Beginner photographers often struggle with photos being either overexposed or underexposed. This is normal and happens occasionally when using your camera’s full automatic mode. However, under normal conditions and scenes, persistent or recurring over- or underexposure should not occur consistently. If you find this behaviour happens frequently, follow these steps to troubleshoot the root cause.
Are you using full auto or semi-auto?
When students raise concerns about consistent exposure issues in my beginner photography courses, my first step is to determine whether the overexposure or underexposure occurs in their camera’s full auto mode or one of the semi-automatic modes—program mode, shutter priority mode, or aperture priority mode. Full auto modes on most cameras don’t offer photographers any control over picture brightness. This guide is intended for those using the semi-automatic P (Program), S (Shutter Priority, Tv), or A (Aperture Priority, Av) exposure modes.
Solving consistent overexposure or underexposure (but not both)
Exposure compensation is often the cause of exposure errors that consistently result in photos being too bright or too dark. Exposure compensation is a setting that gives you influence over how bright or dark your camera’s automatic exposure will be.
Its default setting is zero, meaning the camera sets exposures to its standard brightness. Increasing exposure compensation into the positive numbers instructs the camera to make shots brighter. Conversely, decreasing exposure compensation into the negative numbers tells the camera to make photos darker than its standard programming. The values showing your input for exposure compensation aren’t arbitrary; they represent precise exposure adjustments expressed in units called photographic stops, also known as EV (exposure value). This unit represents changes in brightness and is a fundamental concept in photography. Learning more about exposure value and the photographic stop is beneficial because they’re essential units in photography.
Solving erratic overexposure and underexposure
Spot metering is often the culprit when exposure errors are erratic and fluctuate between shots. This issue is particularly noticeable when significant changes in exposure occur due to minor shifts in composition. Spot metering is a metering mode that measures the brightness of a very small area of the frame, usually the active focus point. While this precision can be beneficial in specific scenarios, it often leads to exposure swings when the metered area varies in brightness.
To understand why spot metering can create inconsistent results, it’s helpful to know how metering modes work overall. Metering modes allow your camera to evaluate the light in a scene to determine the appropriate exposure. The most common mode, often called multi-zone metering, uses advanced pattern recognition to analyze different sections of the frame and calculate a balanced exposure. This approach minimizes drastic exposure changes due to slight composition adjustments. While naming conventions vary (e.g., Canon refers to it as “Evaluative,” Nikon as “Matrix,” and both Sony and Fujifilm as “Multi”), the functionality is similar.
Returning to spot metering, its focused nature means that if the metered spot falls on an area that is significantly brighter or darker than the overall scene, the camera will adjust the exposure accordingly, potentially leading to overexposure or underexposure. This sensitivity can create erratic results when recomposing or shifting the frame even slightly.
To prevent these exposure swings, I recommend selecting your camera’s standard multi-zone metering mode for most shooting situations.
Conclusion
If your photos are consistently overexposed or underexposed, check your exposure compensation settings and adjust as needed. For erratic exposures, ensure your camera is set to the standard metering mode rather than spot metering. These simple adjustments can help you achieve more consistent exposures.