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My kid's teddy bears see as much of our backyard as I do since they're
out there always being photographed. I have two, one black and one white
that are twelve inches tall that I use. They have taught me much and they
can help you quickly learn how and when to use exposure compensation. The
goal of the test is to provide you with a set of images where you can visually
see the effect of exposure compensation on a variety of tones in a variety
of situations that you can set in your mind for real life situations.
You'll need to have a black and white subject for the test,
I recommend stuffed animals which have glass eyes (able to reflect catch
lights). You'll also need to have a number of situations where you can photograph
the subject, paper and pencil for notes on each frame and a zoom lens in
the 75-300mm range, 80-200mm will do.
Dialing in the compensation can be done in a variety of
ways which varies slightly with each camera body. With most, you simply
press the exposure compensation dial and dial in the desired compensation
value. Others like to change their ISO to over or under expose. A method
I use when I know I'm just compensating for just one photograph is to move
my lens off the subject and watch my shutter speed until it changes to the
desired value at which time I hold in the memory lock and reframe for the
photo. Whatever method you use, employ it in the test and get into a routine
of doing it the same way all the time.
Make sure you write down frame number, the situation, subject,
base exposure and most importantly the amount of exposure compensation used
for each exposure. DON'T trust it to memory!
A helpful hint, shadows on the subject and background can
be made by you using a towel or sheet of cardboard. Place them to block
light where and when needed. This can make the test go faster if you leave
the camera and subject the same and just change the lighting patterns to
fit your needs.
| Situation 1: Full shadow on subject and background |
| White Bear |
Black Bear |
| Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
| Expose as the meter suggests |
Expose as the meter suggests |
| Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
| Situation 2: 50/50 shadow on subject, full
shadow on background |
| White Bear |
Black Bear |
| Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
| Expose as the meter suggests |
Expose as the meter suggests |
| Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
| Situation 3: Full sun on subject, full shadow
on background |
| White Bear |
Black Bear |
| Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
| Expose as the meter suggests |
Expose as the meter suggests |
| Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
| Situation 4: Full shadow on subject, 50/50
sun on background |
| White Bear |
Black Bear |
| Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
| Expose as the meter suggests |
Expose as the meter suggests |
| Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
| Situation 5:
50/50 shadow on subject and background |
| White Bear |
Black Bear |
| Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
| Expose as the meter suggests |
Expose as the meter suggests |
| Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
| Situation 6: Full sun on subject, 50/50 sun
on background |
| White Bear |
Black Bear |
| Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
| Expose as the meter suggests |
Expose as the meter suggests |
| Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
| Situation 7: Full shadow on subject, full
sun on background |
| White Bear |
Black Bear |
| Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
| Expose as the meter suggests |
Expose as the meter suggests |
| Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
| Situation 8: 50/50 shadow on subject, full
sun on background |
| White Bear |
Black Bear |
| Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
| Expose as the meter suggests |
Expose as the meter suggests |
| Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
| Situation 9: Full sun on subject and background |
| White Bear |
Black Bear |
| Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
Underexpose by 1, 2/3 & 1/3 stop |
| Expose as the meter suggests |
Expose
as the meter suggests |
| Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
Overexpose by 1/3, 2/3 and 1 stop |
So what does this provide you with? Sleeve the images in the order they
were taken. Look at them on the light table over and over again. Learn to
see the different lighting patterns and recognize what exposure you like.
Make a mental note, or written, of the exposure method and compensation
if any that produces the exposure you like. There is no right or wrong exposure as far as I'm concern, only the
one that communicates what you see to others.
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