Following the exercise brief, I took some low, average and high contrast images making sure that I have an averagely exposed, one f-stop darker and one f-stop lighter versions for each type of contrast.
I carried out histogram and highlight warning checks when shooting images for this exercise.
I then examined the images in Adobe Lightroom using histogram, highlight and shadow warning functions. This note summarises my learning from the exercise.
My Canon EOS 5D has facilities for displaying two types of histogram: Brightness and RGB. The former shows the exposure level distribution and overall brightness and the latter is for checking the colour saturation and gradation.
Checking a Brightness histogram and highlights warning is a part of my usual routine. I usually look for any imbalances (too many pixels on the right or left) which might indicate loss of detail in shadow or highlight areas. I also check the breadth of the brightness levels (how far each level goes up vertically). Where I spot any colour imbalances I also check the RGB histogram to see the colour’s saturation. I find the histogram function very useful.
I use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for processing my images. Both programmes have histogram facilities and I find them helpful for making adjustments to my images.
