Exposure Control Trick that Every Photo and Video Pro Should Know.

[@emericalad]

It's crazy how informative this video is. I literally learned so much in such a short amount of time. Really glad I stumbled across this. Thank you, kind sir!

[@HybridphotoPro]

Thanks, glad you liked it. Back in the early days of digital cameras we (photographers) needed to know if a file was going to print correctly when we sent it into a pro lab for printing. Most pros spent big bux on a color-correct monitor and a monitor profiling system for the studio... but what can you do with laptops on location? So I invented the facemask histogram as a great way to get a quick go/no-go on the "printablility" of a file no matter how bad the monitor was. Next thing ya know, the labs were using it too.

[@purestress2]

Great video! I definitely liked and subscribed! More people should know this!

[@WillCrockett]

Thank you my friend, please spread the word!

[@ghhjffhjjj]

Very glad to see you again, I've watched a lot of your seminars and educational talks. A tremendous amount of valuable information everytime. I miss the FPS episodes. I remember watching and learning the facemask histogram ,way back, from you and Rick Ferro.

[@HybridphotoPro]

Hi Randall, SO good to hear from you and the rest of the photo folks I've met over the years. Glad you liked the video too, thank you for the warm words my friend. Please reach out if I can be of any help thru my fb page of via my Crockett.pro website? Thanks again Randall. -Will Crockett

[@rickymcc8624]

Thanks that looks like a great approach, so subscribed for potentially more high value content.

[@therealeffect]

Awesome video. Loved your teaching style!

[@HybridphotoPro]

Thanks very much.

[@ToanNguyen-kk1rs]

Learned a lot today. TY

[@HybridphotoPro]

Thanks Toan!

[@rafograph4714]

Amazing content, Sir. Thank you very much!

[@jmich5123]

This is great, thank you!!

[@HybridphotoPro]

So welcome my friend.

[@tonyclarke5068]

Awesome work. Question for you. Where did you purchase your manequins? I have been trying to source a bust only one for ages. Thank you.

[@HybridphotoPro]

Hi Tony, thanks for the kind words sir. I usually get them on Amazon. They have ones with the shoulders like you see in the videos and ones without the shoulders available with all types of hair and skin tone options. Just do a search for “cosmetology practice mannequins” and you’ll see a few hundred of them pop up! Please circle back if you have any trouble, always glad to help you.

[@PerpetuityTV]

A wonderful informative video. I just wondered, where do you buy the dummy models from?

[@HybridphotoPro]

Thanks! If you are in a big city, look for professional cosmetology and beauty school supply retailers. They will have a variety of sizes (with shoulders / without) and all types of skin tones and hair selections to choose from. If not, hop on eBay and search for "Cosmetology Training Head" and you can see hundreds of them in many configurations. Some even come with a short tabletop stand to hold them on.

[@MapacheSoundNYC]

Great video, straight to the point!

[@michaelnilsson4764]

Just a few questions as I have a different workflow for exposure. 1. How do you ensure a correct exposure without a flashmeter - and also when shooting in natural/low light without strobes when light conditions also may vary? 2. The video show the histogram of correctly exposed skin tones - but is this just for having a reference point when you’re on set shooting? For instance, by remembering what a histogram for light caucasian skin should look like - and then try to arrive at a similar result on set? My workflow uses the X-rite ColorChecker, and I use zebras in camera to ensure I don’t clip the dark/bright areas. Also, making sure that e.g caucasian skin is around 60 IRE. I always shoot in RAW, so I always have a safety “buffer”, but always try to nail exposure in-camera before heading into post production.

[@HybridphotoPro]

Hi Michael, thanks for the excellent questions! Without a meter and when using available light, I'm a big fan of what I refer to as "pre-processing". Today's cameras have fabulous tools built into them that allow you to create first rate portraits. Pre-Processing means setting the camera with as much info as possible so it can interpret your ideas of how you want the final image to appear. Start with the exposure system and set the camera to auto exposure (if you've never tried auto ISO - try it? You can select the aperture and shutter speed then it chooses ISO), then choose a color/BW mode you like, be sure to select face-detect AF and either set the dynamic range manually or let it control that too. This is one reason I like the Fuji cameras because they have SO many film sim modes that give me expressive colors and really great B&W. Q2 - Yes, a correct FMhistogram is nothing more than a reference point that tells you all the tones are placed correctly for viewing and reproduction. If you make a lot of portrait prints to sell to customers, you will soon discover that if your FMhisto looks good - then your prints will look good too. No problem with using the 3 bar Xrite chart, but keep an eye on your dynamic range? The 3 bar will park your exposure right in the middle of the d-range (assuming your camera is set to a neutral exposure). That means that if you are shooting in direct sunlight that you need more highlight detail than you do shadow detail so placing your exposure in the "middle" may not be the best decision.... unless you are shooting RAW. Sounds like you do (not a problem BTW) and your RAW file will allow you to custom fit your d-range to your image's scene brightness. As you grow as a shooter, try my pre-processing method? Test yourself to set the camera carefully then shoot only a jpeg. Then remove the preprocessing settings and shoot a RAW like you typically would. Then compare the two and see if you cant get the jpeg to come out as good as the RAW? You may discover some BIG steps in your growth as a shooter. I did BTW when mirrorless came out. Being able to see a square B&W frame in the finder for instance, then adjusting the highlight detail and shadow detail right inside the finder was a game changer. It allowed me to "see" the B&W image as I was shooting it in a full color world. On that topic, I've seen test results that show Fuji's internal RAW processor (the one in the camera) will produce a jpeg better than post-processing the same RAW file in PS/LR to jpeg. The trick is knowing how to set the cameras preprocessing functions to match your "vision" of the final image. Thanks very much for the great questions Michael, please reach out any time. - Will

[@michaelnilsson4764]

Thanks for the thorough reply. I shoot using the Sony A7iii (mirrorless), so the camera provide a lot of guidance. What metering mode you pick for your shot also affect how the image turns out (if it’s an average of the complete scene or if I do selective spot metering). In most instances, it’s mostly about being aware of the quality and placement of light - and being mindful of what your primary subject is. If shooting in a backlight situation, with the subject dressed in black - you need to find a decent middleground or accept losing detail in either highlight or shadows.

[@HybridphotoPro]

@@michaelnilsson4764 Right on! Great info to post here Michale, thanks for helping.

[@jordanlavagnino3979]

Doesn’t false color (for video) do this same thing without having to take test footage back to your computer then going back to shoot?

[@HybridphotoPro]

Hi Jordan, yes, False Color does allow you to see various exposure ranges presented as bands of different colors much like focus peaking does for sharpness. I find False Color can manage my scene pretty well, but when it comes to portraiture - it's all about the face and False Color is just too hard to interpret at the same level of precision as the FMHistogram. I think that False Color can be great once you spend the time to really get the feel of it but I'm not sure it's as easy to master 1/10th stop control you get from FMHistogram. Please feel free to share if you think I may need to try it again and see if I CAN get it more precise? Thanks Jordan. -Will

[@willbrandford9607]

Thank You.....Thank You.......Thank You.....in the immortal words of Oliver....."more please"....

[@HybridphotoPro]

Hi Will, thanks mucho for the warm words my friend. More on the way!

[@b3lievenhopephotography578]

you should talk about reflections in glasses since its a common thing with flash

[@HybridphotoPro]

Great suggestion my friend! Thanks, Will

[@RDmediaTV]

Great video

[@HybridphotoPro]

Thanks! Plenty more on the way.

[@ibessf]

Good Video

[@HybridphotoPro]

Thank you, I hope it helps you!

[@ThatManDWill]

isn't this the same as spot metering?

[@WillCrockett]

Hi, great question. It's kinda similar to spot metering in the fact that it places the exposure on one spot of the photo - the facemask. Yet it's different from spotmetering because it's giving you the exposure of all the tones in the "spot" instead of just one. BTW, you can place a good quality grey card in front of the subject and use a spot meter to measure the light bouncing off the card - and it would read the same as using the lumisphere on the meter that's placed under the subjects chin. Thanks! -Will

[@thehumanityoflife6460]

I need to learn how to use adobe software and histogram before I watch this video. I am totally lost.

[@HybridphotoPro]

Yes, there are a few good videos on YT that explain what a histogram is - and how to "read" it. Once you understand histograms better, then how to find them in Photoshop (Command+L) come on back and watch this video a few times. Please download the test files in the description text above? They will help you LOTS while you are learning. Reach out to me if you need help? Good luck.

[@TheUnwillingFireman]

Do they have African American dummy models that don’t look more normal and not so scary???????😂🤣😂😂😂🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽JK. This video is truly awesome thank you so much for providing this information to me for free on KZbin!!!!!!!

[@HybridphotoPro]

haha - There are some better ones available but they get really spendy, so I just use the cheap ones. Just for fun, I store all the dummies on a shelf in a dark corner of my garage so when I have friends in the car they can catch just a glimpse of them in the headlights as the car pulls in. They ALWAYS ask! hahaha Thanks Adam, you are most welcome my friend. -Will

[@jarrellelee]

I’m late to this but I have a question. I see that you used a light meter at the beginning of this video. Does using the meter tell you if your exposure is correct?

[@HybridphotoPro]

Hey Jarrelle, Yes. It's actually a flashmeter my friend. Lightmeters measure only ambient / available light whereas flashmeters measure both available and flash - at the same time making it really easy to mix daylight and flash. A flashmeter measures the total amount of light volume from available light and from flash then it computes the exact exposure setting you need to make a perfect exposure. Photographers like myself, use them to create the lighting we are looking for by measuring each one of the lights as we put them up, then we'll combine all the lights to make one final exposure reading measured under the subjects chin. It's really that simple, nothing to be intimidated by. The meter reading will have the ISO, shutter speed and aperture accurately displayed in 1/10th stop precision making exposure repairs in photoshop a thing of the past. Just set your camera to the meter reading and make great pictures. The meter I use in this video is a little advanced for starters BTW, but take a look at the Sekonic L-478 meter to learn on? It's smaller, lighter (less expensive) but is VERY accurate. If budget is super tight, email me and I'll give you a list of used meters to buy on eBay. Reach out if you need any help thru my site at Crockett.pro. Glad to help you.

[@lizzettecruz5054]

Great video! Thanks! Subscribed.

[@HybridphotoPro]

Hi Lizzette! Thank you so much for the kind words, glad to have you aboard.

[@emilylamattery8597]

It says it can't find the page :(

[@HybridphotoPro]

Hi Emily, it looks like the link was truncated when I made changes to it. It's working now. Thank you SO much for letting me know. Have a groovy week. -Will www.dropbox.com/sh/hgz3prwnkxrwev4/AADeDeMhi0LqL3QmbjVYDCQAa?dl=1

[@lisafinney9014]

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🎮🎮

[@HybridphotoPro]

Thank you Lisa! Welcome to my channel and please reach out if you have a question or two? 🕴🏼

[@chriscorbin9565]

Or just use a grey card & the skin colour won't matter...

[@HybridphotoPro]

Hi Chris, using a grey card is great for custom white balance for most cameras and you are right that it will provide great color rendition for most skin tones. However, for exposure, the days of using a grey card are long gone. The auto d-range, auto highlight exposure correction and auto contrast adjustments that digital cameras provide means there is no "middle grey" to aim for any longer. This is why we need to calibrate our flashmeters using the Facemask Histogram to suit our camera, camera settings and even personal preference with one technique that encompasses all that goes into shooting a jpeg portrait that needs zero post production. Thanks for bringing this up Chris, much appreciated. -Will C