This is the third post in a continuing series on the oft misunderstood but oh so important histogram.  In the first two posts we discussed the histogram in general.  If you missed them, click on these links.

Mastering Exposure – Histograms Part 1

Mastering Exposure – Histograms Part 2

Recap

To recap, the histogram displays a graph of the tonal values in the scene you are about to photograph.  It shows how the dynamic range of the scene matches and fits into the dynamic range of your camera’s sensor.  There are two critical pieces of information a histogram tells you:

1. If your exposure is correct
2. If you have problems capturing the dynamic range of the scene

To recap, the exposure is displayed by the position of the histogram curve within the boundaries of the graph area.  As you increase the exposure the histogram moves to the right.  As you decrease the exposure it moves to the left.  If the exposure is increased so that the histogram moves all the way up against the right side of the graph area you will have highlight clipping. Likewise, if it moves all the way to the left side you will have shadow clipping.

The dynamic range of the scene is displayed as the breadth of the histogram,  The wider the histogram the greater the dynamic range of the scene.  The narrower the histogram the lower the dynamic range.  When the histogram is so wide that it extends from one end of the graph area to the other you are facing a situation where your camera’s sensor will have a difficult time capturing the full dynamic range of the scene.  The worst case is you will have both highlight and shadow clipping.

Read the rest of this entry »

The 2011 Death Valley photography workshop is ‘in the can.’  While it’s still fresh in my mind I’d like to share some of the highlights and photographs with you.

Read the rest of this entry »

zabriskie_point_7_2009_600

Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

I thought I knew where I wanted this image to go but it had a mind of its own – beyond realism, beyond believability even, into pure emotion.

court_of_the_patriarchs_2009

Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

I’m printing note cards for the Joshua Tree Art Festival this weekend and this was one of them. I really like this image so I thought I’d share it with you. Enjoy.

For a followup post read

http://ralphnordstromphotography.com/wordpress/articles/how-to-articles/expose-revisited/

The light meters in our digital cameras don’t always give us the best exposure.  That’s not to say that they give us the wrong exposure.  But the ‘correct’ exposure doesn’t necessarily produce the best image file as far as post processing is concerned, especially if we’re shooting RAW.

If you expose an image at the exposure selected by your light meter and check the histogram, chances are it’s skewed a little to the left, toward the shadows.  This is especially apparent in low contrast scenes.  The image might look great on the camera’s LCD and in Lightroom.  But a slightly overexposed image will capture more information and is therefore better to work with later – given of course that it’s not so overexposed that you have highlight clipping.  An ideal histogram is one that is just to the right of center.  This technique is called ‘Expose to the Right,’ and is practiced by many of digital photographers.

Read the rest of this entry »

IMG_1563

Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

We had a pretty good wind during the Joshua Tree Gathering. But that didn’s slow us down a bit.

A remote area of Queen Valley in Joshua Tree National Park was the location for the next print of the month.  This towering spire defies the imagination.  Besides its imposing beauty, one wonders how it could possibly have formed.

Read the rest of this entry »

We wrapped up the 2010 Death Valley photography workshop this morning and most everyone is on their way home now.  The grand finale was photographing Telescope Peak from Bad Water.  How was it?  See for yourself.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday morning our photography workshop shot sunrise from Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley National Park.  One of the really fun aspects of sunrise out there is trying to arrive on site before the sky starts to get light.  In other words, we start heading out to the dunes while it’s still dark, very dark.  We strike out into the desert without being able to see our destination.  It can cause a bit of trepidation amongst the attendees.

Read the rest of this entry »

The days have gotten by and here’s the first posting from during the workshop.  So far, we’ve covered Zabriskie Point, Mesquite Dunes and Artist’s Palette.  I’ve spent way more time helping the attendees than shooting myself.  And virtually no time working on images.  But last night at Artist’s Palette I came away I came away with a couple of images that I’d like to share.

Read the rest of this entry »