Today, during the second meeting of the Photography Basics/Introduction to Photography class, the photographers enrolled in the class learned to meter while working in manual exposure mode to achieve their preferred tonality.

When we’re making a photograph, one of the first things we need to decide is the image's tonality.
 

Tonality is simply the overall brightness—how light or dark our picture appears.

A lot of us think of this as just overexposure or underexposure, but it’s more than that.
 

The relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO controls tonality.

All three work together to determine how bright or dark our photograph will be.

Because of this, when we talk about controlling tonality, we’re really talking about these three variables to achieve the tonality we prefer.
 

If our image isn’t as bright or dark as we want (our preferred tonality), everything else—focus, our primary subject, etc.—becomes harder to evaluate and is diminished compositionally.

Getting our tonality right is the first thing we need to take care of when it comes to composing our picture.

If that’s something you’d like to learn to do, I can help you learn how to do that during the Photography Basics/Introduction to Photography class or a series of private lessons.

About Sam

Sam D'Amico, a professional photographer and photography instructor, helps anyone who wants to be a better photographer. 

He'll work with his students to increase their understanding of camera operation, composition, light, and lighting. 

Sam started working as a professional photographer in the mid-1980s.

Most notably, from 1992 to 1997, while working as a freelance photographer, he photographed over 500 assignments for the New York Times.

Additionally, Sam received awards for his work while exhibiting his photographs in shows. 

Sam began teaching photography professionally in 1998 through the Highland Park, N.J. recreation department. 

In 2002 Sam moved to Washington, D.C., and began teaching at the accredited Washington School of Photography in Bethesda, Md.

It was in 2003 that Sam developed his curriculum and started teaching classes in Washington, D.C. 

In 2018 and 2022, the Sam D'Amico Photography Classes were voted the "Best of DC" art class by the readers of the Washington City Paper. 

Many photography teachers spend a lot of time teaching about DSLRs and rules of composition that create homogenized, rigid photographs.

On the other hand, Sam teaches about camera operation, thought process, and the individual photographer's visual communication intent. 

This approach to teaching allows his students to use ANY camera (yes, even the camera on their phone) and break free of the rules of composition.

Approaching the creative process this way allows for fluid and spontaneous photographs unique to the photographer creating them.

Sam encourages his students to find their ways as photographers. 

He instills the skills in his students that result in creative, engaging, and unique compositions that reflect the photographer's intended one-of-a-kind visual expression.