Datasheet

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Chapter 12: Taking Great Pictures
Microsoft Digital Image Standard User’s Manual
2. Nail the Exposure
In a finished photo, exposure is something that you usually only notice when
it is wrong. A perfect exposure is not something that jumps out at you, but a
problem exposure definitely stands out. In an overexposed picture (caused by
too much light), the shadow areas are light, and the highlighted areas are almost
entirely white. In an underexposed picture, too little light has been let into the
camera, creating a photo that lacks detail, with filled-in shadow areas and dull
highlighted areas.
Special lighting situations can fool the built-in light meter in your camera. If
you want to start with the camera’s automatic exposure, use exposure compen
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sation to fine-tune the exposure. The following list describes some common
lighting problems and the recommended exposure compensation for each:
• For a side-lit subject: Increase exposure by one-half of a stop.
• For a backlit subject: Increase the exposure by one stop. Or step in close
and meter directly on the subject, step back and recompose, and then take
the picture at the reading you took on the subject. You can also switch to
spot metering.
• For a small dark subject against a bright background, or any subject in
a very bright scene: Use exposure compensation of +1 to +3, or increase
exposure by one to two stops, for example, from f/8 to f/5.6 or f/4.5.
• For a small, light subject against a dark background: Use exposure
compensation of -1, or decrease exposure by one stop, for example, from
f/8 to f/11.
Planning for the
imperfect
Learning to nail the
exposure takes a lot of
experience, and no one
gets it right with every
shot. If you suspect
the lighting might
make it difficult to get
the correct exposure,
you can increase your
chances of success by
bracketing.