Which of Red Stevens’ three image do you like best? Why?<\/p>\n
In the recent YouTube Video: How I Picked the Best Four of 1206 Images<\/em> blog post here<\/a>, only two folks picked a favorite. Both liked #4 with the eye of the female crane visible through the splayed primary feathers of the male’s right wing. By a slim margin, I preferred Image #3 for it simplicity and intimacy. <\/p>\n It is still cold here and I have still been going out every morning and making a few good images. There is lots to learn today so let’s get going. <\/p>\n It is correct to call the exposure indicator on a camera an analog scale, regardless of whether the camera itself is digital or film. While modern digital cameras use digital sensors and processors, the visual representation of the exposure meter\u2014usually a line with a marker moving between negative (-) and positive (+) values\u2014is designed to mimic the analog needle-and-scale meters found in older, manual cameras. <\/p>\n Continuous Representation<\/em>: Even though the camera calculates exposure digitally, the indicator provides a continuous, relative representation of whether the image is overexposed or underexposed compared to a middle-grey point (0).<\/p>\n Analog” in Digital<\/em>: It is a graphical, visual representation that acts like an “analog” tool (a gauge) rather than just displaying raw numerical data.<\/p>\n Measurement of Stops:<\/em> The scale is used to show how many stops of light are over or under the meter’s recommendation. <\/p>\n Key Points About the Exposure Scale<\/em>:<\/p>\n Zero (0): This is the center point, which the camera\u2019s light meter suggests is a “proper” exposure (middle grey). It is rarely correct. Therefore, even when looking at an LCD screen or in the viewfinder of a brand-new mirrorless camera, the “+ | – | 0” bar is referred to as the analog exposure scale. <\/p>\n RS: Good Morning, Harry. <\/p>\n AM: Red My Man,<\/p>\n Re:<\/p>\n RS: When looking through the view finder there is a gradient on the lower center. I don\u2019t know what it is called but I believe that you had me adjust it a times. <\/p>\n AM: I believe that you are referring to this, the analogue exposure scale:<\/p>\n Please understand that everything that follows is review. \ud83d\ude42 You learned it and then forgot it. \ud83d\ude42 Do understand that many beginning and intermediate photographers do not have a thorough understanding of the analog exposure scale and are often confused by it.<\/p>\n RS: Is it only adjusted in certain shutter modes or when?<\/p>\n AM: Sort of. <\/p>\n The arrow at A in the screen capture above is on the zero. When you are in Manual exposure mode it shows how much higher or lower the exposure that you have set is than the exposure suggested by the camera\u2019s meter. When the arrow is on the zero, it is telling you that the exposure that you have set is the same as the same as the one determined by the camera\u2019s metering system. With bird and nature photography, it is wrong far more often than it is right. Again, this is only when you are in Manual exposure mode.<\/strong><\/em> If the arrow is to the left as at B, above, then you are shooting darker than what the camera has suggested. If the arrow is to the right, as in C above, it is telling you how much lighter your settings are than those suggested by the camera\u2019s meter. <\/p>\n The -1\/3 stop shown at B might be correct for a head portrait of a bright white bird against dark blue water on a sunny day. The +2 stops shown at C could be correct on a cloudy day when photographing a bird in flight on a cloudy day or a penguin on snow. <\/p>\n When you are in Manual exposure mode, there is no Exposure Compensation. The scale itself cannot be adjusted. The arrow will move depending on your choice of shutter speed and aperture and what you are pointing your lens at.<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n Remember, everything above applies only when you are in Manual exposure mode; as you move your lens while half pressing the shutter button the arrow will move left and right along the exposure scale depending on the tonality of the scene at a given instant. <\/p>\n When you are in Shutter Priority mode (or very rarely, in Aperture Priority mode), however, you <\/em><\/strong> adjust the arrow on the analogu scale by turning the Exposure Compensation (EC) dial to add or to subtract light. Turn it clockwise to add light, counterclockwise to subtract light. Just as you learned at Sebastian. <\/p>\n I never adjusted it in Antartica or since I left Melbourne. Can you enlighten me on this?<\/p>\n See above. No worries, if you were setting your exposures to get a few Zebras all of your exposures will be excellent. But understanding the analog exposure scale will help you to become a better photographer. Thanks for asking the questions that inspired this blog post.<\/p>\n With love, harry<\/p>\n (Why Harry? Both Red and I are big Harry Bosch\/Michael Connelly\/Netflix fans.) <\/p>\n This image was created on 14 October 2025 on a Sebastian Inlet Extended IPT by Alvin “Red” Stevens of Birmingham, AL. Standing at full height, just east of the bridge on the south side, he used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f\/2.8 GM OSS II Lens<\/a> with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter<\/a> (at 400mm) and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera<\/a>. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel — ISO 4000: 1\/1000 second at f\/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:35:06am in the shade. <\/p>\n Wide\/AF-C with Bird-Eye\/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version.<\/p>\nWhat’s Up?<\/h3>\n
The Analog Scale (AKA the Exposure Indicator)<\/h3>\n
Here is why it is called an analog scale:<\/h2>\n
\nLeft Side (-): Indicates underexposure (too dark).
\nRight Side (+): Indicates overexposure (too bright).
\nRange: It typically ranges from -3 to +3, representing steps or “stops” of light. <\/p>\nUnderstanding the Analog Exposure Scale<\/h3>\n
An e-Mail Conversation with Red Stevens<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n \n \n \n Image #1: Great Egret fishing\/breaking mullet background
\nImage courtesy of and copyright 2025: Red Stevens
\nImage optimization by Arthur Morris\/BIRDS AS ART