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Digital camera exposure tips
Locking exposure
Both exposure and focus are locked when the shutter-release button if pressed halfway down. Some digital cameras let you lock exposure and focus independently (AE/AF Lock ). This is useful when a subject is much darker than the background due to backlighting or there are strong areas of light and dark in a scene.
Watch exposure changes on the LCD
Use the LCD to watch exposure changes as you move the camera around a scene. This helps determikne where and when to lock for the best overall exposure. Learn to use the very important lock and recompose technique .
Adjusting exposure
Exposure Compensation (EC) is used to change the exposure from the setting automatically selected by the camera. EC is used when lighting conditions cause very bright and very dark areas in a scene. Exposure can be changed in increments such as: -1, -.7, +.7, +1. When the main subject is darker than a bright background, use a positive number. If the subject is much lighter than the background, use a negative number.
Bracket
Backeting helps ensure proper exposure of a scene by taking several photos of it at different exposure settings. Many digital cameras have an automatic bracketing mode, or it can be done manually.
Spot exposure metering
Spot metering takes a precise exposure reading only at the very center of the frame. Switch to spot meter when there are extremes in brightness in a scene such as when photographing a person in the spot-light on a stage.