Methods
Methods
Here you will find the working tools of a self-taught photographer: which camera mode to choose in different situations, how to use the histogram instead of trusting the screen, and how to review your own frames. To understand where all this came from, we briefly look back at the beginnings of photography. At the end come popular myths that get in the way of learning and push you to look for answers in gear rather than in your own way of seeing.
Manual mode doesn't make a photographer more serious. Understanding why they chose those particular values does.
How this section works: we describe techniques in general terms, based on introductory photography textbooks and museum materials. We don't give "correct" numbers for settings and don't claim more than you can check on your own photos.
Shooting modes
| Mode | What you set | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Almost nothing: the camera chooses aperture, shutter speed and ISO itself | When not missing the moment matters more than controlling the result, and for getting to know a camera |
| Aperture priority | The aperture, and therefore depth of field; the camera picks the shutter speed | Portraits with a blurred background, landscapes sharp from front to back, most unhurried subjects |
| Shutter priority | The shutter speed, that is, how motion is rendered; the camera picks the aperture | Sport, children, animals, water and any subject where you need to freeze or blur motion |
| Manual | Aperture, shutter speed and, if you like, ISO, all by yourself | Constant light, night, a series of frames with identical exposure and learning exercises on stops |
How to read a histogram
The histogram shows the distribution of tones in a frame: dark tones on the left, light tones on the right, and the height of the graph tells you how many pixels of each brightness the image contains. It is an objective guide that doesn't depend on the brightness of the screen or the light around you.
If the graph runs into the right edge, some highlights are probably lost: the sky or a white shirt has turned into a blank patch with no detail. If it is pressed against the left edge, detail is disappearing in the shadows. There is no correct histogram shape: for a snowy landscape it is shifted to the right, for a street at night to the left, and that is normal.
Check the histogram right after taking a shot, especially in contrasty light. If important detail is going off the edge, adjust the exposure and shoot again while the scene is still in front of you.
A little history
Among the earliest surviving photographs is "View from the Window at Le Gras", made by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce around 1826–1827. It shows rooftops and buildings outside the window of his house, and producing the image required a very long exposure.
In 1839 the daguerreotype was publicly announced: a process for creating a finely detailed image on a silver-coated plate. From then on photography spread around the world, and the questions of light, exposure and composition that occupied the first photographers remain central today.
Related sections
- Lessons
Core lessons: exposure, focus and depth of field, light, composition, colour and white balance, RAW and developing.
- Practice
Week-long assignments: one scene in different light, exposure bracketing and signs that you are shooting on autopilot.
- Glossary
Short, plain-language definitions of terms for exposure, optics, focus and photo processing.
Sources
- Introductory photography textbooks: exposure, optics, light and composition
- Materials from photography history museums
Information on exposure, optics, light and processing is given in general terms, based on introductory photography textbooks and the materials listed in the sources. Camera settings depend on the scene and your intent, so test the advice on your own photos.