When using aperture priority or shutter priority, exposure compensation enables you to override the settings that the camera’s light meter chooses, should you want to.
For example, with bright skies and especially sunsets or sunrises, light meters have a tendency to over-expose, so you may want to intentionally under-expose the shot a little – which brings out the colours and the texture more.
Almost all modern cameras have a button for this, which looks like a +/- symbol in box that is diagonally half black and half white.
How you operate it can vary from model to model, but usually it’s a case of pressing the button to activate exposure compensation and then letting go, and then turning the top dial to adjust it – though with some camera models, you have to hold the button down while turning the dial.
Some cameras even have a physical exposure compensation dial on the top, or have the ability to program another dial for exposure compensation - which makes it even easier as you don’t need to press any buttons at all.
What actually happens is that the camera is adjusting the shutter speed (which is the part it controls when you’re using aperture priority) to create the under or over-exposure - but you make this happen by adjusting the exposure compensation function, to physically change the exposure of the shot.
When you have adjusted the exposure compensation, the scale at the bottom of the screen or viewfinder will show you how much you have changed it by, and in which direction. Some cameras use numbers instead of a scale, and these are usually plus or minus 0.3, 0.7, 1, 1.3, 1.7, 2, 2.3, 2.7 and 3.
​
Each increment (one click of the dial) is equivalent to one third of an f stop of over or under exposure.
If you’re using a compact, a bridge camera or a mirrorless, the image will also actually look darker or lighter through the viewfinder and on the screen. But if you’re using a DSLR, the viewfinder will not show the change in ‘real time’, as it’s optical not electronic – so you will need to take the shot and then review it to see the effect, or use Live View to take the shot instead.
​
Return to the PTiYP app to continue.
For information on my 1-2-1 tuition services - which are available in person, or online via Zoom - please visit my photography tuition page.
I can help with anything from off-auto level tuition and learning how operate your specific camera, through to advanced skills, image editing and portfolio reviews.