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Exposure Compensation - Easily Make Your Photos Brighter!
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I'm going to let you in on a little secret. If you are overwhelmed by changing so many settings at one time, struggling to remember how f/stop numbers alter the look of your image, or you keep taking pictures that are too dark or too bright... have no fear! Exposure compensation will be your new best friend AND you don't have to remember your Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed all at once to get your image right. All you have to do is press one button, and scroll. Sound pretty interesting? Does it sound too good to be true?
It's not! I promise!
First, take a look at your camera and find this:
Here's an example of where the exposure compensation button is located on a Canon camera (left) and a Nikon camera (right).
This exposure compensation works as a sliding number scale which will make your image brighter or darker depending on which direction you scroll. On my Nikon, I simply hold down the button and scroll with my thumb (the rear wheel) to change it. See my example below:
When you slide it to the negative numbers, it darkens your image. If you slide it towards the positive numbers, it will add more light. Pretty simple, right?? In the example below you will see how the photo on the left is darker by one stop, the photo on the right is brighter by one stop of light.
Here is what my exposure compensation dial looks like through my viewfinder:
For a good place to start, give this a try. I oftentimes find myself wanting a certain f/stop number, so I'd prefer to be in control of my aperture. Try switching to Aperture Priority Mode (A or Av) and shoot your scene with the f/stop you'd like. If it is too dark, use your exposure compensation to add more light, by scrolling to the positive numbers, until you get the result you want. This is a great way to practice without shooting all out manual and stressing too much!
Have fun trying out your new tool to quickly change your exposure!
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Metering Modes Explained
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As a follow up to my previous post, Understanding Your Light Meter, I am going to go over Metering Modes! Metering will evaluate the amount of light and dark areas in your image and help you get the correct exposure for your subject.
Your DSLR camera is equipped with a few different modes that will measure and determine how to get the best exposure, based on which setting you choose. Learning how to choose which part of your scene is most important and getting an accurate exposure for your subject will help you have more creative control with your photography!
The most common metering modes include:
1. Spot Metering
2. Center-Weighted Metering
3. Matrix (or Evaluative) Metering
SPOT METERING
Spot metering allows the photographer to choose the exact spot in your frame you want to expose for (using your selected focus point). This is a very accurate way to meter, but the area is very small so you have to be precise about what you want the camera to meter from your scene. This mode is awesome when your main subject, or your focal point, is a lot brighter or darker than the rest of the surroundings! It is also great for subjects that are backlit. I love that I can use this mode to meter subjects that are off-center, using a manually selected focus point.
PARTIAL METERING (CANON)
Partial metering works the same way spot metering works, but the size of the area is a little larger.
CENTER-WEIGHTED METERING
This mode allows for a larger metering area, which is fixed in the center of the frame. Although it takes a little information from the edges of your frame into account for the exposure, the priority is given to the center of your viewfinder. It is helpful for scenes where you want to expose for a subject in the middle of the frame, not worrying too much about the lighting behind or around your subject matter. Think of it as a mode that falls in-between evaluative and spot metering. On some cameras you can choose how large you want this area to be. Check your camera's manual for more information about how to change the settings.
EVALUATIVE/MATRIX METERING
This mode is considered a 'default' or 'auto' mode. This will measure the light in the entire frame of your camera's viewfinder and determine the average exposure for your scene. This mode works well when the scene you are photographing is evenly-lit. It is also helpful for landscapes.
Here's a cheat sheet to know what the metering mode icons look like on your camera. Changing your metering mode is different for every camera; refer to your manual if you need help changing your setting.
This will also help you visualize what each metering mode covers in your viewfinder.
I personally use spot metering most frequently. This gives me full control of focusing and metering for my subject and I find that it works the best for me! Try shooting the same scene using each metering mode and see if you can notice the difference.
Keep in mind that your camera does the best it can to average light and dark and some images STILL might be darker or brighter than you'd like them to be. This is where exposure compensation can come in handy, and we will cover that on Thursday!
Understanding Your Camera's Light Meter
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Let's take it back to the basics and remember our three keys to making a good exposure: aperture, shutter speed and ISO. It is pretty complicated to look at a scene with just our eyes and determine what our exposure should be; what these settings need to be to make an image that is balanced as far as lighting is concerned. Luckily, we don't have to guess how to make a great exposure; we have an amazing tool built into our cameras to help us figure it all out - the light meter!
Cameras have built-in metering points that read the intensity of light throughout your scene. Light is recorded through your lens (TTL) to your sensor and your camera translates what your exposure will look like on your light meter. When you shoot on Auto, pressing the shutter release button half way determines the best exposure reading for that scene. You can choose your exposure by shooting in one of the creative modes (such as Manual, Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority). This is where using your exposure meter is crucial - it will tell you when you are in the ballpark of having a well-exposed image.
Your built-in light meter looks something like this:
You can see this when looking through your viewfinder, and on some cameras you can also see it on your LCD screen. When the tick mark (see red arrow) is lined up in the middle, your camera is telling you it is a good exposure. If these tick marks line up towards the positive numbers, your image will be too bright (overexposed). If they line up below the negative numbers, your image will be too dark (underexposed).
In these images below, you will see the light meter through my viewfinder. This image would be too bright. My ISO number is pretty high, letting in a lot of light. Think (+) as too much light.
This image below would be too dark. I dropped my ISO to 125, which will make my image very dark. Think (-) as not enough light.
When my tick marks line up with 0, I'll have a good exposure. I changed my shutter speed and my ISO to get the right combination.
Remember that your camera is giving you it's best opinion; it won't always be perfect. Sometimes your image will be a little too dark or too bright even if your meter is lined up at 0 (like my example in my previous post, tips for shooting in the snow). Use your meter as a reference point and then determine whether you need to make it brighter or darker. I tend to overexpose one or two stops in a lot of scenarios.
Switch your camera to Manual Mode to practice and watch the arrow on your exposure meter change. Try to get a combination of your aperture, shutter speed and ISO that will place your arrow closest to the middle of your exposure meter. If you want a blurry background, keep your f/stop number low and change your ISO and shutter speed until you get a good exposure. If you need a fast shutter speed to freeze motion but your image is dark, try a lower f/stop number or a higher ISO to let in more light. See how the settings work together to give you the best exposure! Practice, practice, practice!
6 Tips for Shooting Fun Portraits in the Snow
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