Go dark.

Just a little bit.

A quick tip.

I often under-expose my shots by about half a stop.

So when I look at the screen on the back of my camera, the image looks a little dark.

Here's why.

The detail in your digital image contains data.

I find that there's more data retained in the dark areas than the light ones.

So a bright bit of daylight literally 'burns' away the detail.

Forever.

However, the combination of modern camera sensors and quality software like Lightroom, means that it's easier than ever to pull out the data from darker areas of your image.

Which means you can pull out detail you never realised was there.

If it's a choice between under or over exposing a shot, go dark.

Just a little bit.

I stole this tip from Jimmy Chin. - https://www.masterclass.com/classes/jimmy-chin-teaches-adventure-photography

You can find YouTube tutorials about underexposing your photos here.

💡

Greg Villalobos

The original exposed to capture the highlights in the sky.

The Lightroom edited shot with the shadows pulled up a little. I also toned down the blue sky.