Exposure compensation help?!

[terry7cook]

If my subject stands in a spot of light coming from a window for example. And the whole rest of the room is darker. The center of the frame is his face.
I'm using Av mode, Auto Iso (for the example), and -1 stop.

How do I make the camera make the darks darker and the lights brighter?
When I go -1 it just darkens the whole picture overall, how can I make this contrast in camera and not in post proccessing?

 

[SCraig]

Meter on the subject's face using spot metering, then use the metered shutter speed & aperture values in manual mode.

 

[gsgary]

Meter on the subject's face using spot metering, then use the metered shutter speed & aperture values in manual mode.

Why not just put it in manual with aperture you want spot meter and set your shutter sped

 

[terry7cook]

Meter on the subject's face using spot metering, then use the metered shutter speed & aperture values in manual mode.

Why not just put it in manual with aperture you want spot meter and set your shutter sped

Because I'm trying to figure out metering mode + exposure compensation, I know how and what to do in manual mode.
Just trying to figure out how and what to do in AV.

I thought that using exposure compensation will get me to what I'm trying to achieve but it just darkens the whole scene.

 

[KenC]

EC will darken the entire image - that's what it's supposed to do. If the face was too bright, then this is exactly what you want. If not, and you just want more contrast, you probably need to do that in processing the image. The only other option is to mess with the in-camera settings, but then you have to remember to change them back for other kinds of images.

 

[Ysarex]

How do I make the camera make the darks darker and the lights brighter?

You increase the contrast.

When I go -1 it just darkens the whole picture overall, how can I make this contrast in camera and not in post proccessing?

EC effects the entire exposure. So it's doing what it was designed to do. Your camera should have a picture control to adjust contrast.

Joe

 

[gsgary]

Meter on the subject's face using spot metering, then use the metered shutter speed & aperture values in manual mode.

Why not just put it in manual with aperture you want spot meter and set your shutter sped

Because I'm trying to figure out metering mode + exposure compensation, I know how and what to do in manual mode.
Just trying to figure out how and what to do in AV.

I thought that using exposure compensation will get me to what I'm trying to achieve but it just darkens the whole scene.

Good luck then

 

[bratkinson]

As indicated previously, Exposure Compensation affects the entire picture, not just part of it. While there may be some adjustments in your camera - exactly how varies by camera and manufacturer - they are likely on one of several menu screens, which may not be convenient in many cases.

I am not a fan of EC, especially when shooting with my DSLR, as I normally shoot in manual mode and make adjustments after looking at the results and histogram on the LCD. But with my higher-end point and shoot camera and its' prominent EC wheel on top, if I don't particularly care one way or another -how- the camera does it (varies based on other camera settings), I'll give the EC a click or two as needed. I sometimes use the EC wheel as an extra-easy method of exposure bracketing, as well.

But in taking a picture with the subject brightly lit and the rest of the room dark, there are other alternatives to EC that I think will give better results. Number one, in my mind, would be to light up the rest of the room. How much lighting and how to accomplish that is up to you. But I'm thinking you really want only the subject well-lit and the surroundings and background somewhat dark. Here's where it can get interesting. One idea would be to take two shots, one metered for the subject and the other for the background, then combine them in the camera or in post. Another possibility is to reduce the exposure in the camera but add a diffused flash, so the subject is properly exposed and everything else somewhat underexposed. If I have time to 'think about' the shot in advance, that's how I'd most likely proceed. But shooting candid shots as I most often do, I don't always have that luxury. My most-often-used method is to fix it during post processing. Having the extra 'latitude' of editing from a RAW image, I can frequently brighten up the shadows a bit and perhaps tone down the highlights, and maybe even adjust contrast and exposure to get the result I want. Of course, there's a limit to how much I can 'crank up' the shadows before the noise gets too noticeable.

As an overly-experienced amateur, perhaps my biggest failure is failing to recognize screwy lighting situations that I should handle 'in camera' rather than resorting to correcting it in post processing. Biggest problem number two for me is to see and eliminate distracting elements in the photo before I take the picture, such as fire alarms, poles, reflected glare, etc. I'm getting better on the latter, but still have a long way to go. I only recognize screwy lighting maybe 20% of the time...but that's a start!

 

[greybeard]

You are wanting your camera to expose different portions of your picture at different levels. To my knowledge your camera can not do this. If you -1 the exposure, you will lower the exposure on the whole frame and not just the portion of the frame you want. What you are wanting to do is best done in post processing with a computer photo editing program like Photoshop. With this type of program you can select the portion of the scene that you want to lighten or darken while not modifying the rest of the picture.

 

[snerd]

You are wanting your camera to expose different portions of your picture at different levels. To my knowledge your camera can not do this. If you -1 the exposure, you will lower the exposure on the whole frame and not just the portion of the frame you want. What you are wanting to do is best done in post processing with a computer photo editing program like Photoshop. With this type of program you can select the portion of the scene that you want to lighten or darken while not modifying the rest of the picture.

Yeah, I was going to suggest it in Lightroom too. Selecting the background and lowering exposure. I don't do it well, but it's doable I think.

 

[terry7cook]

Ok guys, thanks for all of you, got it!
You can, do what I was asking using AV mode, the camera will automatically expose for the bright part (subjects face) and that will obviously cause the background go darker as it already is darker as I've mentioned in my question earlier.

As for ec, I thought it just deals part of the image, good to know.

Thanks!

 

[weepete]

That sounds weird, you should be able to get the same exposure settings in AV mode as you can in manual so I'd take a shot in each and compare the settings. If there is no difference in the shots then you will need up the contrast in camera, using the lighting or increasing the contrast in post. If you are not getting the same image then either you or your camera is changing some setting in AV mode from your choice of settings in manual mode.

Check your metering is on the same mode too

 

[beachrat]

It sounds to me like he's trying to replicate what the human eye can see,with a camera.
I don't think it can be done without post processing.
The range of a camera is not the same as what a human eye can see.
The only option he has, is to use light that he can actually control(strobes) to bring the subject up,and drop the background.

 

[wfooshee]

Yeah, the thing with looking at something with your eye is that your eye and your brain adjust for the small area you're actually looking at; where your pupil is "aimed." As you look in the darker space, your pupils open up and your eye and mind ignore the bright light. As you look at the brightly lit area, your pupils constrict for proper "exposure" of that small area of the scene, ignoring the rest of the scene and letting it go dark.

A camera can't do that. It takes in the whole scene, and does the best it can. If brights and darks are too far apart in light level, it just can't deal with it. The concept is dynamic range, and digital cameras actually suck pretty badly at that.

Not to say a photograph of a detailed darker background with a well-lit subject can't be made.... but it has to be planned, knowing the limits of dynamic range and then carefully lit, or it has to be composited, as suggested in one of the previous posts.

 

[terry7cook]

I'm adding 2 pictures from the last wedding, before & after, pay attention to the second more bright picture, this is what the "eye can see" as you mentioned before, and in the other darker picture this is what I'v got using AV mode and exposing for the highlight where the couple is standing.
I haven't done any big changes in post, just B&W a bit contrast and etc, but the point is that what I was asking to do, happen here and not in post, and I didn't change any complicated setting in camera, nothing was done!


As for the last picture, as you can see it's just minor editing in LR.