Exposure Compensation

What is Exposure Compensation?

Exposure compensation is a camera setting that allows the photographer to adjust the brightness or darkness of an image without changing the shutter speed, aperture, or ISO settings.

It is typically represented as a scale in stops, with positive values indicating brighter exposure and negative values indicating darker exposure. Exposure compensation is useful in situations where the camera's automatic exposure settings are not producing the desired results, such as in backlit or low-light situations. By adjusting the exposure compensation setting, the photographer can override the camera's automatic exposure and create an image that is brighter or darker than what the camera would produce on its own. For example, if the camera is metering a scene and producing an image that is too dark, the photographer can increase the exposure compensation setting to produce a brighter image. Conversely, if the camera is producing an image that is too bright, the photographer can decrease the exposure compensation setting to produce a darker image. Exposure compensation is available on most digital cameras and can be adjusted in real-time while composing the image. It is a powerful tool for achieving the desired exposure and can be used creatively to produce unique and interesting images.