As I'm sure you already know, exposure is a pretty big deal in photography, especially when it comes to shooting in tricky light. That's when you're faced with a mix of really bright stuff and really dark stuff in your scene.
This can be a problem, because the camera sensor is not as sensitive
as your eyes, and so it can't show everything the way we see it.
In short, this means that a really cool scene that we see with our eyes might end up with too much contrast in the photo. Some elements might be lost in shadow, while other areas of the frame might be totally blown out with ugly white.
That's why I came up with, what I feel, is the #1 rule
for exposure. It's a VERY simple rule of thumb that you can follow, which will pretty much ensure the best results in most situations. Of course, it may take some careful thought on exactly how to apply the rule, but that's where your own creative ideas come into play.
Even if you shoot in RAW, this rule still applies, because nailing your exposure in camera will mean less processing time, and usually, a more compelling
composition that may not need very much editing at all.
You can see me illustrate my #1 exposure rule as a one-minute short, or you can watch the whole video for a more detailed explanation.
Or you can watch both. Start with the short, to get an idea of what I'm talking about, and then watch the longer version to let it all soak in.
And again... why is it that YouTube likes to show me with my eyes closed? 😆🤔
