Histograms, part two

The first thing to consider is that there is no such thing as the perfect or Ideal  histogram, the histogram exists to give us the photographer some very valuable data. The data can then be used by the photographer to create the mood and impact that they want. On my workshops I often get photographers with similar brands of camera and the histogram is very different, it can be daunting getting your head around it, however it is worth the time and effort. The more you understand the dynamics of your histogram on your camera the more you can understand the file that will be available to play with in your software.

The Luminosity Histogram is the result of a lot of complex calculations that the cameras computer will do for you. The general purpose is to approximate how the human eye will perceive the image. The light meter built into your camera measures Reflectance-  the amount of light reflected by the subject/object in the image. In the above image you see the histogram all over on the right side -the bright side, this could be my choice for this style of image.

The image below is basically the complete opposite of the top image.