Sunny 16 Rule: Estimating Exposure Outdoors

By Jim Pickrell Some new digital photographers seem to have difficulty believing that you can shoot a digital camera in manual mode outdoors for most of the daylight hours without using a ...

2009-01-29T11:13:05Z

Digital Grin
By Jim Pickrell Some new digital photographers seem to have difficulty believing that you can shoot a digital camera in manual mode outdoors for most of the daylight hours without using a ...

This photo was shot in 1945 without a light meter - I know, because this is shot of your author age 1 in Fort Sam Houston Texas. The focus wasn’t too good, but the exposure wasn’t of ...

2009-02-03T11:40:10Z

Digital Grin
This photo was shot in 1945 without a light meter - I know, because this is shot of your author age 1 in Fort Sam Houston Texas. The focus wasn’t too good, but the exposure wasn’t of ...

Knowing this basic exposure allows us to draw up the following table based on exposure values. (To view and download a larger copy of this chart, click here.) Notice that the table shows ...

2009-02-03T11:40:45Z

Digital Grin
Knowing this basic exposure allows us to draw up the following table based on exposure values. (To view and download a larger copy of this chart, click here.) Notice that the table shows ...

One example that comes up frequently is people trying to shoot shots of the moon. They point their camera, in an automatic mode, at a black sky with a small, bright, white moon and find out ...

2009-02-03T11:39:33Z

Digital Grin
One example that comes up frequently is people trying to shoot shots of the moon. They point their camera, in an automatic mode, at a black sky with a small, bright, white moon and find out ...

Here is an image that is hard for meters do deal with - bright, sunlit snow. Indeed, I dialed in +1.33 Exposure compensation to help the meter read this scene. EXIF data -> f11.0 1/40th ...

2009-02-03T11:40:57Z

Digital Grin
Here is an image that is hard for meters do deal with - bright, sunlit snow. Indeed, I dialed in +1.33 Exposure compensation to help the meter read this scene. EXIF data -> f11.0 1/40th ...

f11.0 1/40th ..." title="Here is an image that is hard for meters do deal with - bright, sunlit snow. Indeed, I dialed in +1.33 Exposure compensation to help the meter read this scene. EXIF data -> f11.0 1/40th ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" />

Here is another very brightly lit snow field at 1,000 feet - not a cloud in the sky. EXIF data -> f8.0 1/500th ISO 100 Sunny 16 -> f8.0 1/400th ISO 100 Pretty close!

2009-02-03T11:36:08Z

Digital Grin
Here is another very brightly lit snow field at 1,000 feet - not a cloud in the sky. EXIF data -> f8.0 1/500th ISO 100 Sunny 16 -> f8.0 1/400th ISO 100 Pretty close!

f8.0 1/500th ISO 100 Sunny 16 -> f8.0 1/400th ISO 100 Pretty close!" title="Here is another very brightly lit snow field at 1,000 feet - not a cloud in the sky. EXIF data -> f8.0 1/500th ISO 100 Sunny 16 -> f8.0 1/400th ISO 100 Pretty close!" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" />

Here is another image - shot in a cloudy day with barely visible shadows calling for 2 stops more light than bright sunshine at 7500 feet in Wyoming. EXIF-> f5.6 ISO 400 1/1000th ...

2009-02-03T11:40:37Z

Digital Grin
Here is another image - shot in a cloudy day with barely visible shadows calling for 2 stops more light than bright sunshine at 7500 feet in Wyoming. EXIF-> f5.6 ISO 400 1/1000th ...

f5.6 ISO 400 1/1000th ..." title="Here is another image - shot in a cloudy day with barely visible shadows calling for 2 stops more light than bright sunshine at 7500 feet in Wyoming. EXIF-> f5.6 ISO 400 1/1000th ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" />

Again, the horse's shadow is barely visible, shot at 7000 feet in Wyoming. Add two stops: EXIF -> f11 ISO 400 1/200th Sunny 16 -> f11 ISO 400 1/200th Again, it seems ...

2009-02-03T11:39:30Z

Digital Grin
Again, the horse's shadow is barely visible, shot at 7000 feet in Wyoming. Add two stops: EXIF -> f11 ISO 400 1/200th Sunny 16 -> f11 ISO 400 1/200th Again, it seems ...

f11 ISO 400 1/200th Sunny 16 -> f11 ISO 400 1/200th Again, it seems ..." title="Again, the horse's shadow is barely visible, shot at 7000 feet in Wyoming. Add two stops: EXIF -> f11 ISO 400 1/200th Sunny 16 -> f11 ISO 400 1/200th Again, it seems ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" />