What Is Exposure Compensation and How Can It Improve Your Images?

Exposure compensation is one of the most fundamental tools on pretty much every camera, and it can make a major difference in your shooting workflow. If you are wondering what it is and how to use it, this fantastic video will show you the technology behind it and how it can improve your images.

Coming to you from Beyond Photography, this excellent video explains exposure compensation, both how it works and how to use it in your images. The need for exposure compensation arises from the imperfect metering systems of cameras. Cameras can't identify specific subjects, only measure the amount of light in a scene or part of it, and they will try to match the exposure to a certain standard. While this generally works in most situations, certain scenes can really fool your camera's metering system, such as a snowy day, which is where exposure compensation comes into play. For example, I frequently shoot in manual mode with auto ISO at events, but I will normally dial in -2/3 compensation just to protect the highlights. It's definitely a useful tool; check out the video above for the full rundown. 

And if you want to continue on your journey learning photography, be sure to check out "Photography 101: How to Use Your Digital Camera and Edit Photos in Photoshop With Lee Morris!"