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Digital Photography Made Simple — Lesson 1 — Page 3

Exposure Compensation

Exposure compensation can be helpful in more severe light extremes, such as bright sunlight (using settings in the negative [-] range) and strongly backlit shots (using settings in the positive [+] range). Demo 1-10 shows a variety of photographic examples using different levels of exposure compensation.

Demo 1-10: Exposure compensation can be helpful in circumstances where you have extreme brightness or backlit shots.

Exposure Metering

Metering means measuring the amount of light in your scene to determine the best exposure. Based on the lighting in the scene you're shooting, some digital cameras enable you to change the metering method:

• Multi-patterned, matrix, or evaluative metering: Splits the frame into a checkerboard type of pattern, so the camera can take several samples to determine the overall best exposure.
• Center-weighted metering: Averages the exposure of the full frame with an extra weighted average to the center.
• Center spot or spot metering: Allows you to meter the subject precisely, and ignores the rest of the frame. This metering method works best for macro mode shots and brightly backlit subjects.

Demo 1-11 shows the different metering methods you can choose depending on the lighting situation.

Demo 1-11: Change the metering method to determine the best exposure for your shot.

Shutter Speed

Most current digital cameras have a mechanical shutter like a film camera. The shutter speed refers to the length of time, such as 1/25 for 1/25th of a second, the shutter remains open to admit light into the camera to take the picture. As mentioned previously, some digital cameras offer a shutter priority mode, in which you specify the shutter speed, and the camera sets the aperture size to yield the best exposure. Because a fast shutter speed shoots a smaller "slice" of time, it can yield a shot in which an object in motion appears frozen. A drop of water coming out of a faucet can appear suspended in mid air, for example. Because a slower shutter speed captures a longer slice of time, you might need to use a tripod to achieve a crisp image.

See what kind of results you can get with slow shutter speeds versus faster shutter speeds in Demo 1-12.

Demo 1-12: Using a slower shutter speed allows you to capture motion in your photo. The same object in motion appears frozen if you use a faster shutter speed.

All of the light that comes into the camera and strikes the sensor to record the image is collectively called the exposure. Shutter speed and aperture size are the two important settings that determine the overall exposure for an image.

Aperture

The aperture opening controls the amount of light reaching the image sensor based on its size setting, with size or diameter expressed in f-stops. The methods used to express the f-stop setting may vary, so f/8, f-8, and 1:8 are all different expressions of the same f-stop setting. Your camera may have an aperture priority mode, in which you specify the aperture setting and the camera sets the shutter speed for good exposure.

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