the camera.• But there is an art to the process of exposure, which is

the balance you strike between lightness and darkness in any single exposure. This is proper exposure.• To get the correct balance of light and dark, you need to

allow the right amount of light to hit the sensor.

Proper exposureUsing a water analogy:

Not enough – just enough – too muchUnderexposed – Proper Exposure- Overexposed

There are 3 camera controls that control proper exposure.

Let’s find them on your camera. Digital cameras are different!

Proper exposure (cont.)• Think of filling a bucket with water. Once you know how

much you need, there are several ways of getting that same amount of water in the bucket. You adjust aperture, shutter speed and ISO to get proper exposure.

• When they are combined in the correct proportions for the amount of light available, you will get a correctly exposed image (i.e. an image that isn’t too bright or too dark).

How does this picture look?

Or this one?Underexposed

And this one?

And this one?

How about this one? Proper exposure!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/Forth_Rail_Bridge_seen_from_Queensferry_shore.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Long_exposure_at_the_fair.jpg

Proper exposure: This was taken by a beginner last year.

Light Meter• You must be on M on the mode

dial.• You must adjust your shutter

speed and aperture dials to obtain proper exposure. The objective is to get only one line under the o.

• What happens if the lines are over in the -? In the +?

• Your ISO also plays a major part in proper exposure too, but we won’t cover that at this time. Just leave it at 400.

• You must meter off of your subject to determine how much exposure it needs.

• Not all camera’s have a meter that looks like this

Light meter on the Nikon D90

Hands on Break• 1) Practice using your shutter speed dial and aperture dials to create

a proper exposure, using the light meter inside your camera.• Start at 1/60 on the shutter speed dial, and go up from there. Do not go below

1/60.

2. Hands on break. Practice using your lightMeter and adjusting your shutter speed and aperture dialsTo obtain proper exposure. And practice focusing.

Shutter speed

ISO

Aperture