Chapter 1: The Art of the Exposure

Good exposure in a photograph is one of those creative experiences where the result is often far greater than the total of the steps used to get there. If you’ve ever seen a potter at work, throwing globs of wet clay onto a spinning potter’s wheel and shaping an object with an assortment of sticks, bits of wire, and dabs with a wet cloth, you’ve seen this idea in action. As the piece progresses, out of these mundane ingredients and almost childlike methods, gradually a soft, graceful shape emerges and transforms mere clay into an inspired work. The potter has a vision and is able to extract that vision from the materials at hand.

So too do great photographic exposures arise from the most basic tools and techniques. Yes, a good exposure is the product of routine technical choices such as metering correctly, choosing the right lens aperture and shutter speed, and setting the optimum white balance. But when these ordinary steps are combined in a purposeful way by a skilled craftsperson, exposure rises above the level of simple “correctness” and something fascinating happens: Exposure itself becomes a creative element in the photograph. Thoughtfully considered and well-executed exposure choices can transform an ordinary subject into an extraordinary photograph.