Exposure Compensation - Easily Make Your Photos Brighter!

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. If you are overwhelmed by changing so many settings at one time, struggling to remember how f/stop numbers alter the look of your image, or you keep taking pictures that are too dark or too bright... have no fear! Exposure compensation will be your new best friend AND you don't have to remember your Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed all at once to get your image right. All you have to do is press one button, and scroll. Sound pretty interesting? Does it sound too good to be true? 

It's not! I promise!

First, take a look at your camera and find this: 

Here's an example of where the exposure compensation button is located on a Canon camera (left) and a Nikon camera (right). 

Source

This exposure compensation works as a sliding number scale which will make your image brighter or darker depending on which direction you scroll. On my Nikon, I simply hold down the button and scroll with my thumb (the rear wheel) to change it. See my example below:

When you slide it to the negative numbers, it darkens your image. If you slide it towards the positive numbers, it will add more light. Pretty simple, right?? In the example below you will see how the photo on the left is darker by one stop, the photo on the right is brighter by one stop of light. 

Here is what my exposure compensation dial looks like through my viewfinder:

For a good place to start, give this a try. I oftentimes find myself wanting a certain f/stop number, so I'd prefer to be in control of my aperture. Try switching to Aperture Priority Mode (A or Av) and shoot your scene with the f/stop you'd like. If it is too dark, use your exposure compensation to add more light, by scrolling to the positive numbers, until you get the result you want. This is a great way to practice without shooting all out manual and stressing too much!

Have fun trying out your new tool to quickly change your exposure!  

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