UNDER & OVEREXPOSURE 
(Is there really a "correct" exposure?)

I don't believe in a "correct" exposure; the kind where the histogram tells us we are very close to a bell curve in terms of darks and lights and mid-tones. I prefer to get the right exposure--that exposure that best translates the message, mood, feelings, or thoughts I want to convey.

This is why I don't hesitate to under or overexpose a scene. If you look at the histogram on some of my images, the histogram is screaming, "Dude, you are way off!"  The reason it says that is because it is trying to help me get the "correct" exposure, whereas I wanted to get the right exposure--that right exposure that would give me the visual look I was going for.

Speaking of visual looks, let's look at some examples from my collection.

I saw this beauty clinging to the netting as I aimed my camera toward the large sky window of a butterfly pavilion. I overexposed the scene by +1 stop in order to give it an airy feel to the image.

I placed a white diffuser behind these pre-budding flowers to give them that "in the studio" kind of look. I loved the oval shapes and curved lines in the scene. It looked like a piece of art on canvas. I overexposed this scene by +1 1/3 to keep the background as light as possible and to add color to the stems and bulbs. 

This next example is one of the most extreme. I really liked the shapes and colors of the lilies and lily pads. However, they blended in too much with the gray sky in the reflection. I decided to underexpose this scene by a severe -2 1/3! I wanted to darken the water, which reflected the gray sky. I figured that by doing that, it would make the lilies and lily pads "pop," that is, really stand out.

The histogram for this image was far to the left, telling me, "Dude, it's way too dark! You didn't get the correct exposure." I didn't want the "correct" exposure; I wanted the right exposure--the one that was right for me; the one that translated my thoughts.

The lighting on this next scene was similar to the image above ("Radiance"). Again, I wanted the floating autumn leaves to "pop." This time I went to a -2 2/3 stops underexposure!! In everyday jargon, that means I gave the scene two hundred sixty-six percent less light than the built-in exposure light meter thought I needed for the "correct" exposure. Now you know why I talked back to the light meter: "I know where you're trying to take me. I don't wanna go there." The result was a very artistic rendering of simple leaves. 

So, do I ever go the opposite direction, toward the plus side of exposure, or overexposure? Yes! However, it is important to understand what I mean when I make a statement like, "I overexposed this scene by +2 2/3 stops overexposure," I mean that I overexposed the scene from the point that my built-in exposure light meter thought I needed. For example, if A is underexposed, B is the "correct" exposure (based on the light meter), C is 1-stop over from B, and D is 2-stops over from B, I went D + 2/3. That is exactly what I did for this next shot: + 2 2/3 because the backside of the sunflower was in the shade and I had to override, or "overexpose" the meter reading on the bright sky. I know, it sounds counterintuitive. 

Here's one more try to explain this. When I look at the very bright sky in this photo of a sunflower, I know, not guess, but know that the built-in exposure light meter is going to underexpose the bright sky light, which will also underexpose the dark side of the sunflower. By setting my exposure to a +2 2/3 I am overriding what I know the light meter is trying to do. Voila!! 

Okay, one more. Here we have a couple of flamingos. I really wanted them to "pop," so I underexposed this one by -1 2/3. 

The on-camera tool I use to over or underexpose my images is called the exposure compensation dial. If you don't know where it is, refer to your camera manual. You will see a scale that looks something like this when you activate it.

-3 .  .   -2 . .  -1 .   .-0- . .  +1 . . +2 . . +3

So, now that you know, go out there and talk back to your built-in exposure light meter and get what you want. Enjoy. Have fun.