When is exposure compensation used

A classic example is a photograph taken of a snowy scene. To the left, is a shot taken at normal exposure. To the right, is one taken after adding in a stop of exposure compensation overexposure.

Another example is night photography, where the darkness of the scene should result in dark tones in your picture. Using exposure compensation will allow you to take control, and set a proper exposure. As an example, check out the pictures below.

To the right is an underexposed according to the meter image that more closely resembles the actual conditions of the scene. But the reason the camera thinks the normal exposure is correct, is that it that the average of the tones closely approximates middle grey. However, the underexposed image actually more closely captures the reality of the situation.

You may want to darken the scene to add some mood or drama, or you may want to brighten things up. Photography is ultimately an artistic endeavor, and is highly subjective, so exposure compensation gives you a tool to put that to work.

Finally, if you subscribe to the theory that you should expose to the right, exposure compensation will allow you to do so in camera modes other than Manual. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, expose to the right means that you slightly overexpose your images so that most of the tones appear on the right side of the histogram without clipping anything.

You later reduce the tones in post-processing and this can sometimes result in slightly better image quality. The overexposure happens by using exposure compensation. Now that you know what exposure compensation is, how do you use it?

That is the button you press to change the exposure compensation. While pressing that button, turn the main dial of your camera right or left by main dial, I am referring to the dial on the top right of your camera, usually next to the shutter release button.

DSLR Cameras allow you to check the results immediately, so you can take a photograph, display it in the monitor, and then raise exposure compensation for brighter results or lower exposure compensation for darker results and take another picture.

Displayed as …—1. Imaging Products. Exposure Exposure. Setting Exposure: Shutter Speed and Aperture. With many subjects you can take a shot, look at the result, and then reshoot with a different amount of compensation to ensure you get the effect you want.

The histogram can also be a great help when working out precise adjustment amounts. The graph shows the brightness of each pixel in each picture. The ideal graph is one that is as far to the right of the graph area as possible without the graph bunching or clipping towards the right-hand side.

To make the whole graph move to the right to give a brighter image use a positive value of exposure compensation. To get the graph to move to the left, use a negative amount of exposure compensation. The histogram can be seen when reviewing shots on D-SLRs, but more usefully can be displayed as you shoot in Live View mode if available. Read more What is ISO? What is exposure?

Photography tips for beginners: 12 things to learn with your camera Cheat sheet: How to understand ISO settings Cheat sheet: How to understand f-stops Cheat sheet: Shutter speed stops Best online photography courses in Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years — and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography.