DSLR cameras are great allies for the professional photographer, since every day they have new functions and functionalities, this technology helps a lot to the work of the photographer in the field, when making certain decisions by the professional, among others.
However, the choice of camera is not always consistent with the need or the actual purpose of the photographer, in these cases a small human intervention is necessary to guarantee the final result of the photo.
- The exposure compensation fits exactly that point.
- This is one of the resources that can be used to correct the brightness of the scene and record an image that would otherwise be deleted.
Read the information about exposure compensation in photography and learn how to do it correctly, once and for all.
Inside your DSLR camera is a component called a photometer. It is used to measure the intensity of light in the scene and thus find the best settings to capture it. However, unlike our eyes, the internal photometer cannot identify very marked contrasts.
This is because the camera is programmed to measure in gray, so when there is a contrasting color pattern (black and white, for example), the camera ends up underexposing (darkening) or overexposing (overlit) the image.
To solve this problem, most cameras contain exposure compensation. This function, also known as EV, balances the colors of the image, even when the camera cannot do so alone.
In practice, the camera will select an exposure mode based on your measurement standards. After taking the photo, the photographer should look through the viewfinder and, if it is too light or too dark, adjust the exposure through the erase menu and take a new photo. .
The first thing you need to do is decide what your photo will look like. In cases where the contrast between the background or object is too large, the photographer must decide which of these areas should remain illuminated in the scene.
Let’s take an example of a photo on the beach at sunset, in these circumstances there are very likely to be shadows on people, which will obscure them in the photo, so the first step is to decide who will be the main one. theme of this photo: people on the beach or in the landscape?
After that, there are essentially three ways to correct exposure to the scene, see below:
The first is to use the camera measurement mode. Most models have at least three measurement modes. Among them:
General or Matrix: The default setting of most cameras reads the entire scene and creates an average exposure based on all light tones, although this is very useful, in most cases in this option it is not possible to select the main subject of the photo For this reason, in our example, the people in the photo could be underexposed.
Spot: can be used to highlight a small area of the environment for the camera photometer; In this way, it is easier to decide what to measure and what the exposure of the scene should look like; some cameras even allow the photographer to choose the measurement point, giving even more control over the exposure.
For models that do not have this function, it is possible to manipulate the measurement of the point. To do this, press the shutter mid-stroke and watch the measuring point flash briefly. With the button always half pressed, point the point to the location you want to measure and you’re done. After that, simply crop the scene and take the photo. The exposure will be measured by the region you chose in the image.
Center: Meters the center region of the scene, usually where the main subject of the photo is located. It can also be “manipulated” by following the steps mentioned above. However, it is only recommended for situations where the contrast is softer.
In cases where the measurement mode cannot be applied or if the photographer does not wish to do so, exposure compensation is still available. In this case, the exposure is measured and the result is displayed in the viewfinder or on the LCD.
When the scene is very bright, the exposure compensation should be positive, i. e. between 1 or 2 EVs. In cases where it was too dark, the photographer must select -1 or -2 to compensate for the exposure.
In our example, we would use positive compensation to adjust the exposure. In most cases, 1 is enough to adjust the tones of the images. However, take a test to see which of the options best matches your photo.
The third and final way to adjust the exposure of the scene is to use the gray cards to 18%. This color tone is the same as the one used by the camera to adjust the exposure. Therefore, you can use it to balance the tones of a scene. with a lot of contrast.
Following the example of the beach, you must first frame the gray card to measure the exposure. You can follow the same guidelines as measurement modes, remember?
Anyway, let’s remember step by step
Grey cardboard can also be replaced by other accessories with the same shade of color. A fabric, a T-shirt, a bag and other accessories of this type also help at the moment. In fact, for this reason, many photographic accessories have this color.
It should also be remembered that photography is not an exact science, it is impossible to predict all the circumstances and suggest the exact controls for exposure compensation, so it is the photographer who should experiment and test all the settings.
The camera should be treated as an extension of your body, so you should know all the possible settings you can make. Practice remains the best way to gain new knowledge.
And you, did you already know the exposure compensation?Did you like this advice?Leave your comment below!