Don't be intimidated by your camera's histogram. Here are 6 tips to ensure you're using it properly

Getting the exposure correct on your camera is so important to producing great shots. The histogram on your camera is a tool to help the camera achieve the right exposure. Here are 6 tips to ensure you're using it properly.
One of your goals as a photographer is to get the best exposure possible on each of your shots. Learning how to use your camera's histogram correctly will help with this. Keep reading for tips on how to use the histogram correctly.
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1. Even distribution
When exposure is evenly distributed, the image on the histogram will look similar to a hill, sloped on both sides. The picture should also touch each side a little, without going up the sides. This means the image you took has great exposure.
2. More light tones
More light tones on the histogram mean that the main subject is light. You can always change the exposure so that the histogram looks even on both sides, but the light color of your subject will turn out darker in the final shot. Again, the light shift in tones for this type of picture is normal.
3. Right shift
If the image is moved toward the right, that means a dark subject was used, like a dark animal at night or a person dressed in dark clothes in shadow. Just because the histogram's image is shifted instead of evenly distributed does not mean the exposure is bad, like this examples.
4. Changing the exposure
When there is no space on either side of the histogram, it means your picture is missing out on quality exposure. If the histogram image is toward the right, that means there is not enough black in the picture. Your shot needs less exposure so adjust and take it again.
If there is too much space on the right that means the image is too dark and isn't showing enough white. Add more exposure until some of the histogram's image is touching the right side.
5. Blinking lights
Many SLR cameras have a "highlight warning" setting you can use to help guide you when you want to make a shot brighter. Take a shot then check your preview screen. If the highlighted areas of your picture are overexposed, they will blink to let you know to adjust the exposure.
6. Points
If you see thin points going up the sides of the histogram, that means there is less detail showing in the dark, light, or both areas of the shot. You can try to change the exposure to bring out either the light or dark parts of the picture. You can also try to fix this with software. Take multiple pictures with different exposures to bring out both the light and shadows in these pictures.
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By not being afraid to step out of your comfort zone and utilize the histogram. It can really help you correctly brighten or darken a picture.