Exposure Compensation: The Complete Beginner’s

Guide

In the journey to becoming a proficient photographer, one of the keys to unlocking creative
control and precision in your craft is mastering the use of exposure compensation. This tool
will allow you to fine-tune your images and mean that you take fewer images that are either
too dark or too bright.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve deeper into what exposure compensation is, its
relationship with different camera modes such as aperture priority and shutter priority, and
how its effective use can dramatically enhance the quality and creativity of your photos.
A huge male European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) backlit at sunset. Exposure compensation is
used to optimise the lighting in this tricky scene.

The Foundation – Understanding Exposure

To comprehend exposure compensation, we first need to understand what exposure is.

Simply put, exposure refers to the amount of light that enters your camera and is read by the
sensor, directly influencing the brightness or darkness of your images.

The exposure of an image is dictated by three primary factors, collectively known as

the Exposure Triangle:

 Aperture (the size of the opening in the lens);

 Shutter speed (how long the sensor is exposed to light);
 ISO (the sensitivity of the sensor to light).

These three parameters work together, and changing one will necessitate adjustments to at
least one of the others to maintain a balanced exposure.
Landscape scenes can be particularly tricky to expose with the ground being darker than the sky.
Exposure compensation will help you fine-tune and achieve a balanced exposure. (Photo: StevanZZ /
depositphotos.com)

A balanced exposure is an image that seems “correct” in its lighting. This is sometimes
reflected in the histogram display, although this will vary between styles of photography so is
not an absolute measure of what is a balanced exposure. However, it can help you to see
under or overexposed areas.

Fine-tuning with Exposure Compensation

Despite the camera’s sophisticated algorithms for calculating the optimal exposure based on
the scene’s light, there are times when the automatic exposure setting falls short, producing
images that are too bright (overexposed) or too dark (underexposed). This is where exposure
compensation steps in.

Exposure compensation is a feature that allows you to override the camera’s metering
decision, lightening or darkening your image before you capture it.
Underlined in red, the exposure compensation dial allows you to see what value you have selected.
(Photo: lightpoet / depositphotos.com)

Measuring in Stops of Light

This control is measured in “stops” of light, typically ranging from -3 to +3 stops in 1/3
increments on most cameras.

A “stop” is a widely used term in photography that refers to a doubling or halving of the
amount of light in a photograph. It’s a measure of exposure, and it represents a relative
change rather than an absolute value.

Understanding the concept of stops is vital for controlling exposure, as it directly relates to
the three pillars of photography: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, all of which are measured
in stops.

 Aperture: Each stop of aperture either doubles or halves the size of the opening in
the lens, which in turn doubles or halves the amount of light reaching the camera
sensor. For example, moving from an aperture of f/4 to f/2.8 doubles the amount of
light, a change of one stop. Conversely, moving from f/4 to f/5.6 halves the light, which
is again a change of one stop.
 Shutter Speed: Each stop of shutter speed either doubles or halves the duration that
the camera shutter is open, and hence, doubles or halves the amount of light reaching
the sensor. If you change your shutter speed from 1/250th of a second to 1/500th of a
second, you halve the amount of light hitting the sensor, decreasing the exposure by
 one stop. On the other hand, moving from 1/250th to 1/125th of a second doubles the
light, increasing the exposure by one stop.
 ISO: Each stop of ISO either doubles or halves the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light.
If you move from ISO 100 to ISO 200, you double the sensor’s sensitivity, effectively
doubling the brightness of the image, hence increasing the exposure by one stop.
Conversely, moving from ISO 400 to ISO 200 halves the sensor’s sensitivity,
decreasing the exposure by one stop.

Therefore, understanding the concept of a stop allows you to control the amount of light in
your photos accurately. If a photo is overexposed by one stop, it’s twice as bright as it should
be. If it’s underexposed by one stop, it’s half as bright as it should be. This understanding
allows you to make precise adjustments to the exposure through exposure compensation,
and will help you to select the correct value for the scene.

In this image, the bird’s white wings are easily overexposed. By using exposure compensation, you
can ensure that the picture does not come out too bright.

Exposure Compensation in Different Modes

To harness the full power of exposure compensation, it is essential to understand how it

interacts with different camera modes, particularly Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority.

In Aperture Priority mode (often denoted as ‘A’ or ‘Av’ on your camera), you manually select
the aperture, and the camera automatically determines the appropriate shutter speed to
achieve a balanced exposure.
However, in some lighting conditions, or if you have a specific creative vision in mind, the
camera’s automatic settings may not give you the desired results. This is when you would
use exposure compensation.

The dial on your camera allows you to select different modes. Almost all cameras will have M, A, S,
and P modes. These form the main four camera modes you’ll need to be familiar with. (Photo: olsuse
/ depositphotos.com)

If your image appears overexposed, you can adjust the exposure compensation to a
negative value, which instructs the camera to select a faster shutter speed, thereby reducing
the amount of time the sensor is exposed to light.

Conversely, if your image appears underexposed, adjusting the exposure compensation to a

positive value will signal the camera to select a slower shutter speed, brightening the image.

Similarly, in Shutter Priority mode (represented as ‘S’ or ‘Tv’), you choose the shutter speed
while the camera sets the aperture. Exposure compensation in this mode adjusts the
aperture.

A negative value increases the aperture number (which equates to a smaller aperture),
allowing less light in, while a positive value decreases the aperture number (or opens up the
aperture), allowing more light in.
The Impact of Exposure Compensation on Your Photos

Having established what exposure compensation is and how it operates with aperture and
shutter priority modes, we will now explore how this invaluable tool can improve your photos.

High-Contrast Scenes: When photographing scenes with high contrast (like a bright sky
against a dark landscape), your camera may struggle to balance the exposure correctly.
Using exposure compensation, you can decide which elements you want to be correctly
exposed – dial it down to preserve details in the sky or up to reveal details in the darker
landscape.

Backlit Subjects: Backlit subjects can often appear as silhouettes as the camera
underexposes them to compensate for the bright background. By increasing exposure
compensation, you can maintain the luminosity of the background while adequately lighting
your subject.

Allowing the background to be overexposed, with a positive exposure compensation value, can allow
creativity in wildlife photography.
Creative Control: Exposure compensation is not just a corrective tool; it’s also a powerful
instrument for creativity. Want a moody, atmospheric image? Lower the exposure
compensation for darker tones. Seeking a high-key, ethereal feel? Increase the exposure
compensation for something more high-key.

Read more: High-key Wildlife – How to Create a White Background

Snow or Beach Scenes: Scenes dominated by white, such as snowy landscapes or beach
scenes, can trick your camera is metering system into underexposing the shot, resulting in
grays instead of whites. By raising exposure compensation, you ensure the scene retains its
bright, vibrant quality.

Read more: 5 Tips for Photographing Wildlife in the Snow

A great grey owl against a snowy background.

Exposure Compensation and Advanced Techniques

To advance your use of exposure compensation, consider experimenting with the different
metering modes your camera offers. Different metering modes (like spot, center-weighted, or
evaluative/matrix) change how your camera reads the light in a scene, which can
dramatically affect the initial readouts from the camera.
Also, note that exposure compensation does not work in Manual mode (with the exception of
manual mode used in conjunction with auto ISO), as you directly control both the aperture
and shutter speed in this mode.

Instead, the camera’s light meter provides an exposure ‘recommendation,’ which you can
follow or ignore based on your desired result.

In Conclusion

Exposure compensation, while initially seeming complex, is a rewarding tool to master. It

hands the control back to the photographer, allowing for precise adjustments and greater
creativity in your imagery.

With understanding and practice, exposure compensation will become an instinctive part of
your photography process. As you embark on your journey of exploration with exposure
compensation in different modes like aperture priority and shutter priority, remember that
photography is about expression and storytelling, and tools like exposure compensation are
there to help you better articulate your vision.

So pick up your camera, start experimenting, and watch as your photographs transform.