Pick up a digital camera nowadays and one of the things you’ll instantly notice is the Exposure Compensation on the menu screen. It’s a strange-looking scale with a + and – sign on opposite ends, with numbers labeled along the scale. You may have noticed this countless times on your cameras without thinking twice about it.
This article will teach you everything about Exposure Compensation – what it is, how to use it, and how it can help improve your
Contents
Before we delve into Exposure Compensation, let’s briefly go over overexposure and what it is. Exposure is simply the amount of light entering the camera sensor. Exposure is measured around three key elements – Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO. Each of these elements work together and can be adjusted individually to capture the right exposure. To learn more about exposure, be sure to check out our article on the exposure triangle.
What is Exposure Compensation?
Exposure compensation (also known as Exposure Control) is used to alter the exposure from the values chosen by the camera. Often a composition has widely varying intensities of light. To get a good camera exposure in these tricky situations, don’t use the histogram (which shows the distribution range of pixels from black to white) but rather look at the highlight warning alerts – the “blinkies”. Any area that is blinking shows it is overexposed, and there is little detail.
Using the Exposure Compensation is an easy way to override your camera’s automatic exposure settings. It does this by brightening or darkening your photos before it is actually captured. Let’s take a look at an example below.
The picture above shows an underexposed image. The camera settings did not do a good job of exposing the scenery. With the Exposure Compensation function, we can easily increase the exposure value by dialing it up a bit by +1 EV to brighten up the image.
Using it properly is an easy way to fix exposure problems when you’re on the go – just dial your exposure value up or down a few notches and you can improve your images in a matter of seconds.
Instead of spending too much time adjusting the ISO, Aperture, or shutter speed, you can improve your workflow by utilizing the Exposure Compensation.
How To Use Exposure Compensation?
Now we’re on to the fun part! To use this feature, your camera must be in a setting that uses the camera meter. This can be Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Program Mode, or other Scene Modes. The only time it will not work is when you have your setting in Manual or Automatic Mode.
Your camera will most likely have a + and – sign button on top. This is the button you will press to control the exposure value settings. While pressing and holding down on the Exposure Compensation button, you’ll want to use the rotating dial to either increase or decrease your exposure values depending on the lighting situation. Keep in mind that every time you step up or down on the dial it equals to 1/3 of a stop.
Not every camera will have the same buttons and features, so be sure to double-check your camera’s manual to locate the Exposure Compensation settings.
How Does Exposure Compensation Work?
Now that we know what Exposure Compensation is and how to use it, let’s talk about how it works in
- Shutter Speed Priority Mode: If you’re in Shutter Priority, your Exposure Compensation will automatically adjust the Aperture values.
- Aperture Priority Mode: On the other hand, if you’re using Aperture Priority Mode, then your Exposure Compensation will compensate by adjusting the shutter speed to either lighten or darken your image.
- Program Mode: This one is a little different depending on your camera. In Program Mode, the Exposure Compensation may adjust both the aperture and shutter speed. Check your camera’s manual for exact information.
Manual Mode
As for Manual Mode and Auto Mode, the Exposure Compensation will not work during these two modes. In Manual Mode, you have to set your own values manually (Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO) so the Exposure Compensation will also be a manual entry.
In Auto Mode, the camera does everything for you so there is no control for overexposure.
Dialing in the Exposure Compensation
Dialing it in is pretty simple. Let’s say you are in Shutter Priority Mode and you’re noticing that most of the shots look underexposed. You’ll want to increase the Exposure Compensation or dial a positive value onto the scale (+EV).
In contrast, if your images are coming out bright and overexposed, dial your Exposure Compensation to a negative number (-EV). With enough practice, you’ll be able to see what a correct exposure looks like and dial it without thinking twice.
Understanding the Exposure Values
Most cameras will give you an Exposure Compensation range between -3EV and +3EV. This provides photographers plenty of control over exposure, being able to step up or down in increments of 1/3 EV. We also noticed more advanced cameras with a range between -5EV to +5EV, allowing much more freedom to lighten or darken a photo.
Accessing Exposure Compensation On Your Camera
This all depends on the camera you’re using, but not to worry – the Exposure Compensation is easy to access on most cameras!
Nikon Camera
If you are using a Nikon DSLR camera, it’s usually located next to the shutter release button with a +/- button. You’ll hold and press this button while turning the dial to adjust it quickly and hassle-free.
Canon Camera
On Canon DSLR cameras, the button is typically located on the back of the camera with an “AV” button labeled.
Mirrorless Camera
For mirrorless camera users, you can find it on top of the camera as a dial. This appears most often on retro-looking mirrorless cameras like the one on Fujifilm X-T3 and the Sony Alpha models.
When to Adjust Exposure Compensation
More often than not, your camera will correctly expose your photos. However, in some situations, your camera is unable to capture the correct exposure meter which happens in certain settings such as a snowy landscape or a nighttime scene.
Adding Exposure Compensation
What often happens in a snow scene like the one above is that the camera will read the bright snow in a normal medium gray tone. However, bright snow is typically 1.5-2 stops higher than (18%) medium gray. This results in an underexposed snow shot. To combat this, you’ll want to increase the Exposure Compensation to about 1.5-2 stops higher than normal. Play around with the different increments to get the perfect exposure.
Keep in mind that you’ll want to add the Exposure Compensation when your subject or scene is really bright and overexposed, like white linen, a polar bear, or a white sandy beach. The camera meter will try to underexpose your image, so make sure you are dialing it up a few stops on your camera when you are shooting an overly bright subject.
Decreasing Exposure Compensation
On the other hand, you’ll want to lower your values if your subject or background is dark. When you point the camera to a dark surface or subject, more likely than not, your camera will try to overexpose the image. Knowing this, you’ll want to dial it down a few notches to balance out the exposure.
A few examples of when you’ll want to decrease the Exposure Compensation is when you come across a dark subject or scene like a black cat on a dark rug, a nightclub, or even an underexposed subject in a shady area outside. If your camera is detecting the scene as darker than 18% grey, then it will compensate by overexposing your image.
Let’s Get Creative
Another scenario to use Exposure Compensation is when you’re trying to get creative with the exposure. Perhaps you’re experimenting or trying to be artsier with your
Using Exposure Compensation for creativity can be a powerful tool. Do you want to express drama and intensity in your subject? Or make your subject seem angelic and ethereal? This can be achieved by adjusting the Exposure Compensation on your camera. Whatever your creative pursuits are, using Exposure Compensation can change the ambiance from intensity to subtleness in a few dials. Give it a try!
Using Exposure Compensation in Advanced Ways
Nowadays, there are advanced cameras that allow for different kinds of metering systems, like being able to recognize a subject, scene, or setting and exposing them properly based on pre-loaded data. Every camera is different, so don’t be afraid to look up the manual and see what features are offered in your camera!
One technique advanced photographers use is called “Exposing to the Right”. Because there is no perfect way of exposing, photographers came up with this technique to retain the highlights and exposure of an image as much as possible without losing quality. Essentially, you are overexposing your images to the right of the histogram without blowing out the highlights and re-balancing the photo in post-processing.
This technique is not recommended for beginner photographers, but it’s worth mentioning that it’s a powerful tool to use when combined with Exposure Compensation. There are limitless possibilities in your camera, so experiment when you can!
Exposure Bracketing
Another related technique is Exposure Bracketing or AEB. When you set your camera on AEB, it essentially takes multiple photos in a row, each one with different exposures. The first image is at normal exposure, the second one is underexposed, and the last one is overexposed.
You can use Exposure Bracketing in Manual Mode by adjusting the Exposure Compensation, ISO, or shutter speed manually. You may also use the AEB or automatic feature on your camera for exposure bracketing. Each camera will differ but it will typically be labeled as AEB, Exposure Bracketing, or EB in the menu settings.
Exposure Bracketing is a great way to practice and learn how Exposure Compensation works and is a nice safety technique to use for every type of photographer.
Conclusion
It’s important to experiment and learn about your camera’s capabilities as much as possible. Adding Exposure Compensation to your daily shooting is an easy and quick way to control the exposure. As we know, the less post-processing we have to do, the better!
Give it a try and let us know in the comments below your experiences using this simple and easy technique!
Practice Exercise
The aim of this challenge is to show you how you can use exposure compensation when your subject is too dark or too light.
| Lens: Standard | Exposure Mode: Program, aperture, or shutter priority |
| Focus Mode: Any | Location: Outdoors (Any time of day) |
- Choose a dark subject with strong backlighting, where there’s strong light behind your subject and it’s in the shade.
- Take a few photos using P, A, or S mode. Check if your photos show your subject looking too dark (underexposed) while the background is very bright.
- Adjust your exposure compensation to +2, which allows more light to enter and affect the sensor.
- Find the exposure compensation button on your camera. It will look like this or similar. You will need to press it and turn a dial. Check your camera manual or search online to find out how to use it.
- Make a few more photos and compare them with the earlier ones.
- This exercise may be more difficult for some than others as each camera will give different results depending on the lighting conditions. Please experiment!
- Now, choose a subject in bright sun with a background that is dark and shaded from the sun. Alternatively, be at the beach, in a desert, or in the snow on a sunny day. The background must make up a large part of your composition.
- With your subject in the bright sun and a large part of your composition in the shade, take a few photos. If you have well-exposed photos, you may not have enough contrast in the composition. In that case, find a different location or compose your photo so the subject takes up less of the frame. You are aiming to see how your subject can become overexposed (too bright) in situations like this.
- Once you have your subject looking too bright, adjust your exposure compensation to minus 1 and then minus 2 and compare the results.
The aim is not to get perfect photos, but to learn about how your camera functions and how you can control the different settings to achieve the results you want. Enjoy the process and before long you’ll be making fantastic photographs.
Hi, I’m a photography student from Argentina. In class we’ve been talking about exposure compensation and I don’t quiet understand how the camera changes the exposure (when we use exposure compensation) without changing the shutter speed or the selected aperture.
Jorge, it’s the miracle of digital photography. Your camera is essentially doing some quick photo editing on the fly
Thanks for your answer and for the content on your site. It’s a big help for newbies like me.
Exposure Compensation most certainly does change shutter speed and aperture. Put your camera on a tripod, set any auto mode, check the current aperture and shutter, and then apply -3 of EC. You’ll see a large change in aperture or shutter (or both if you selected P mode.)
On a Nikon in Manual mode, Exposure Compensation will not change shutter or aperture, but will change the meter reading (-2 EC will shift the meter to read +2.) In truth, all EC does is shift the meter one way or the other. The camera will then react to the new meter reading as it normally would.
Exposure compensation can adjust shutter speed, aperture, ISO, or a combination of the three depending on the exposure mode selected. The thing to remember is that exposure meters, whether hand held on in the camera, want to adjust the exposure for an 18% (or 12% or similar depending on who you ask or where you look) gray. What does that mean? Well, it means that the average scene wants to reflect 18% of the light available. It is a good average. However, how much light does a snowy hill reflect? A lot more than 18%. So, if you expose snow, without benefit of exposure compensation, you end up with grey snow. Now, you all know you have done that and seen grey snow; Right?
So, to get white snow you need to turn up the exposure a stop and a half or so. The camera will think it is over exposing, but being an obedient robot; it will just go ahead and give you white snow.
This example is really quite over simplified. It does not touch on matrix metering or center weighted or spot metering. Each of these special kinds of exposure metering just tailors the area the camera will try to adjust to a boring 18% gray.
Bye the way. Ever see an 18% gray card at your local camera store? Those cards are designed to reflect 18% of the incident light. So, if you point your camera at one of those cards and force you camera to use the exposure it finds for that card, you should get good exposure for whatever you place in the same place you had the card.
I am a beginner in photopgraphy. What do you mean by turning up exposure a stop and a half?
I’m confused, does this apply to digital photography? I have never seen gray snow. I’ve seen yellow and black snow, though.
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Thanks for the information about Exposure Compensation with nice examples… It easy to understand for beginner like me…
wonderful and clear
So grateful for this article.