Technique

Understanding a Histogram

The biggest aid to digital exposure is the histogram which is available on quality digital equipment. The histogram is effectively a digital light meter but it gives far more information. The image below shows a typical histogram along with the picture that generated it.

It shows the distribution of tones. The dark tones are on the left hand side and the lighter ones on the right. The histogram is fairly typical from an average subject with an even distribution of dark and light tones.

A high key image has a higher proportion of light tones.

A low key image has a higher proportion of dark tones.

Both high key and low key images have their place and evoke different emotions. In fact, most of the images in the website are either high key or low key.