How to Trick Dark and Bright Photography Background?

Beginner photography frequently makes mistakes in adjusting the camera exposure when photographing the subject with the dark or bright background. Subject with the dark background produces over-exposure, while subject with the bright background produces under-exposure. Photo background can deceive the way the camera read the exposure. How to trick them?

Speaking about photography exposure problems, the photo object is not the only element that contributes the improper of the exposure results. Photography background must be taken into account too, because photo background contributes significant deceiver the way the camera reading the exposure. Even though the object is classified as mid-tone, an abnormal dark or a bright photo background can cause the camera to read the exposure mistakenly or incorrectly. The level of the


error depends on how large the frame area used as the photo background.

It's not quite easy to determine how accurate the camera explores the object. It depends on the metering mode you select in the camera. For example, when you capture the object which is not positioned in the center of the frame, while you select the spot metering mode, the camera will not be able to read the exposure correctly when the background is dark or bright. Characteristic of the photography background takes important role in the way the camera read the exposure.

Small Object on Large White Background

An experiment was made; the object was positioned at the right side of the frame occupying about 30% area of the bright photo background. The camera was set to the default setting ‘no compensation' while the metering was set to spot metering mode. The result is under exposure (UE) photograph. How to trick the camera for a proper exposure result? With the small photo object on a large area of the bright or white background, you should compensate the camera exposure up to plus 2

EV using spot metering.

By providing up to plus 2 EV compensation for large white area with a small object on it, the photo exposure result would be perfect

Unlike mostly people think when they capture the objects with bright background which tend to compensate the camera exposure under mid-tone compensation; that will just produce under-exposure photo results. The correct exposure setting should be taken contrarily.

Small Object on Large Dark / Black Background

Different experiment was made; the object was positioned at the right side of the frame occupying about 30% area of the frame. The metering was still the same, the spot metering and no compensation – mid-tone setting. But this time; the background was made dark or black completely. Guess what? The photo result was over-exposure. So, how to trick?

Capturing the small object on a large area of the dark or black background, you should compensate the camera exposure up to minus 2EV. Generally mostly beginners’ photography tends to provide plus compensation when capturing the object on a large area of the dark background – that’s wrong. The result would be over-exposure photos.

Other experiments were also made by reducing the background area and providing the main object predominantly on the frame either dark background or white background. With small area of the dark background, you should compensate the camera exposure up to minus 1.3 EV. On the other hand, with a small area of the white background you should compensate the camera exposure up to plus 1.3 EV.

Photography Background can deceive the way the camera read the exposure. So how much contribution the photography background to the camera exposure depends on how large the area used and how bright or how dark the photo background is. The result of the photo exposure can be quite different significantly.