Welcome to Paw Prints Pet Photography Serving Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Infinity, and Beyond! Indoor Exposure Exposé (Article 2 in the Camera series) Jul 4, 2008—We recently published an article on the mysteries of camera megapixels (check it out at Megapixel). This article continues that series, discussing how to get proper exposures when shooting indoor action. Exposure defined. First, what is exposure? Exposure is the process of allowing light onto the camera’s light sensor. Good exposure is the amount of light rendering the full range of tones (lightness to darkness) that the sensor can capture. With the full range of tones, highlights run up to nearly the maximum values, which means almost completely white. In other words, a white dog or a white PVC pole should be almost completely white. The “almost” in that sentence is important. In almost every case, the whitest areas should still contain detail, such as in a white dog’s fur. When light areas are too white, that’s overexposure. At the other end of the tonal range, the darkest areas should be almost completely black. In other words, a black dog should look black but should show detail in its fur. The deepest shadows, such as on a black dog, will likely be completely black without detail, and that’s okay. When dark areas are too black, that’s underexposure. An important point: Exposure is controlled by three settings on the camera, which are discussed below: ISO (the camera’s maximum sensitivity), shutter speed, and lens opening (f/stop). Here’s an easy way to think of it: When you take a picture, it’s like filling a bucket from a hose. ISO is the water pressure inside the hose. Shutter speed is how long the hose stays running. f/stop is the diameter of the hose. Why exposure matters. It’s important to get the exposure right so that you don’t have to try to make up for it afterwards. When you shoot indoors at maximum sensitivity, you’re working right at the very limit of your digital camera’s capabilities. The more you try to make up for underexposure in processing later, the coarser, grainier, more contrasty, and harsher the image becomes. When you overexposure an image, light areas get “blown out,” and the highlights lose detail. In most cases, the detail can’t be recovered by darkening the image later. The evils of autoexposure. All cameras have autoexposure. Why not set the camera on auto and fire away? The answer is how light meters work. A light meter doesn’t know you’re photographing a white or black dog. Every light meter, from the first one to the latest one in Virgil’s Nikon D3, works the same way: It averages the light falling on it to a medium gray. So if the scene has a significant amount of light or dark, the autoexposure will be wrong. In fact, autoexposure is wrong more often than it’s right. With autoexposure, a white dog will be adjusted to be too dark (underexposure), and a black dog will be adjusted to be too light (overexposure). As you move around a ring, bright spots—window light, for example—will cause the scene to end up too dark, and shadows will cause it to end up too light. Although most arenas are fairly evenly lit, the scene changes enough—a white background wall in one place, a dark shadow somewhere else—that automatic exposure is almost always wrong. But manual exposure will work fine and be fairly consistent. It won’t be fooled by the variations in the scene. The results are far more accurate. ISO defined. ISO is the sensitivity rating on your camera. The highest ISO setting on any camera is the very edge of the camera’s capability. The higher the ISO number you can set, the more sensitive the sensor is, and the easier it’ll be to photograph indoors. Virgil’s Nikon D3 sets to ISO 6400. Many consumer cameras set to 1600. An ISO 6400 camera has four times the light sensitivity of an ISO 1600 camera. Everyone who photographs action indoors has two limits they can’t do anything about: the camera’s maximum sensitivity (ISO) and the maximum opening of the lens (f/stop). Shutter speed. To get proper exposure, you need the shutter speed that results in the full range of tones. The slower the shutter speed, the harder it is to stop action. For indoor action, Virgil uses 1/160th of a second or faster (faster means a higher number, like 1/400th). Even at 1/160th, he discards more than 50% of what he shoots, because it isn’t sharp. Camera features. Cameras have different features to help you determine when you have the right exposure: - Many cameras have a setting that shows overexposed areas on the image display at the back of the camera. Check the camera’s menu to see if there is an overexposure indicator. On some cameras, overexposed areas flash between black and white. Overexposed areas will be pure white with no detail when printed. Darkening them in Photoshop won’t add detail. Some applications like Adobe Lightroom have a unique recovery feature that can partially recover detail in areas that aren’t severely overexposed. - Many cameras have histograms. A histogram is a bar graph showing the range of densities in the scene (see examples below). The far left of the histogram is black without detail; the far right is white without detail. If you photograph a scene with a white object (a gate, a dog, a t-shirt), you shouldn’t have a big pile of data hard up against the right-hand side of the histogram. If you do, it’s overexposed. The same is true for the left-hand side, unless the scene has an area that should be completely black without detail. In almost every shot, nearly all the data should be represented in the wide midsection of the histogram. Software features. When Virgil is on location, he shoots a few test frames of scenes with a full range of tones, downloads them into the computer, and examines them using Adobe Lightroom software. Lightroom has a feature that marks overexposed highlights in bright red (shown above) and underexposed shadows in bright blue. Likewise, Adobe Photoshop has a densitometer that measures the density of the spot under the cursor, on a range from 0 (black without detail) to 255 (white without detail). Shutter speed. When shooting action, Virgil uses three exposures. One is the basic exposure that records most tones well. When an all-white dog comes to the start line, he slightly increases the shutter speed. When an all-black dog comes to the start line, he slightly decreases the shutter speed (see the black dog pictured above). Lens opening (f/stop). The wider the lens opening, the more light the sensor can receive. The lower the f/stop number, the wider the opening. Virgil’s zoom lens has a maximum opening of f/2.8. That’s pretty fast for a zoom. Fixed-length lenses are often available at f/2 or even f/1.4. f/1.4 lets in four times the light of f/2.8. Recommendations. What does Virgil recommend for getting correct exposures when shooting indoor action? Here are his suggestions: - Set the ISO sensitivity to the highest number. - Set the lens opening (f/stop) to the lowest number (the widest opening). - Use manual exposure rather than autoexposure. - Take a few test shots of scenes with a full tonal range, and examine them. If you can download them and look at them on a computer screen, that’s best. If not, use the display on the back of the camera. Then adjust the shutter speed until your exposures are correct. Use a faster speed if the image is overexposed (too light) or a slower speed if the image is underexposed (too dark). - Use the camera’s features for over- or underexposed areas. Virgil welcomes questions about cameras, lenses, software, etc. If you have questions, send him an email or talk to him at a future event. Megapixel.htmlmailto:Virgil@PawPrintsPet.com?subject=Exposure%20articleshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1
 
A scene with an average range of tones
Histogram for the scene at left
A scene with a significant black area, showing detail throughout
Histogram for the scene at left
A scene with overexposed white areas, marked in red by Lightroom
Histogram for the scene at left
Links to Galleries New, Strut Your Mutt, June 08, purchased images New, Newhouse Portraits, June 08, purchased images New, Queen City Dog Training Club AKC Agility, June 08, selection of purchased images and second-chance galleries Recent, Clermont County Kennel Club AKC Obedience, June 08, selection of purchased images and second-chance galleries More galleries at Portraits Agility Obedience Other Events More Links Contact Virgil or Rebecca New, “Let’s Love Our Own Pictures” and “Let’s Love” (part 2)—a must-read if you hate seeing yourself in a photo For exciting art prints, see Products How about a portrait day at your business? See Business Income Information on the new Nikon D3 camera Paw Prints Pet Photography FAQs Need a gift for a dog (or a person) that has everything? See Gift Certificates Rebecca’s suggestions for choosing agility photos Carina MacDonald’s article on photographing your own dog Paw Prints Pet Photography services and what sets Paw Prints apart  2008 Upcoming Events It’s time to plan for 2009! As you can see, our calendar fills up! July 5-6 - Northern Ohio Dog Days Dash - Fur in a Blur - Sandusky OH July 11-13 - AKC Obedience & Rally - DDTC - Dayton OH July 19-20 - NADAC Agility - Pawsitive Partners - Carmel IN July 24-Aug 1 - Vacation for Virgil and Rebecca Aug 2-3 - AKC Agility - QCDTC - Sharonville OH Aug 9-10 - CPE Agility - Splash ’n Dash, K9 Athlete Cntr - Washingtonville OH Aug 16-17 - USDAA Agility - Pawsitive Partners - Carmel IN Open dates - how about a neighborhood portrait day? Email Virgil Aug 30-Sept 1 - USDAA Agility/DAM Tourn - Medina Swarm - Medina OH Sept 5 - AKC Specialty - Greater Cinci Weimaraner Club - Owensville OH Sept 7 - Portraits - Kuliga Dog Training Club - Cincinnati OH Sept 12-14 - CPE Agility - GCDOC - Dayton OH Sept 20-21 - NADAC Agility - Agility Club of Evansville - Princeton IN Sept 27 - River Downs PetPalooza - Cincinnati OH Oct 2-5 - United Belgian Shepherd Dog Assoc Nat’l Specialty - Belvidere IL Oct 11-12 - Vacation for Virgil and Rebecca Oct 13-15 - Hamilton Dog Training Club Portraits - Hamilton OH Oct 18-19 - Splash ’n Dash Portraits - Monroeville PA Oct 25 - Marjon Kennels Portraits - Batavia OH Oct 26 - Kuliga Goes to the Dogs Open House - Cincinnati OH Oct 31-Nov 2 - AKC Agility - Agility Club of Evansville - Princeton IN Nov 7-9 - QCDTC AKC Agility Trial - Sharonville OH Nov 14-16 - AKC Agility - Wild Weavers - Grove City OH Nov 22 - Bamberger Portraits - Aurora IN Nov 28-30 - CPE Agility - Medina Swarm - Wadsworth OH Dec 6-7 - AKC Agility - Wild Weavers - Grove City OH Dec 13-14 - UKC Agility - GCDOC - Dayton OH Dec 15-25 - Vacation for Virgil and Rebecca Dec 27-29 - AKC Agility - Wild Weavers - Grove City OH 2009 Upcoming Events Jan 6-22 2009 - Vacation for Virgil and Rebecca Feb 7-8 2009 - NADAC Agility - POTC - Zanesville OH Feb 14-15 2009 - AKC Agility - Border Terrier Club of America - Grove City OH Mar 7-8 2009 - AKC Agility - Agility Club of Evansville - Princeton IN Mar 14-15 - CPE Agility - GCDOC - Dayton OH (portraits only) Mar 20-22 2009 - NADAC Agility - In the Zone Agility of IL - Princeton IN Apr 4-5 2009 - Agility - Columbus All Breed Training Club - Grove City OH Apr 17-19 2009 - AKC Agility - POTC - Marietta OH May 29-31 2009 - AKC Agility - Cuyahoga Valley Golden Retriever Club - North Olmsted OH June 6-7 2009 - NADAC Agility - POTC - Zanesville OH Sept 19-20 2009 - AKC Obedience - POTC - Washington WV Oct 2-4 2009 - Obedience & Rally - HDTC - Hamilton OH Oct 16-18 2009 - AKC Agility - POTC - Marietta OH Oct 30-Nov 1 2009 - AKC Agility - Agility Club of Evansville - Princeton IN To get your upcoming event on the Paw Prints calendar: Email Virgil@PawPrintsPet.com Paw Prints Pet Photography Virgil Sweeden, Owner 5512 Woodbridge Lane Dayton, OH 45429 (513) 779-8934 Web master services provided by Forrest Design LLC © 2008 Paw Prints Pet Photography, All Rights ReservedStrut%206-08.htmlNewhouse%206-08.htmlQC%206-08.htmlCCKC%20Obed%206-08.htmlPortraits.htmlAgility.htmlObedience.htmlOtherEvents.htmlmailto:Virgil@PawPrintsPet.com?subject=From%20PawPrintsPet.commailto:Rebecca@PawPrintsPet.com?subject=From%20PawPrintsPet.comLet%27sLove.htmlLet%27sLove%202.htmlProducts.htmlBusinessIncomeModel.htmlNikonD3.htmlInfo.htmlGiftCertificates.htmlChoosingAgilityPhotos.htmlhttp://www.gardenandhearth.com/Dog-Care/Photographing-Dog.htmInfo.htmlWhatSetsPawPrintsApart.htmlhttp://www.furinablur.org/home.cfmhttp://www.daytondogtraining.com/http://www.pawsitivepartners.com/http://www.qcdtc.orghttp://www.pittsburgh-dog-training.com/http://www.pawsitivepartners.com/mailto:Virgil@PawPrintsPet.com?subject=Event%20inquiry%20from%20PawPrintsPet.comhttp://www.google.com/http://www.cincyweimclub.comhttp://www.kuligadtc.com/http://www.gcdoc.com/http://www.ace.evansville.net/http://www.riverdownspetpalooza.com/http://www.ubsda.com/http://www.hamiltondogtraining.com/http://www.pittsburgh-dog-training.comhttp://www.marjonkennels.com/http://www.kuligadtc.com/http://www.ace.evansville.net/http://www.qcdtc.orghttp://www.wildweavers.net/http://www.medinaswarm.comhttp://www.wildweavers.net/http://www.gcdoc.com/http://www.wildweavers.net/http://www.furrydogs.comhttp://www.btcoa.org/http://www.ace.evansville.net/http://www.gcdoc.com/http://www.inthezoneagility.com/http://www.columbusallbreed.com/http://www.furrydogs.comhttp://www.cvgrc.org/http://www.furrydogs.comhttp://www.furrydogs.comhttp://www.hamiltondogtraining.com/http://www.furrydogs.comhttp://www.ace.evansville.net/mailto:Virgil@PawPrintsPet.com?subject=http://www.forrestdesignllc.com/shapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5shapeimage_3_link_6shapeimage_3_link_7shapeimage_3_link_8shapeimage_3_link_9shapeimage_3_link_10shapeimage_3_link_11shapeimage_3_link_12shapeimage_3_link_13shapeimage_3_link_14shapeimage_3_link_15shapeimage_3_link_16shapeimage_3_link_17shapeimage_3_link_18shapeimage_3_link_19shapeimage_3_link_20shapeimage_3_link_21shapeimage_3_link_22shapeimage_3_link_23shapeimage_3_link_24shapeimage_3_link_25shapeimage_3_link_26shapeimage_3_link_27shapeimage_3_link_28shapeimage_3_link_29shapeimage_3_link_30shapeimage_3_link_31shapeimage_3_link_32shapeimage_3_link_33shapeimage_3_link_34shapeimage_3_link_35shapeimage_3_link_36shapeimage_3_link_37shapeimage_3_link_38shapeimage_3_link_39shapeimage_3_link_40shapeimage_3_link_41shapeimage_3_link_42shapeimage_3_link_43shapeimage_3_link_44shapeimage_3_link_45shapeimage_3_link_46shapeimage_3_link_47shapeimage_3_link_48shapeimage_3_link_49shapeimage_3_link_50shapeimage_3_link_51shapeimage_3_link_52shapeimage_3_link_53shapeimage_3_link_54shapeimage_3_link_55shapeimage_3_link_56shapeimage_3_link_57shapeimage_3_link_58shapeimage_3_link_59shapeimage_3_link_60