{"id":348734,"date":"2018-12-04T11:00:20","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T16:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightstalking.com\/?p=348734"},"modified":"2019-07-31T03:52:30","modified_gmt":"2019-07-31T07:52:30","slug":"reading-histograms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lightstalking.com\/reading-histograms\/","title":{"rendered":"You Should Be Reading Histograms Like a Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"

The appearance of digital cameras was a true revolution in the world of photography; and beyond the image capabilities that it has given to us, there is one thing that we pretty much take for granted these days. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is a thing that would sound like science fiction to earlier film photographers. This thing we are talking about is the Histogram. <\/span><\/p>\n

The histogram is that graph you look when toggling between display view settings on your camera, or when opening a RAW file in Lightroom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Knowing how to read a Histogram can empower you to trust your images, no matter how they look on your camera's LCD screen. <\/span><\/p>\n

True story, I work a lot on the streets and other outdoorsy places while doing some essays or research. And the sun can be so bright that it has tried to fool me into thinking that my images were underexposed, fortunately, I learned about the importance of histogram in my early days as a photographer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The histogram is a graphic representation of how every image is exposed, and it calculates light on the entire photograph. And it can be used in several situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. While taking a picture:<\/strong> Some cameras allow photographers to see a tiny histogram in their viewfinder. Having it with you at the moment you are taking a picture will give you a clear idea of how light is being recorded on the entire scene.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. While reviewing a photograph:<\/strong> While peeking through your recently taken photographs, you can see how an image was exposed, no matter how they look on the LCD screen of your camera.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. When developing a RAW file:<\/strong> Every time that you make adjustments to your RAW file while developing it, the histogram will change, even when cropping it into more pleasant compositions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Also important for you to know, you should expose with the bars of the histogram graph slightly to the right of the chart because camera sensors have been engineered to recover more information from the brightest areas of your pictures rather than darks and shadows.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Breaking Up The Histogram<\/h2>\n
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    Regular Histogram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    A histogram is composed of five sections that include the following zones:<\/span><\/p>\n