Photography: Exposure Compensation

MASTERCLASS: PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS: PHOTOGRAPHY MasterclassABR Photography: Exposure Compensation ABR’s photography expert, Simon Thomas gives a masterclass on how to correctly use exposure compensation when shooting in contrasting environments sk yourself this question: ‘am as well as you can, once you’ve taken I getting the best shots from control of your camera’s features. my camera?’ Hang on, hang You’ve probably seen the on, before you yell ‘yes’ there exposure compensation Aare some rules. You only get to answer button on your camera a yes if you understand what every but- thousand times. On most ton and function on your camera does. cameras the feature can be found with Let’s face it, most of us don’t. this symbol. There’s no point beating yourself up. The good news is you can use the EV Instruction manuals just aren’t sexy feature in almost every camera mode, and it’s far too easy to pull out your S, sometimes known as Tv (shutter shiny new photographic box of magic priority), A (aperture priority) modes or and start snapping images. P (Auto). Am I compensating? How and when to use EV One of the most under utilised features So, the big question is how or when to on all cameras is exposure compen- use exposure compensation. I’ll give sation (EV feature). Weird, as it’s also you a few examples. I often use the EV Camera: D3 ISO: 400 potentially one of the most powerful button to control blown highlights Lens: Nikkor 70-200mm features at your finger tips. (areas of pure white in your images). White Balance: Daylight Speed: 1/3200 I often shoot portraits in bright sun- Image Profile: Vivid Size doesn’t matter shine. When my subject takes up the Exposure compensation: -4 EV Want more convincing that you should majority of my frame, my camera will carry on reading? Well, this feature is take a general metering (assessment WHO’S WRITING? both her and her bike are correctly Lisa and I are often in stunning land- of choice, it’s a five-second job to adjust so important that almost every camera of the light) and adjust the exposure. Simon and Lisa exposed. If the landscape makes up scapes which we want to photograph that darker landscape and, dramatically sold today, whether it’s a giant DSLR or If my subject is sweating, wet or has a Thomas have 60% plus of the shot and is dark (i.e. a and share. In the early years of my pho- and quickly, you’ve got that magic shot: a pocket-sized automatic offers expo- darker skin tone it’s easy to get ‘blown ridden their way forest of trees), the camera will expose tographic career, I’d produce so many you’ve recreated what you saw and im- into a life that most sure compensation as a user controlled highlights’ (areas of pure white where of us can only the shot based on the general tone of images where the sky was overexposed portantly, what you wanted to share. feature. no detail exists), which appear on the imagine. This year the shot (the darker majority) and often (blown out) and only the landscape was Conversely, there are shots that need forehead, cheeks and chin. In these cas- is the start of their Lisa and her bike (which are brighter) correctly exposed. to be brighter or lightened to create Lighten up es, I’ll dial in some negative EV control 12th year on the road and in those will appear overexposed. The more The problem here is that any great a breezy or romantic image. Yep, you years the duo has amassed an insane Simply put, the exposure compensation usually -0.3 to -0.7. This will ensure the 420,000 miles on their ride through overexposed parts of an image are, the image is about how all the parts of the guessed it, dial in some EV, but this feature lets you overexpose (lighten) or highlights are still in my cameras colour 78 countries and six continents. less detail those parts of the image have. image work with one another. What’s time we’re going ‘positive’ so go ahead underexpose (darken) your shots. Yeah, range and I can easily brighten the Along the way they’ve traversed 27 In these cases I’ll tap the EV button and a landscape shot without that deep and and dial in +0.3, +0.7 or even higher. The I know that you thought your expen- image in post processing if I want the deserts, survived a broken neck in the bring down the EV (exposure compen- dark blue sky, where dramatic clouds point here is that it’s up to you, because Amazon Jungle, cheated death and sive camera was meant to do all the darker areas of the image a little lighter. sation) by as much as -1 (1 stop). This play across the mountaintops. Nowa- you now understand what’s going on become professional photographers, work but guess what? It’s never going If I’m shooting Lisa in an expansive writers and public speakers. will ensure that Lisa and her bike are days I’ll dial in some EV -2 or sometimes and how to control it. Remember it’s to ‘guess’ how to produce every shot landscape it’s tough to make sure that www.2ridetheworld.com full of detail and looking great. more. In Photoshop, or your software fine to play around, deleting is free. 48 | adventurebikerider.com adventurebikerider.com | 49.

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