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Microsoft Picture It! Companion Guide
Chapter 2: Making the Most of Your Camera
34
2. Nail the Exposure
In a finished photo, exposure is something that you usually only notice when it
is out of adjustment. A perfect exposure is not something that jumps out at you
from a photo, but a problem exposure definitely stands out. In an overexposed
photo (caused by too much light), the shadow areas are light, and the highlight
areas are almost entirely white. In an underexposed photo, 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-
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
shoot 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.
3. Capture a Moment in the Story
Consider driver’s license and passport photos. We think of these photos as
uninteresting and unrepresentative of how people usually look. Why are these
photos dull?
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 nail the
exposure, you can
increase your chances
of success by bracket-
ing, as explained in
tip #7.