Photography for Beginners: Exposure Compensation
Ian PlantDescription
Do you often shoot in aperture or shutter speed priority mode? If so, you know that this technique allows you to set those two key variables. However, your camera still makes the decision about the proper exposure. In this free video, world renowned outdoor photographer Ian Plant shows you how to overcome automatic exposure when your camera’s light meter gets it wrong. It’s called exposure compensation, which allows you to further adjust the lighting.
To activate exposure compensation, you use the camera’s plus-minus button or rear dial, and rotate up or down to control the light coming in or out. With exposure compensation, you can combine the auto priority modes with your own lighting decisions to control your photograph.
When you're shooting in shutter or aperture priority mode. You set the key variable. shutter speed and shutter priority mode aperture and aperture priority mode. But your camera is still the one making the decisions about the exposure. It's making its best guests using its light meter as to the proper exposure for your scene.
But what happens if your camera gets it wrong? Well, then you have to use something that's known as 'Exposure Compensation.' Exposure compensation allows you to adjust the amount of light that's coming through the lens and striking the sensor. So you can give it more light or less light to make the exposure look right. To activate exposure compensation varies by camera model. Some cameras might have a button with a plus minus sign on it for My Canon Camera.
If I press my shutter button down halfway I can activate exposure compensation. I'm gonna turn on live view so I can show you very easily by pressing the shutter button halfway. I can then spin my rear dial and you can see there's a plus one, two, three with one third increments and then there's the neutral Mark and then there's minus one two and three with one third increments. And as I spin the wheel it adjust the exposure, as I go to the right it gives the exposure more light. If I go to the left, it gives the exposure less light.
So I just pick what I think is the appropriate exposure and once I've got that dialed in I can go ahead and take my picture.
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