Robert Herb Photography Blog

Underwater photography presents unique challenges, especially regarding exposure. From uneven lighting to color distortion caused by water, achieving a balanced exposure is crucial to capturing stunning underwater images. One of the most powerful tools for mastering this is the histogram. In this post, I'll guide you through using the histogram in Adobe Lightroom to fine-tune your underwater photos, ensuring optimal exposure and preserving every detail. Understanding the Histogram The histogram is a graphical representation of the tonal values in your image. It divides the tones into five main sections: Blacks: Representing the darkest tones, found on the far left. Shadows: Slightly brighter dark areas, just right of the blacks. Midtones: The middle section represents evenly balanced tones. Highlights: Brighter areas are located right of the midtones. Whites: The brightest tones, represented on the far right. In Adobe Lightroom, the ...

In the next few blogs, I would like to dive into some features that are part of most cameras or part of the tools used in post-processing software such as Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop. What is a Histogram? A histogram is a graphical representation of the tonal distribution in an image. It displays the distribution of brightness levels, from shadows on the left to highlights on the right. The horizontal axis represents the tonal range (from dark to light), while the vertical axis indicates the frequency or the amount of pixels at each brightness level. What Does a Histogram Do? Exposure Evaluation : The histogram helps photographers assess the exposure of an image. Tonal Distribution: It shows a photograph's shadows, mid-tones, and highlights distribution. Highlight and Shadow Clipping: Histograms reveal if any areas are overexposed (highlight clipping) or underexposed (shadow clipping). Interpreting Histograms: 1. Properly Exposed Histogram: Appearance: The graph covers the e...