Day Fifteen: Why Use A Histogram?

A histogram is a bar graph that shows the colors in your photo, remember? There are 256 colored pixels that make up a picture with the far left being black, and showing all of the colors in between until you reach the far right. The reason you use the histogram to review your pictures while you are photographing them is so you can get a true read on how exposed your pictures are. The little screen can't show the picture correctly.

Imagine I am taking a photo of my boys wearing white shirts on a sunny morning. After I take the photo and check the histogram, I will be able to tell how the colors look by the bar graph. I want the histogram to have all of the bars in the graph in the middle. Chances are, the white shirts will be over exposed and the line on the far right will be high, but it will look okay if all of the other colors are mid ranged. If we changed the exposure to reduce the white tones, most likely the dark tones will be under exposed and all of the bars in the graph on the light (right) side will be low to the bottom of the scale. Vice versa if we over expose the photo.

What does this mean in the field? It's a quick way to check how the colors look on the go. Especially if I don't have a long time to get photos....like with my busy boys.

Your photo for tonight, which I checked the histogram and it was all in the mid range area, is the saddest picture of Ethan. He woke up this morning feeling unwell and I couldn't help but snap this photo. He spent the morning laying flat on his stomach on the couch. After a dose of Motrin, he started feeling so much better. Now, I can't keep Ethan (or Evan for matter) from running through the house.

Day Fourteen: Histogram

So, I am sure you guys are thinking I am crazy. Why are you doing this? What's so wrong with auto features on your camera? So you learned a few tricks, are you going to be a photographer now??

No, I don't want to be a photographer, I don't have enough patience with other people's kids. I kid, kind of. Anyway, I am still hanging with this because I want to finish something other than a Snickers bar, and while I am taking some great photos now, I want to know all of the things the Canon T2i can do.

We now get into some really technical stuff in the 31 Days To A Better Photo series. A histogram. What is it? Have you ever accidentally pushed the display button while viewing your photos on your camera? I think even some point and shoot cameras do this too. When you do, you change the ways that you are looking at your photo, and you get to this weird graph looking thing.

From what I have learned, the graph shows the colors in your photo. The far left of the graph represents black, and moving to the right, it shows the color until you hit the far right, which represents white. I hope that made a little sense.

So, what does that mean? Why do you need a histogram? Well, it's another way to find out how exposed your photo is. Sure you can look into your little screen, but it's not until you actually upload your picture on your computer that you actually see it in it's full glory. It's only a little two or three inch screen, it will usually look really good anyway.

Tomorrow, Darcy will discuss how to use the histogram to check the exposure to produce better photos.

And now...long and overdue...PICTURES OF THE GRANDKIDS!! You are welcome :)