Expose correctly

Bird photos can present exposure challenges

Understanding and controlling light is a fundamental skill for anyone wanting to take consistently good photographs. By learning how to expose an image correctly you will be able to capture shots of the ideal brightness for any situation, opening up the creative potential of both you and your camera.

In photography, exposure is the amount of light that reaches the sensor and is primarily controlled by the aperture and shutter speed. ISO is also an important consideration as this determines the sensitivity of the sensor to the light it receives. Getting the right exposure is about balancing these three settings to achieve the outcome intended.

I would advise against using your camera’s fully automatic settings because although these will sometimes produce a well-exposed image, you have not had complete control over the capture and may not be able to repeat it. I typically shoot in aperture priority mode and use metering along with exposure compensation to control the light. I will also revert to manual exposure when the lighting is difficult or if metering is impractical.

Metering is how your camera reads the reflected light in a scene so the mode you use will help you achieve the desired exposure. Metering is particularly useful in unusual lighting situations, for example, a dark subject against a light background. Exposure compensation allows you to override what the camera sees as the optimum exposure by manually darkening or lightening the image.

Last winter, at my woodland hide, I photographed a very handsome male bullfinch in freshly fallen snow. I had already imagined the type of shot I wanted to make

– a high-key image with the coral-coloured bird isolated against a white background. To achieve this I used a large amount of positive exposure compensation.

Being creative with your use of light will increase the chances of your images succeeding in competitions. This could be by backlighting and using underexposure to create a silhouette or overexposing a scene to produce a high-key picture. Exposure is a subjective art and can only really be fully interpreted by the photographer.

BACKLIT NUTHATCH A beautiful nuthatch Sitta europaea, in classic pose backlit by the low winter sun. Shot from my woodland hideUNDEREXPOSURE I used -1 EV of exposure compensation to underexpose the sceneSUBJECT FORM Rim lighting works especially well on subjects with a very distinct form COLOUR TEMPERATURE A manual white balance of 5,800K boosts the orange tonesMETERING I metered from the light and then shotagainst the dark