How to read a Histogram...

[Dinomite]

Is there a certain pattern that you want to achieve when shooting? What does a good histogram look like?

[neilwood32]

A good histogram tends to have a large peak in the middle dropping off on either side.

However if shooting RAW, then it is better to bias the histogram to the right.

Have a look at this thread http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=744235&highlight=ettr

[tdodd]

Is there a certain pattern that you want to achieve when shooting? What does a good histogram look like?
What the pattern looks like depends very much on the tonal content of the scene. See here for "understanding histograms"....

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/histograms1.htm

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

[Kolor-Pikker]

Do be aware that there is no such thing as a "right" histogram.
It does tell you about the tonal distribution and does show whether or not your highlights/shadows are clipped, but all in all, it simply shows things the way they are.
Don't let the histogram get in the way of your artistic vision, not all shots have to be perfect in a technical sense.