Get the Gray Out
Using Exposure Compensation

On most point-and-shoot digital cameras, exposure compensation is located on one of the menus. It is located on the Shooting Menu on the Nikon Coolpix 3200 I keep in the overhead compartment of my van for those quick shots. On the Canon 20D single lens reflex, it is accessed by setting the Mode Dial to any of the creative settings Tv, Av, P (except manual). You should consult your camera's manual on how to access it on your particular model.

OK, but what does It do?

It allows you to control the aperture (f-stop) setting and or shutter speed of an automatic (meaning I know what's best for you and I'll make the decisions on what will make this photograph exceptional) camera. Most of the time the image will be great, but there are times you need to take control to get the best image. If the camera has, in it's infinate wisdom, chosen an aperture setting of f8 with a shutter speed of 500/sec to properly expose the image. If the image comes out too dark, try a setting of +1.

What Just Happened?

The aperture was opened to f5.6 and the shutter speed was left unchanged, which lets in twice as much light as f8 at 500/sec making the image lighter. If the image was too light, a setting of -1 would have closed the aperture to f11 and the shutter speed was unchanged which lets in half as much light resulting in a darker image. Don't worry if you don't totally understand these concepts now, the camera does! The relationship between f-stop and shutter speed will be addressed in the Technical Section.

Have you ever taken a picture of a snow covered scene,and when you viewed the image the snow had a grayish cast? Here is what happened. The light meter in your camera, or any light meter is calibrated to produce a neutral image. If the scene you are taking a picture of is brighter than what the meter preceives to be correct, it will adjust the aperture and or the shutter to let in less light. The light meter has been fooled by the brightness of the snow and the snow is rendered neutral gray, as in the left photo.

Now it's your turn to tell the camera what You want it to do! You ARE the photographer. Set your exposure compensation to +1 and take the picture again. If the snow is still alittle gray try +1.5. Be carefull not to lighten the image too much as in the photo on the right, or you will loose detail in the highlight areas.

You can use the same technique in reverse, to darken an image. If you know something in the image is really black, or the overall image apears lighter than you want it to be, set the exposure compensation to -.5 and shoot again. Take lots of images. Experiment with different settings. The more you can get right in the camera, the less time you'll spend editing your images. Before you know it, you will be making these adjustments you take the picture.

As your skills improve, your pictures will improve and the more FUN you will have with photography.

Return to Digital Camera Controls

Return to Photo Tips

Return from Exposure Compensation to Home Page