Pixiq

I will be straight with you. Today's cameras and their metering systems are superb. They will give you excellent exposures time after time ... most of the time. 

But it isn't those "most of the time" exposures that frustrate photographers. It is those exposures the rest of the time that are the problem. I am going to give you one quick and easy step to better exposure ... just say no!

Alright, I know that does not seem like much about exposure. But actually, it can be all about exposure. 

I know this because I see it all the time in classes I teach around the country and at BetterPhoto.com. Students come to me asking how to expose for a certain scene, and I have to answer, "Just say no!"

What this is all about is the difference between how the camera sees the world and how we see the world. When we look at a scene, we see the subject and the scene just fine, regardless of the light. Our eyes are capable of seeing detail and color in bright areas and in dark areas, and the detail and color looks normal. 

Cameras can't always do that. When the light conditions are extreme from bright to dark, the camera shuts down its ability to see color and detail and just sees and emphasizes the light. You can try all sorts of exposures, but none of them will work, simply because you are asking too much from the camera. HDR photography can help, but that doesn't solve the main problem that the camera just doesn't see the world the way we do. 

So if no exposure works, then why fight it? Sure, the exposure is "right" for the brightest petals of this bush poppy, but the rest of the poppy looks dark and dull. There is no "right" exposure that will make the whole flower look good. Forget about that angle, that scene, that subject, and just say, "No!" That is not an admission of defeat, but a positive step that will help you get a better photo and the right exposure!

How? By saying no to a shot that will never work because of camera limitations, you will look for the composition, the angle, the light that will work. You will look for the shots that you and your camera can say, "Yes!" to. That will make exposure a whole lot easier since the camera will now be able to handle the conditions. 

And so, just one step, just saying, "No!", can help you get better exposure and better pictures. And, yes, these bush poppy photos were taken now in Southern California. No snow down here!