Under some lighting conditions, the camera may not give you the results you want, this can be a common problem when when photographing bright or dark scenes and subjects that are backlit. But don't worry, because exposure compensation is an excellent tool for photographers wishing to make precise adjustments to brightness without fully switching to the manual mode. Let’s take a look at the basics and how you can use it.
What is Exposure Compensation?
Exposure compensation is an effective and easy way that you can adjust how bright or dark your image will be and is particularly useful when using semi-manual modes.
When using shooting modes like Aperture Priority (A / Av), Shutter Priority (S / Tv), or Program Mode (P), your camera is making adjustments to give an image that is correctly exposed (a balanced exposure). But sometimes you may wish to overide this to brighten or darken an image in order to get the results that YOU want. This is where exposure compensation can help.
How to Use Exposure Compensation
Select a camera mode : Put your camera in either the Programme (P), Aperture Priority (A / Av) or Shutter Priority mode (S / Tv) using the cameras mode dial.
Find the Exposure Compensation Control : On most cameras, exposure compensation is represented by a small “+/-” button. Press and hold the button whilst turning the command dial on the camera to adjust exposure. Note that some cameras may have a dedicated exposure compensation dial that you simply turn to adjust.
Watch the meter : Keep an eye on the cameras exposure meter to see monitor how much you are adjusting the exposure by. The meter can be seen on the LCD screen or through the viewfinder (see image) with 0 being a balanced exposure.
Quick Tips
Experiment : Try bracketing by shooting one photo at 0, one at +1, and one at -1 to see which exposure you like best.
Reset After Shooting : Remember to reset exposure compensation back to 0 when you are finished to avoid over- or under-exposed photos next time as exposure compensation does not reset itself (even if you turn the camera off).
Want to know more : Watch my tutorial video for more info about exposure compensation that includes real world demos and examples.
In Summary
Exposure compensation gives you creative control over brightness in your images, making it easy to adapt in different lighting situations. With practice, it’ll become a go-to tool in your photography toolkit.
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