EV or Exposure compensation is usually set for 0. The human eye sees (or tries to see) in 18% gray. Cameras, then are set to shoot in 18% gray when using any of the automatic modes. Note: EV adjustment is only available in Program, Tv (shutter priority) and Av (Aperture priority) modes. Manual and all automatic settings don’t the adjustment available.
Sometimes, however, trying to achieve the norm can cause too much grain in darker photos, blur in action shots (such as chasing a small child), or blown out/too dark details in portions of the photo.
As in my previous entry, I set the EV settings to the negative to achieve two things simultaneously: 1. to increase my shutter speed so I wouldn’t need a tripod, and 2. to show the gray/dark day it really was. Setting the mood can be just as important as the subject.
For instance, to capture the smoke of a candle, my shutter speed needed to be between 1/25 – 1/50. I set my Canon Rebel XTi with the 18mm-55mm kit lens to Shutter Priority, 1/30 sec, EV to -2, ISO 100 and let the camera decide the rest. The candle picture below is the result.
Are there times when over-exposure can be useful? Absolutely! Sometimes you may want to see only some detail in the photo, and the rest be washed out. For instance, for portraits, it can give the subject an angelic look.
I gave this a try with my son while he took a bath. I wanted the blue of his eyes and the red of his lips to pop while everything else fell into the background (second photo below). I took this with my Canon Powershot SX10 using Program mode (didn’t care about either shutter or aperture, only my EV setting set at +2). The camera chose 1/60sec and f5.0 aperture. ISO set at 80 for no reason in particular except I’m fond of lower ISO. Less noise that way, although it can be limiting in darker settings. Zoom (focal length): 32mm.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
While there are better examples out there from true professional photographers, I hope mine at least show what a camera with EV settings available can do. The wonders of photography, especially digital, is the many ways a person can experiment. It also helps to have a willing subject, which my son is quite happy (so far) to oblige.
Leave a Comment
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
