32 Nebraskaland • July 2021
ave you ever been frustrated because some parts of a
photo are way too bright while others are so dark you
can't see any details? Why does the image on the
screen of your phone or camera look so much less
vibrant and impressive than the gorgeous sunset in front of
you? Simply put, your camera doesn't see the world the way
you do.
The fi rst two parts of this series covered the more
mechanical aspects of photography, including fi eld of view,
focus, aperture and shutter speed. Mastering these is a
critical part of becoming a good photographer. However,
the diff erence between good photographers and great
photographers is the way they see and use light. The two
most important aspects of light for photographers to pay
attention to are its intensity and quality.
Light Intensity
Your camera's sensor can't handle wide ranges of light
intensity. When the sky is much brighter than the land
beneath it, one or the other is going to look wrong, especially
when there are features on land that create shadows
beneath them (trees, buildings, etc.). Either the sky will be
so bright that all details are washed out or the land will look
abnormally dark, with completely black shadows. Your eyes
actually have the same limitations, but your brain quickly
compensates as you scan diff erent parts of a scene, your
irises growing and shrinking as you do so.
The easiest way to avoid problems with light intensity
is to shoot when the sun is not blazing at full strength in
the middle of the day. When the sun is super bright, the
contrast in tone between brightly lit and shadowed areas is
well beyond the range a camera's sensor can handle. We'll
talk more about that below. Sometimes, however, the events
you want to photograph happen during periods of high light
intensity and you just have to deal with it.
One strategy is to select parts of the scene that eliminate
either the darkest or brightest parts. For example, you may
be able to photograph a landscape from a high point where
Your Camera
Doesn't See
Like You Do
Part 3 of 3
Story and photos by Chris Helzer
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