Why Expose to the Right (ETTR) Is WRONG Almost ALL The Time!

In this video, I’m taking a deep dive into ETTR (Expose to the Right) and exposing the real truth behind this once-popular technique. 📸 

I know, many photographers still swear by it and recommend it, but does it hold up with today’s modern camera sensors? Spoiler alert: it doesn’t—at least not the way you’ve been told or the way most people use it! In fact, it’s probably doing you more harm than good!

This video is about to blow the lid off of all the misinformation about ETTR – and it may just change the way you shoot forever! 

PS – If you enjoyed this post, I think you’ll REALLY like my e-books and video workshops! Thousands of pages and hours of videos filled with tips, tricks, and techniques – all my best content! Check ’em out – click here (hey, it’s free to look).

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Scott
Scott
8 days ago

Excellent presentation! I’ve been waiting for someone to address this very topic.

Do you recommend setting the minimum ISO to the point where the secondary gain kicks in (ISO 500 for Nikon Z8/9) since there is little benefit and maybe even harm below that point for most wildlife photography? [putting aside the few exceptions you discuss]

Thank you!

Matthew Buynoski
Matthew Buynoski
10 days ago

How does this mesh (or not) with use of exposure compensation and the metering method in use? For example, when shooting birds in flight, it’s fairly common to have a bright sky filling most of the frame, with a darker bird. If one is using a fairly broad (i.e. measures a large part of the frame) metering method, then the bird itself will come out underexposed. Exposure compensation can adjust this but then of course the sky will be overexposed and often “washed out.” The shooter could try spot metering, but keeping the spot on the bird is often difficult… Read more »

Tiago C
Tiago C
12 days ago

Hi Steve! Very helpful video.

It reminded me about the importance of increasing EC to reach secondary gain iso, under the conditions you mentioned.

I’m left with a question, how would noise levels compare between an image taken at 1/1000s iso 400 and an image take at 1/1250 iso 500 (when the secondary ISO kicks in), all other conditions/settings being equal?

Thank you.

Mike Dawson
Mike Dawson
15 days ago

I’m disappointed in this video. His whole discussion is more applicable to those that incorrectly believe in the exposure triangle. There is no such thing. Exposure is shutter speed and aperture. What he does here is demonstrate ISO invariance. Then he correctly goes and slows down the shutter speed to gather more light. This is the whole point of how you use ETTR. Vary shutter speed and aperture to gather as much light as you can before clipping. ISO is simply a brightness adjustment after the exposure has been made. Then he goes on to say that inverting the ISO… Read more »

Tiago C
Tiago C
12 days ago
Reply to  Mike Dawson

The histogram shifts to the right when the ISO value increases, for example by using EC.

The video demonstrates misconceptions about advantages of ETTR and shows practical examples of how to achieve lower noise/better image quality. You may already be familiar with the topic and perhaps not the main target of the video.

Imagine you shoot in Aperture mode. You can then set a specific ISO value and ask the camera to float shutter speed with a bias to decrease it by using exposure compensation. This would work in the scenario you mentioned with varying light levels.

Last edited 12 days ago by Tiago C
Mike Dawson
Mike Dawson
12 days ago
Reply to  Tiago C

I don’t disagree with you. Yes, clearly this video was not aimed at people with my level of knowledge on ETTR. But I still maintain that this video is more of a tutorial on ISO invariance and not ETTR. Yes, anyone moving the histogram to the right by raising the ISO doesn’t know the first thing about ETTR. ETTR is not dead. The video conflated two separate topics and should have done a better job distinguishing what each of them were.

Dave
15 days ago

ETTR = Expose to the Right. ISO does not change the exposure.

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