Achieving correct exposure

Right Image: Minolta Maxxum 9, 300mm f-2.8 APO lens, Fuji Velvia, Bogen tripod and Ball head. Spot metering (white feathers and then adding +11/2 stops of exposure compensation) in aperture priority at f-4 and approx. 1/60 sec. Autofocus.

Achieving correct exposure is extremely important for producing successful photographs. If your exposure is off, your pictures are not worth anything no matter how interesting your subject is. Beginners find exposure very puzzling. The problem is that most people rely on their cameras for proper exposure without really understanding how camera meters work and what adjustments may be necessary. Let me first define correct exposure. Correct exposure means that you get your images back from the lab exactly as you wanted them to be exposed. If you wanted certain images to be one stop underexposed and that's how they turned out, then you achieved correct exposure. It does not matter what others think. What matters is that you are happy with the result.

I have heard photographers bragging about their camera's sophisticated metering and how they never have to worry about exposure. I have even heard people say that bracketing is a waste of time and film. They are wrong. Since correct exposure is decided by photographers and not their cameras, then each photographer will decide which exposure setting will work best for them. I don't feel bracketing is a waste of time and film. I bracket regularly even when I'm absolutely sure of my exposure setting. The reason is that many times an underexposed or overexposed image turns out to be much better than the normal exposure. I can't see the results in my mind. Bracketing allows me to see several exposures so I can see what the film sees. You'll be surprised how many images actually look better on film when underexposed or overexposed. Your sophisticated camera may give you the perfect exposure but it is still one exposure on one piece of film. Bracket so you'll have several shots of the same image to compare results and pick the one you like best.

The best way to achieve correct exposure is to work in stops. All metering systems want to make an average result of whatever is in front of them. If the subject is average in tonality, not too light nor dark, then shoot at what your meter suggests unless you want lighter or darker results. The best way is to use spot metering or centerweighted metering and work in stops. In spot metering mode, just meter your subject and decide how you want it to appear on film.


Red circle shows the spot metering area. In spot metering mode, camera only reads reflected light from the middle of the screen which is typically 2 to 5 percent.


If you want an average result, then shoot at what your meter says. If you want it lighter, add exposure or reduce exposure if you want it to appear darker. It doesn't matter how much you open up or close down. What matters is how light or dark you want the image to be. Don't try this in multipattern metering. It is impossible to know how the camera calculated the exposure. In multipattern metering, exposure is calculated based on several individual areas in the frame. Since you don't know how much exposure each area is receiving, adjusting exposure may give unsatisfactory and unpredictable results. Multipattern metering gives good results most of the time, but when you want to take control over exposure, switch to spot or centerweighted metering. If your camera lacks spot metering, switch to centerweighted metering and use a telephoto lens to take a reading and lock exposure. Use manual exposure mode for this purpose. You can then switch to any focal length, but use the exposure setting you just took.

As long as you work in stops, you can be in total control to achieve correct exposure. I use spot metering when I want to fine tune my exposure. I meter an area and add exposure for light subjects or reduce exposure for dark subjects. When I'm in doubt, I bracket. If the results turn out to be the way I wanted, then those are the perfect exposure.
 

Recommended reading: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera Synopsis More than 100 vivid, graphic comparison pictures illustrate every point in this classic and can help any photographer maximize the creative impact of his or her exposure decisions. Peterson stresses the importance of metering the subject for a starting exposure and then explains how to use various exposure meters and different kinds of lighting. The book contains lessons on each element of the triangle and how it relates to the other two in terms of depth of field, freezing and blurring action, and shooting in low light or at night. A section on special techniques explores such options as deliberate under-and over-exposures, how to produce double exposures, bracketing, shooting the moon, and the use of filters. Understanding Exposure demonstrates that there are always creative choices about how to expose a picture - and that the decision is up to the photographer, not the camera.