Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Bloggography Challenge: Exposure Compensation


This week's lesson was all about adding or subtracting light in your picture.  You can read all about it here.  Basically, it adds/subtracts light to adjust the automatic setting your camera picks when it reads the light, because it sets the setting according to the light it reads-which is not always the light for the actual picture you want.

I experimented with this a lot this week.  The weather was B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!  We had been in the winter doldrums for what seemed like years-so this week's above normal temps and Sun (!!) seemed magical.  I took pictures of the sky, the first Spring flowers and my dog.  We got Dairy Queen, Italian Ice and went to the park.  I have dozens of pictures on my computer of the same image-all with different Exposre Compensation Values.  Here is the best of them (along with an incorrect exposure to compare it to) Oh, I shot everything in the "A" Aperture mode:

ISO: 800 Shutter: 1/640 Aperture: f 5.0 Exposure Bias: +.67
Correct Exposure makes this one look Sun-Kissed even though it is under a tree.


ISO: 800 Shutter: 1/80 Aperture: f 22 Exposure Bias: -.67 
Too dark


Here is another example.  From these I realized that adjusting the Exposure Compensation I could lighten and deepen colors:

ISO: 400 Shutter: 1/4000 Aperature: f5.6 Exposure Bias: -1.0
This picture of the sky is too dark.  It looks like Storm Clouds

ISO: 400 Shutter: 1/800 Aperature: f5.6 Exposure Bias: +1.33
This picture of the sky is too light.  The color washes out.

ISO: 800 Shutter: 1/1600 Aperature: 5.6 Exposure Bias: +.33
This picture is just right. 

Finally, took these pictures today.  These two pictures illustrate how just a small change in Exposure Compensation can make a difference.

ISO: 800 Shutter: 1/640 Aperature: 5.0 Exposure Bias: +.67
This picture is good...


But this picture is just a little better.  More color.  More definition.  Only one step up in Compensation
ISO: 400 Shutter: 1/320 Aperature: f5.6 Exposure Bias: +1.0

4 comments:

  1. Your examples are so good! I especially love what the exposure compensation did for the clouds!!

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  2. I am so jealous of everyone's bulb flowers! Beautiful examples!

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  3. Those are really cool! Nice job and great explanations too!

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  4. such sweet little flowers...especially the little purple one. The third cloud photo is amazing.

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