STOP UNDEREXPOSING PORTRAITS!

[@TonyAndChelsea]

⭐Lightroom + Photoshop: sdp.io/adobedeal ⭐Premiere Pro CC: sdp.io/pcc ⭐Full CC suite: sdp.io/cc 📕Stunning Digital Photography on Amazon help.tc/s 📘Lightroom 6 Book on Amazon help.tc/l 📙Photoshop Book on Amazon help.tc/p 📗Buying Guide on Amazon help.tc/b

[@anthonylevy7030]

Tony & Chelsea Northrup m

[@iambijay3]

Tony & Chelsea Northrup tqs

[@iamneallyons4263]

that made a lot of sense thanks Tony, its something iv been wondering for a while now weather to under or over expose photos - Theres obviously a time and place for both but this just made good sense, cheers.

[@ELBlDu]

ok, I love this Osprey shot! I completely understand the sliders and "why" but cant understand how you got to just higlighting the croped portions of the images.........thank you for this video.

[@aypphotographyworkshop3154]

Are you have magazinne?

[@gangstabib]

I never thought about cropping and looking at the histogram. Thanks for the tip Tony.

[@luqmanibrahim8675]

Same here. Nice technique

[@L.Spencer]

I don't know how to use the histogram yet, but it's going to be useful when I do, since I initially thought the underexposed pictures were fine.

[@Aabbcczzxxcc]

You can simple do it without crop. Just open curve window and hold ctrl, than just put cursor on any image area you need to see on the curve histogramm.

[@ZenrioBelieve]

i dont understand how you open curve window

[@inevitablecraftslab]

@@ZenrioBelieve command+m

[@NicsHODLN]

Why wouldn't you underexpose to save the highlights and then just use the adjustment brush to up the exposure on the face? You can't get back highlights so underexposing is the lesser of 2 evils. After all we shoot in RAW for a reason.

[@punishmentforall]

Quite right - I recently ran into a severe case when shooting visible mountains on a cloudy day with people in foreground.

[@Mikri90]

@Mista Dobalina Mr. Bob Dobalina you make it sound like you have to use fill light to be a pro. I beg to differ. Some people prefer working with available light. So regarding that fill light, no matter how well you do it, it never gives off the same vibe as an all-natural light image. Also, many do it in such a way that it really ruins an image aesthetically. A technically pedantic image isn't necessarily an aesthetically pleasing one, keep that in mind.

[@frankzayas3103]

I think this video is aimed at people who underexpose and then leave it that way. I think he knows that many of us underexpose a bit in camera with the intention of working it out in post to get a better image. But there are a ton one beginners out there that would benefit from this video.

[@RawloftheDead]

Nicholas Brickhouse that's what I'm saying

[@inevitablecraftslab]

true! what he says is meant for negative film not for digital. about beeing pro vs fillflash. to me photography should be about painting with light, and a photographer that uses 5 flashlights to make his (light)vision reality gets more respect from me than a a photographer that had a nice sunny day by chance. Don't get me wrong i don't use flashs outside. But still, beeing able to model your light and replicate an idea that you had in your mind affords more knowledge, feeling and talent than just using whats there. The rest of the equipment model etc beeing the same of course. That of course has nothing to do with beeing pro, which just means that you earn your money with it. On the other hand, if you can afford it to shoot only when outside lightning conditions are perfect, you most probably don't pay your living with photos :)

[@TonyAndChelsea]

NOTE: I'm trying to help photographers using natural light and autoexposure by getting them to think about the best exposure for the subject. If you're already shooting in manual mode and using strobes and light modifiers to balance the foreground and background, this video isn't for you. Sure, you've deliberately underexposed your portraits for some reason. Of course, that's fine. There's no right or wrong, as long as you're making a deliberate choice. What's "wrong" is accepting your camera's autoexposure without any thought. Yes, lots of people really do that. And yes, you use spot metering or manual exposure. That's cool. You're being deliberate about it. This video was intended for more beginning photographers than you.

[@JoeyDoingThings]

Tony & Chelsea Northrup Never the less, you should still expect to be told how stupid you are! 😉

[@pperentes]

Another problem is that people don't process their images with a calibrated monitor and usually have the brightness cranked up, causing underexposed photos.

[@tonyugotv8010]

this is my problem and I solved this by looking at my histogram more often.

[@mdturnerinoz]

Not only is the histogram useful to help correct this when shooting, but so is a light meter. The Adorama folks like Gavin Hoey and Mark Wallace are proponents of light meter use.

[@martinaee]

Fair enough. This video is definitely more applicable to beginners. Sometimes you just don't want someone's face perfectly bright and exposed. But for beginners who are consistently underexposing no matter what and don't understand how to fix in camera and post this is good advice.

[@markwillride]

What I learned that I didn’t already know: Lightroom creates the histogram only from within the crop. And “generally” faces should be in the right third. Thank you for the time and money you put in to your posts. I realize there is probably a financial incentive to keep you going. But I perceive a genuine interest in helping us.

[@Sean41611]

Underexposing images properly and bringing the detail back in post will always produce a better image. But.... that goes hand in hand with knowing how to retouch.

[@JBanchiere]

I think the question is diminishing returns. If you lose a small amount of detail in the background, but you really don't need to do much in post, isn't that better than having to work through a batch of photos?

[@maximilian3004]

I agree with Sean completely. To address your question, Jeremy, the issue isn't about how much work you have to put in but what is actually possible after the image has been captured. I personally have found it far better to EV comp a half stop down and properly expose in postpro due to the fact that most camera sensors are much better with shadow detail than highlight detail. You can push an image a lot further than you can pull it, so it's better to bump up the EV in post than try to recover searing highlights in LR/PS/whathaveyou. Again, it goes back to knowing how to retouch.

In your dreams maybe.

Picture and video is LIGHT. You ALWAYS should give the MAXIMUM possible light to your pictures/videos. But this only works when u know what are u doing...

[@mikepawlikguitar]

Why wouldn't you just expose correctly in the first place? Modern cameras have excellent metering modes so there's really no excuse. Recovering shadows seems to add more work and has the potential to introduce noise. Any protog will tell you to just nail exposure in-camera which will, invariably, always lead to a higher quality image.

[@bcramer0515]

Great tip to crop on the subject and then check the histogram.

[@airfang613]

I appreciate Tony's video, though I think a lot of the major controversial could have been avoided if Tony has simply stated in the video something like "there are photographers that like to preserve highlights when shooting and adjust in post, but I like ...". On a side note, it *would* be very cool if Tony can make a video demonstrate the results from both techniques: 1) expose for the subject's face, and try recovering highlight in post 2) expose for the highlights, and try adjust subject's brightness later

[@Photoguy15]

"The the cropping is just serving to prevent us from being distracted from theb but with the background, but the background is the background..." -Tony Northrup March 4th 2017 Inspirational words that will forever be immortalized.

[@ilonkadaz-alwaysandforever9114]

In instances such as these, I will meter for the subject, then dodge and burn in the detail. Use a curves adjustment layer; lighten the image, invert it (Ctrl+I - this will turn the mask black, and the photo will appear as normal) then gently paint in (with white paint) the highlight detail. Don't forget to adjust the opacity of your paintbrush. To treat the shadow detail, add another curves adjustment layer, darken the image, invert it (Ctrl+I - this will turn the mask black, and the photo will appear as normal), and paint (as before) with with white paint. Using separate adjustment layers thus, keeps everything separate. Also I use a levels adjustment layer to check the histogram. I like to see a tiny gap on the right, then I adjust the right hand slider and bring it to the tip of the highlight. NB: I like to shoot to the right; 1/3 -2/3 of a stop, this keeps the highlights in check. Oh, I nearly forgot! Spot metering! And good light. If you start off with the potential for a good photo, you'll probably make one. I won't waste my time if the light is bad. "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!" Happy shooting all! Nice vid' Tony!

[@robertfield4103]

Tony is the most unpretenious yet practiced Maestro I have ever seen. Excellent yet easy to watch! What Ramsey Lewis is to smooth jazz, Tony is to smooth photography.

[@ricdynasty]

This is seriously the best KZbin channel for all things photography! Always so informative and easy to follow.

[@CurtTweedle]

I never realized that the histogram adjusted for what is showing when I crop. That is extremely useful. Thank you. :)

[@Jdinrbfidndifofkdndjoflfndjdk]

I like the first underexposed one. Raw, smooth and a lot of information. You can pull it up a bit in the face if you want it. Isn't that's what people do when shooting video?

[@JustmePaulie]

You can correct underexposed images. Overexposed can't...

[@onlysublime]

Or... you can do a proper exposure and not have to overcorrect...

[@Ranblv]

I just use a radial filter and move the levels on the face alone. no need to crop or ruin the sky.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Good idea!

[@BillFerris]

Ran Bar-Levi great tip.

[@Teeb2023]

Yep, I use the radial filter as a way around having to import/export to PS for finer tuning, as long as you apply suitable feathering to the radial edge.

[@brentdrafts2290]

Ran Bar-Levi Shabang!

[@EricLouisYoung]

yeah cuz radial filters are how the pros make pro results. get that shit outta here

[@naeemahmadi5507]

well mentioned tony,,,it's a common issue in my high dynamic range portraits too(without fill flash),,,,i do it intentionally because of the fact bringing back shadows is easier than highlights in post (not too much underexposed),,,but you're totally right, pushing up the shadows slider in lightroom can't compensate the underexposure too much and the photo gets ruined ,,,,,

[@andwhatdoiwritehere]

I didn't realize how much I was doing this exact thing until I went back to lightroom, have since revamped my latest 20 or so shots, makes them pop so much more. Great advice!

[@jonzmoviebar7580]

This is the tip of the pro I needed for years! All the time I was under or over expose because other 'pros' taught me to not clip not and do' this thing' all over the picture. I knew something were wrong in my photos in post, but I strictly followed the 'pros' advice because it was the way to do. I feel now I have more power now with this tip! Thanks!

[@casewade6275]

Cropping the photo to have an accurate histogram of the actual subject of the photo is such a simple but genius tip. Thank you for the game changing tip!

[@artursrudavs373]

that's a weird advice. you might as well be shooting jpeg then if you're okay with clipped highlights. why not expose for highlights (if you want to save them), and isolate the face and balance the exposure in post? that's the beauty of raw

[@PeeHooo]

Image will be cleaner and skin tones better if you expose for the face in the first place.

[@shifteleven]

Artūrs Rudavs I think the point is that if you want to recover highlights, go ahead. but you need to expose for the subject even in RAW. and if you don't want to recover the highlights then at least get it right in the camera. I guess it's about being more deliberate and getting the exposure for the final photo right

[@rupamkonar]

totally agree with you mate....this advice from Tony is really weird...I prefer to under expose the face a little bit to capture all the details using raw format and post process using photoshop. I believe I learned this from Dani Diamond.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

If you're shooting raw, you probably won't be clipping the highlights, and you do have the option of recovering them. I always like to have as many options available in post as possible. Most cameras give about +2 stops of highlight recovery, and that's generally more than enough. But if you do shoot JPG, you need to watch those clipped highlights more carefully.

[@xenofonvaridakis2468]

Depends on what you want.If you expose for the highlights and make the subject brighter in post you will loose contrast on the face which can actually make skintones look better.If you want your subject to be contrasty you clip when taking the photo.Am i thinking right?

[@minusinfinity6974]

Nice video Tony, but one thing. Modern cameras have great DR now, especially FF cameras, but even most of the APS-C. Protecting the highlights is no longer an issue with these ISOless cameras. You can also lift the shadows, while retaining detail in the background, or use much less exposure compensation and a less shadow lifting to balance the subject and background. On the Sony A7R3 for example it has highlight metering, so you combine this with a +1.7-+2EV exposure compensation. The highlights are protected and the shadows are super clean. Don’t worry that the image will look too bright, you fix that in post. Of course in the past older camera sensors would not allow you to increase so much as you would generate noise on the subject’s face, but that’s not really an issue now.

[@davidmadden8931]

I like that you included the bird picture. I do not photograph birds often but this is a good way to think about working post-processing.

[@thomaskoch6544]

It really is annoying how many people just don't (want to) get the point of that video. Of course, it comes down to preference. And yes, you could use a light meter or a flash or what not. But as a matter of fact, most people don't because they are just not at that level. And here comes the simple message of the video: Think more about your exposure, and don't just shoot carelessly.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Amen. People in YT comments like to jump on beginner videos and let everyone know that they're next-level. It's like if I went to a YT channel that reads books to little kids and was like, "OH, you're reading Charlotte's Web?! LMAO. You should be reading Dostoyevsky instead. That's what EVERY REAL BOOK READER does!"

[@Lionheart2323]

Tony & Chelsea Northrup lol!

[@eladbari]

Thomas Koch I totally get it, and im all for Tony. But, what if you dont shoot @50mm lens with blurred background. Lets say, a 35mm @f4, and you do want your background to be seen as well as your subject (since they connect in color or form), yet, you are a natural light shooter. Not using flash to compensate etc? If youre using RAW, then my first hunch is that its totally ok (and even better) to underexpose your subject and then bring her/him back to life & to the correct exposure, rather than burning all of your background white.. Again...just a hunch.

[@thomaskoch6544]

eladbari Be my guest. You can always find examples to do something else. It's called creativity. But what's the point in discussing that any further? That whole YT culture has become so strange. Maybe people are lacking self-confidence and need some kind of confirmation for everything. Honestly, I so admire those who still bother to produce and publish quality videos at all. Must be hard at times. Oh and by the way, I like "environmental portraits" with a sharp background. That's a good way of telling stories. But I doubt that Tony was talking about that 😉

[@thishdude]

Thomas Koch imma ask something dumb but what's the name of the app he is using :/

[@STANDRDUSER]

My cousin taught me how to use the Histogram, I’m so used to it now. It’s refreshing to watch more insight from KZbinrs

[@mattyist7]

Some photographers purposely underexpose portraits (Dani Diamond for an example) they underexpose the photo so that the ambient light isn't clipping while at the same time trying to avoid underexposing the subject to the point you can't recover the darkness cleanly. So as long as the quality of light hitting the subject is good then having it underexposed won't be a problem since today's cameras capture so much information in the raw files that you can easily selectively brighten certain areas up. But at the end of the day there is no right or wrong way of doing things it's just all personal preference ahah.

[@VipulDK]

Excellent video and very well explained/demonstrated. I never thought about adjusting portraits this way (by cropping and increasing the exposure) and then uncropping and decreasing highlights. Thank you!

[@wesleygcoleman]

Great advice Tony, I think this is true for most any type of photo too. I've found that when I go to print a photo it always looks 1-2 stops darker than on a screen. Ever since I noticed this my camera is almost always pegged at +1 EV. I think it's very easy to think a dark photo looks ok when you're looking at it on a digital device with a backlit screen.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Yeah, agreed... that's why I try to preach to use the histogram, because you can't tell the relative brightness from an LCD screen.

[@Crazy_Dashcam_Videos]

Your screen is too bright!

[@sherrymunguia2886]

I wish that I seen this a couple of hours ago before I turned in my homework. I can't believe it's as easy as cropping down to just focus on the facial tone in order to help in post. I will definitely be using this trick from now on. Thanks for the video/ information.

[@kevinzahri78]

great and simple explanation on how to use the histogram to correct exposure for portraits.

[@Minhchupchoet]

Correct me if I'm wrong: You're able to restore those details in the background cause you underexposed in camera. If you exposed for the face in camera then details in the background are lost, there'll be very little to none recoverable details in the background for post.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

If you're shooting JPG, that would be true. If you're shooting raw, there's usually about 1.5 to 2 stops of overexposure latitude. So, you'd probably be fine.

[@brienbliatout7562]

Minh posted my exact thought. I definitely lean towards doing exactly what you preached Tony, but I do often experience having nothing in the highlights/whites I can pull back. So I do understand the school of thought that underexposes and fixes it in post, which I think is being promoted by some. If there's detail in a bright background that I'd like to keep, but they would get clipped out by exposing for the subject, I tend to bracket, or pull out film. If you happen to have some constructive thoughts on this, I, and probably Minh, would be really happy to hear it :-) First time responding to one of your videos by the way. Been a viewer for a while now, and really enjoy your channel. Keep it up!

[@jedteng2650]

Minh Quach I was thinking the same too..

[@Minhchupchoet]

Tony & Chelsea Northrup firstly, I want to clarify that I shoot in RAW. Secondly, from my experience, I find that there are a lot more information kept in underexposed areas of an image that can be recovered compared to overexposed ones. And as Brien mentioned, I also saw videos from other pros promoting the opposite of what you said in this video. I'm not trying to prove that you're wrong, just trying to have a constructive and healthy discussion. I've been a subscriber of yours for quite a while and love what you've been doing.

[@adventureboy8088]

Minh Quach I'm here with you

[@braindead9919]

Usually I will say that Tony is one of the most accurate and well spoken photographers that i've seen. But here I've got to disagree, especially for those of us that use wide dynamic range sensors. Given the fact that it is generally better to raise tones than lower them, in post, with photographic digital files, I think that tony will find that using post corrections [Lightroom] is not analogous to using camera adjustments. Many times one can keep the SUBJECT exposure down (but too far to far as to damage it) and get the more of the background without clipping it. This would allow more of the background to be kept without loss of saturation in the clipped areas, while not damaging the exposure of the subject. Of course the subject will look dark on the screen and in a first view raw file, but it is not technically under exposed because it is all there. Then post manipulation will allow one to achieve the balance desired.

[@studiogab5095]

That is Legitimately True! We Cannot Save an Overexposed image So Having underexposed raw file is much more Flexible to save More Details and it's actually more Greater to be able to Take the Candid Photos and just Post processed it to get our Most Desirable Shot and Look

[@truemorpheus]

What about liking the aesthetic of an underexposed face? Photography is art and art has no rules! If you want a standard industry portrait I guess you are right but a lot of times it doesn't look natural

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Yeah, if you're making a deliberate choice, that's fine. But most people I see with underexposed shots just didn't think it through.

[@andrewpage8235]

I just bought the book, "Stunning Digital Photography" off of Amazon and it should be here anytime today. Can't wait to start reading it.

[@MrMoonpie001]

That was a big help Tony just starting out in photography and my portraits have been a disaster. I got to get my mind off of the main rules of shooting and start making specific corrections for situations. This video is getting me back in the right direction. Thanks Moonpie

[@amigoscode]

What mic is that Tony ?

[@tubularsensation]

I'm just curious why you'd blow out the background, when you could bring up the mids for a pretty much properly exposed image in post? Your way, blowing out the highlights is un-recoverable, am I missing something?

[@retanafam]

I love your KZbin channel I am beggining in photography and your videos have helped me understand so much about my camera and about understanding the setting and editing

[@richardpcrowe]

I normally tend to use fill flash in my outdoor portraits which usually solves the exposure problem,.. I do this even for informal portraits...

[@jimpool6096]

Just found this video from 2 years ago. Very good tutorial on not underexposing portraits. Well done.

[@Kreilo2412]

What a great way of learning about subject exposure, by cropping the image and looking at the histogram. I will be doing that for my next portraits definitely.

[@509FUN]

Helping me a ton with these videos and your book, thanks a bunch tony, and Chelsea!

[@zvkvhs3818]

I love that crop technique! That's a great tip.

[@alandargie7180]

agree!

[@hlawin4181]

⁰iùù fp

[@BillFerris]

Nice tip. I particularly like the use of the cropping tool and LR's exposure comp to illustrate the fact the subject is dark. Thanks for sharing.

[@isabelmorales2838]

When he showed the before pictures, I thought they were fine. But once he showed the after pictures, I saw a difference. Amazing vid!!

[@GulfCoastGoPro]

That crop trick to use that histogram has helped me so much, thank you!

[@clauswolter3946]

Cool! I like that method in post for what you miss in camera. Thanks for sharing.

[@1articoli]

Valid points, but I'd say that the brightened version of Chelsea's face is just a little too bright.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

That's OK, it's a matter of taste. As long as people make the brightness choice deliberately, rather than just accepting their camera's default.

[@1articoli]

I agree. I know you were working quickly for demo purposes. The difference between your preference and mine was very little.

[@Semeyaza]

Damn... that "crop and histogram check" just saved at least a dozen portrit of my daughter I was not happy with. So simple... Thanks Tony! Cheers

[@YaStarz]

The pictures were taken perfectly fine. I usually take my pictures underexposed soI dont lose details. I can always make the picture brighter later.

[@nexuscomm5916]

This is a great point! I have had this question for a long time. If we "correctly" expose skin tones every time, every picture will look the same. For instance, the picture of Madeline that's "underexposed" looks just like what it its, an overcast moody day. However, once you "correctly" expose for the skin it looks like its a bright sunny day. Now imagine shooting the same picture at around dusk where we, with our own eyes see the scene really dark and that is how we notice its Dusk/almost night. If you "correctly" expose for the skin the scene will look like its a sunny day again when its not, its Dusk.

[@davehyper7835]

Thanks for the upload. good advice for those who just like to shoot and catch the moment when you haven't got time to mess with settings and lug flashes and light meters around. Shoot RAW and tweak any miss exposed shots later with ease. job done, Thanks again Tony!

[@TonyAndChelsea]

You're welcome!

[@arohila]

Love your videos and tips. Thanks Tony and Chelsea.

[@philipjacob5878]

nice ob Tony and Chelsy. I learned something new today. Thanks so much

[@mountainhobo]

Tony, way back when, you could use a hand-held ambient light meter (yeah, I'm old) to always get a good exposure for the skin. Do hand-held ambient light meters not work well with digital anymore, or could one still use the same technique? I still have my Minolta meter somewhere.

[@portblock]

I use one for all my serious work. I dont use one for my quick run and gun stuff, but anything that is deliberate I use it. His advice should have been point the built in spot meter at something average brightness to get a meter reading for settings.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

It can work, it's just easier, cheaper, and faster to look at the preview and histogram.

[@mountainhobo]

Thank you both. I guess I will dust off my Minolta. BTW, Tony, I am not sure I agree with you about the "faster" part. Histogram in the camera reflects camera's idea of what a jpeg conversion would be, doesn't it? It is not a true reflection of raw capabilities, is it? If I am correct, then certain amount of guesswork is still involved. Also, if you take multiple photos in the same light but props change (shirt color, background, etc), it might be more efficient to take measurement once with the light meter, and not worry about chimping all the time.

[@portblock]

You are 100% on point! This is how the working pros do it. I dont want what could work. in that case we would all be shooting 5 step bracket shots. When I shoot, I measure and done. When I shoot runway, I step onto the runway and meter.

[@tommynikon2283]

ALL in-camera meters are REFLECTED mode. Hand meters are INCIDENT, (and some offer incident + Spot (reflected)....like my Sekonic) Most pros don't use a (hand) meter at all; that's one of the many changes w/ digital. I'll' still use a meter in studio for ratios, etc. + for MF and LF (film) out on location. (beats packing a Polaroid back, etc.)

[@ted1s]

I use radial filter for face to not ruin the background, but I will try croping for face before to see histogram. Thanks!

[@jeffrendered3564]

I ordered Tony's Lightroom book last night and watched a couple of the video tutorials...Tony's goatee was hauntingly memorizing.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

😆😆

[@ELBlDu]

but did you learn LR?

[@RazibShahrier]

Hi Tony, I honestly have learn a lot from you. This videos is way helpful those who wanna take some quality portrait. Thanks for your great tips.

[@kaichinn]

There also is the art aspect.. When you are taking photos of things like birds and you expose for the subject in the camera knowing that the highlights will be blown out and you cannot get the detail back, then you under expose a stop or two to keep the highlights knowing you can do what you did here in your video to bring up the exposure and still have the highlights. I understand your point Tony and both ways have their benefits.

[@joshualknl]

I think the reason you might underexpose the subject in backlit situations is so that you dont clip the highlights in the face. Then you can apply a radial filter to the subject (tastefully) or just globally adjust the levels as you do. Ironically, the technique you demonstrates provides a counter point to your advice not to underexposed images. When the background overwhelms the foreground, it is tricky in camera to get the correct exposure. For example, you might overcompensate and lose detail to clipped highlights in the face. Thus you play it safe by underexposing the face and correcting in post, again as you do. Of course for those who don’t do post processing or are unaware of the above, this video services to inform them about this issue.

[@MOAB-UT]

I don't know much about photography but I am trying to learn. What I read so far is that it is best to "correctly" expose and that what the camera tells and shows you is not always accurate. Knowing "your" gear is an important piece. Also, there are not many hard fast rules- just principles that can vary one shot to the next. My understanding, is that when you are on the fence, whether to "very slightly" (one stop) over or one stop, under expose will depend on a few unique factors. The consensus seems to be if you under expose too much, the image will get more noisy trying to recover the shadow details vs. if you over expose and dial things down. Extremes on either end are not good for their own reasons. In brief, Under E=Noise & Over E=Blown out highlights neither of which is any good. I recently learned how to view the histogram in my Nikon D5500. This should at least help to guide me. I can see what is going on more accurately and in real time. One issue I am having when I shoot using Aperture Priority/AP mode, when my light is low, my ISO quickly shoots through the roof, as in up to 25,600. Can anyone suggest a way to avoid or limit this? Should I set my max ISO to a limit value of 1,600? I assume that would then slow down my shutter speed. That would probably be ok as I use a tripod and remote shutter. If it is a critical shot, should I simply use Exposure Bracketing? My D5500 has this feature. By taking 3 shots (1-under exposed, 1- just right and 1- over exposed), I will retain all the information needed in post. It's more work, but worth it for that one in a million shot like a sunrise/set. I always shoot in the highest quality, RAW format.

[@Jeff-jg7jh]

Cool, someone finally mentioned the magic of taking the blue lumanince(I tried every combination) down to salvage the sky. The underside of birds(or planes) always ends up kind of dark, but the shadow slider is what always go to rather than exposure.

[@JohnBarrow1961]

The cropping technique is very cool. Thanks.

[@RockstarBruski]

Great tutorial video! Very easy to understand! 👍👍

[@majicMix911]

Wow, that was a jam packed 5 minutes of bursting at the brims with knowledge.

[@scotthullinger9955]

Another option, if possible, is simply to select a better for venue for portraits, one with more even lighting. I prefer a somewhat more even dynamic range with such pictures. And using an on-camera flash for fill flash illumination on the person, whilst even simultaneously giving less exposure to the background (by increasing your shutter speed, or choosing a small aperture), are yet another few options to consider. Plus, using an incident light meter for your subject is another option, and is perhaps the most logical option, and the best choice of all. Of course, It can be hard to figure all of this out at first. But eventually it becomes like an automatic instinct. Not exactly totally natural light, but I say always arrive prepared. In order to attract more attention to the subject's face, it usually helps to make the surrounding areas in the photo somewhat darker, or even more than just slightly underexposed. If all else fails, and as oddly as it might seem, you might even try to accomplish an extreme dynamic range when few other options are easily at your disposal. (High key, and low key lighting techniques). Despite what I've said, I rarely shoot in raw, because I'd rather improve my photography techniques, instead of becoming an expert user of software like Photoshop. Hmm, now THAT is what I find more challenging than doing the photography in the first place - - using Photoshop or Lightroom!

[@ayhancapan]

The best photography teacher ever

[@52701970]

Thanks Tony.. that was a great way that you explained it.

[@giacomopinale4573]

very useful info mr. Northrup! thanks a lot!

[@VefaKucukboyaci]

Very useful tips. Thank you!

[@Nealeb1970]

I don't like people trying to tell people what's right or wrong. this is art, it's what looks right to you that's all that matters

[@thomasmoje5926]

Histogram schmistogram: I focus on the eyes, meter exposure off the face and lock it in, and use depth of field to control out of focus elements in the background. Use fill flash if necessary. That's it.

[@T-Slider]

That was a great quickie Tony!

[@paulinefollett3099]

Good basic tips. Thanks for sharing.

[@juliabarbosa8487]

this was great, thanks for the tips

[@davidrandolph1863]

Great tip, Tony. Love your videos keep it up!

[@csmorgan]

Short sweet and to the point, well done! Thanks for the cropping tip

[@digitalblasphemy1100]

The dog whisperer is always droppin good advice

[@gregcurtis6807]

Thanks Tony that's great! I've never thought about cropping the face to check the exposure and it's so clear when you do!

[@haikushack]

Very nice tip! I would have never thought of it!

[@photaudiotech5550]

what you call wrong, right, mistake, better, ... I call it all test. But you right it is great to know the technic, and how to achieve different looks. But I would not call underexpose a mistake. Not everybody want a bright happy wedding compatible face photograph. You sometime want something more moody, smoother, hidden or nostalgic. On music it is great to know how to play in major and minor scale. And playing minor scales is not a mistake but a choice to get the mood you want. Thanks again for these free informative contents.

[@TheMrZnyper]

More frequent short videos like this please, and more Chelsea.

[@redauwg911]

Great advice Tony. thankyou for the video. p.s. Chelsea looked amazing...

[@iamfrankstallone]

@4:54 you mention Photoshop being a better place for working on the image with a brush and smooth feathering. You use Lightroom, typically I use CameraRaw. Would you do that work you're talking about there in CameraRaw? I do, just wondering if you have a different methodology. Either way I'd love to see videos on that... If you haven't already done any. You guys have a huge library of videos. =)

[@brandonphipps_PP]

If you open a RAW file in either Photoshop or Lightroom (I think, I'm much more experienced with Photoshop) then it will essentially launch the Camera Raw application for you in a Photoshop/Lightroom window. So you can do everything you want in there and then either save it directly or open the image and continue editing in Photoshop/Lightroom!

[@mantid83]

Awesome stuff! Thank you!

[@PhotographyTVcom]

Great video Tony!

[@Crashoverall]

one of the best tips about portraits on the internet

[@JCarlos.unknown]

Great tips. Really useful. Thanks.

[@FORZALEGEND360]

Just getting into photography and this helps me a lot thanks.

[@36686593]

What a great tip, thanks for sharing tony.

[@punishmentforall]

Thanks Tony. Excellent tips.

[@anthonyhershko]

Great video as usual! I always shooting with 2 points to the right (in the exposure slider) that's in the most of the cases works

[@jacus58]

This was very helpful, thank you Tony, well done

[@horaciomillan4181]

It was very clear and didactic, thank you. On the other side, why not highlight the shadows?The resulta would be very different?

[@nyn2k259]

Great video can you tell me how did you crop then raise the exposure on your subject then uncrop the photo? please thanks.

[@FoodHealthFit]

Thanks for the video Tony, nice technique

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Glad to help!

[@AK-de3ej]

I totally agree with this topic. Additionally I observed that when underexposed photos are printed on the photo paper the final look of the photo is awful in comparison with a properly exposed.

[@AnkitVerma-nf3wv]

good one... helpful and informative. Thanks!

[@Addamo]

Tony, I often use the elliptical selection tool to make a selection on the face to push the eposure and and feather it. That saves you from over exposing the BG.

[@techreviewz87]

the guru has spoken. love this video !