Exposure comp. Experiences, stories, tip tricks..etc.

Who uses Exp. comp. on the fly?
What experiences, tip or tricks can you tell?

The intent here is not lecture but to learn ideas on how to best apply exp. comp. in day to day photography and what can be learned, and played with such events like sports, weddings, conventions, etc.

 

In studio no, I'm on Manual, outside yes, all the time.

 

I use EC to set an exposure different than my camera meter would set for almost every photo I take. I tend to keep my cameras in Program mode so the camera meter would then select the exposure. Only I will typically want to expose more than the meter and so EC is the easy way for me to do that. In fact I keep the EC on my cameras pre-set to + values expecting what I will do next time I use them. All of my cameras now are mirrorless which means I benefit from a live-view histogram and highlight clipping warnings. I rely on those to help me determine the exposure. My goal is always the same: Expose to the max the sensor can handle.

 

With my digital in spot metering mode, closed composition subject, subject surrounded by shadow, I most often -EC until the subject is well exposed while the darkened shadow frames the subject to produce interest.

With c41 color print film, same but much trickier with optical view finder. I also +EC on same roll to create softer pastel color in certain scenes.

Black and white film, I adjust either way depending on how I want my shadow detail to render.

 

I use it quite a lot. I use aperture priority along with auto-ISO, usually when shooting action where I want to control aperture and want the ISO to float so I get a minimum shutter speed.

I use EC when I am concerned that highlights might get blown out. I will under expose by 1 to 3 stops and then bring the shadows out in post. I would have used EC for this shot. The shots without EC turned the sun into a big bright blob and the sky was completely washed out. In post I brought the shadows out bit to get a better reflection in the pond and a tiny bit of detail in the foreground.



This shot also used EC. I wanted the panel and sky to look the natural. I think most will agree there is more data in shadows than highlights. In this case I metered the sky and then underexposed by two stops. Then I held the camera behind my head and took the shot without looking. In the original the panel was a black mass. But in post I was able to make it readable without washing out the sky. This is what it really looks like but difficult to capture in a photo..

 

I'm generally set to Manual Mode so it's not something I've used too often. I believe it will work in Manual Mode with auto ISO on (I'm on Canon) but otherwise it'll do nothing. I could be wrong tho.

 

with landscapes i shoot full manual. with wildlife i shoot with auto iso. i set my shutter speed and aperture and use the exposure comp. dial to adjust my exposure. i use the histogram to make decisions on how to adjust the ec so the highlights don't get clipped.

 

I agree. I'm a mostly aperture shooter as well. I use it to make the image look like what the scene looks like.

 

For my wildlife photography, most of my adjustments happen in PP.....

 

Think my most memorable one would be on a boat sailing round Canna (a small but lovely island). There were a whole load of different birds some nealy all black and some with white and a pretty stong shadow from the cliffs. Had to bounce between shooting -2 under and +2 over depending if the black birds were in the shade or the birds with white in them were in the sunlight.

 

In a couple ofmweeks, I should be around some snow. Is this an opportunity to use EC?
Have to admit, I have never used it!!

 

Absolutely! Snow, water and some other factors effect the exposure you want for a subject. Experiment with it!