3 ways your camera’s auto exposure can get it wrong
There are lots of situations that benefit from a slightly brighter or darker image. Here are some classic examples…
Black objects can fool a meter into overexposure. The camera sensor receives too much light, so the picture looks too bright – and the blacks become grey.
Any white or pale areas (such as this coot’s beak) can be overexposed, too. Dialling in -2/3 to -1 1/3 underexposure, so the histogram shifts to the left, can rectify this.
Including a very bright light source in the frame will lead to a very dark image, as the meter tries to balance the scene.
This is not a problem if you’re shooting silhouettes, but if you want to reveal detail in the foreground, be prepared to dial in some positive exposure compensation – anywhere from 1 stop to 3 stops.
Low contrast subjects
Not all subjects or situations will give a histogram that stretches the full width of the graph. In this case, it’s best to expose so that the histogram moves as far to the right without detail being ‘clipped’.
In this low-contrast example, dialling in exposure compensation of +2/3 or +1 stop would have given a better exposure to work with later.
PAGE 1: Common questions about using exposure compensation
PAGE 2: How much exposure compensation should I use?
PAGE 3: How to control your camera’s exposure compensation
PAGE 4: What is highlight alert?
PAGE 5: 3 ways your camera’s auto exposure can get it wrong
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