Should You Underexpose Your Photos? By Manual Ortiz

This is one for all the aspiring portrait photographers out there! When you are starting out in portrait photography it can get a little confusing when you start learning about exposure; do you always aim to get the correct exposure in-camera? Do you overexpose slightly and pull the image back in post-production, or simply underexpose and lighten the image later? The problem with learning to shoot in a specific way (and sticking with it no matter what) is that it won’t always work out, circumstances always come into play and could mess with your results. Let’s say for example you are shooting against a bright sky, do you expose for the sky or for the subject? Well, hopefully, this video by lifestyle and wedding photographer, Manual Ortiz will help.

You might remember we’ve shared other videos by Manual in the past, including; “10 Quick tips on how to pose women” and “The do’s and don’ts when photographing models“. About this video, Manny says; “I talk about why I like to underexpose my portraits MOST OF THE TIME and some of the benefits of doing so. I understand that this topic is highly subjective among photographers since everyone has a different style. I’m just giving you guys what works for me in my workflow and style!” Let’s take a look…

Find more from Manny on his YouTube channel, it’s packed with excellent tips and tutorials. You can also find more from him on his website or follow him on Instagram.