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What Exposure Compensation Is And How To Use It

BySam

This article is all about exposure compensation in landscape photography: what it is and how you can use it to improve your images.

Have you ever taken a landscape photo and felt it didn’t capture what you saw? 

Maybe the sky is too bright, or those rich shadows vanish into darkness. 

Even the best cameras can get it wrong, especially in tricky lighting like sunsets or forests. 

This happens a lot in semi-automatic modes like aperture or shutter priority – your camera tries to balance the whole scene but might miss the mark. 

That’s where exposure compensation comes in handy. 

It’s an easy way to adjust brightness, helping you bring your photos closer to what you see. 

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how exposure compensation works, when to use it, and why it’s such a great tool for landscapes. 

With this small adjustment, you can add depth, detail, and control to your shots, whether you’re dealing with bright skies, dark shadows, or anything in between.

But first, let’s take a closer look at what exposure compensation actually is.

What Exposure Compensation Is

Exposure compensation is a simple tool that helps you adjust the brightness of your image without having to change your main settings, like aperture or shutter speed. 

When you’re in semi-automatic modes, such as aperture priority or shutter priority, your camera’s light meter makes decisions about the exposure based on the entire scene. 

However, in tricky lighting situations, like when the sky is very bright or shadows are deep, the camera doesn’t always get it right.

That’s where exposure compensation comes in.

Measured in “stops,” you can use it to make your image brighter or darker by either increasing (+) or decreasing (-) the exposure. 

For instance, if you’re photographing a landscape with a bright sky, the camera might underexpose the foreground to compensate for the brightness. 

By using positive exposure compensation, you can lighten the foreground and bring out more detail in your shot, without washing out the sky.

It’s an easy adjustment that gives you more control over the final look of your image, allowing you to capture what you’re seeing rather than relying on the camera’s automatic choices. 

Whether you’re dealing with high-contrast scenes, harsh sunlight, or shaded areas, exposure compensation helps you balance the light more effectively and get the image you want.

If you want more information about the elements of exposure, check out this article:

A stunning seascape at sunrise with cliffs and water, illustrating a photography guide titled 'The Exposure Triangle: Complete Guide For Beginners.

Why Exposure Compensation Matters in Landscape Photography

In landscape photography, light isn’t always easy to manage. 

Whether it’s the bright sky overpowering the scene or deep shadows hiding details, your camera might not always expose the shot perfectly. 

That’s where exposure compensation comes in. It allows you to make those small adjustments that can bring out the detail in the shadows or control the highlights. 

This tool gives you more control over how the light is balanced, helping your landscape photos look more like what you see with your eyes.

Promotional graphic for a 'Landscape Photography Toolkit' featuring a sunset view of a lighthouse. The toolkit includes an Exposure Quick Start Guide, 7 Practical Checklists & Info Sheets, and an On-The-Go Camera Settings Cheat Sheet. A 'Free Download' badge is present, and a button at the bottom reads 'Send Me The Toolkit'.

When To Use Exposure Compensation

Exposure compensation comes in handy when your camera struggles with tricky lighting. 

For instance, if you’re photographing a bright sky, your camera might expose for the sky, leaving the foreground too dark. 

Adding positive exposure compensation brightens the shadows while keeping detail in the sky.

In backlit scenes, like when the sun is behind a tree, your camera may darken the foreground. 

Increasing exposure compensation helps bring out those shadowed details.

On the other hand, if your scene has bright highlights, like sunlight reflecting off water, reducing exposure compensation helps prevent overexposure and maintains detail in those areas.

Note: This is a feature that only works when you are shooting in ‘semi-automatic’ camera modes such as Aperture or Shutter priority.
In Manual Mode, you make all the decisions, and in Automatic Mode, the camera makes all the decisions.

How To Use Exposure Compensation: Step-By-Step

Select Your Camera Mode

To start, switch your camera to a semi-automatic mode like Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or Program mode. 

These modes allow your camera to automatically handle some settings while giving you control over exposure compensation.

Close-up of a camera's screen displaying the exposure compensation and automatic exposure bracketing (AEB) settings. The screen shows a scale ranging from -3 to +3 for adjusting exposure levels from darker to brighter, with the current setting at zero.

Decide What Exposure Compensation Adjustment You Need

Take a look at the scene. 

Is it too bright or too dark? If the highlights are blown out or shadows are too deep, consider whether you need to increase or decrease the exposure. 

A brighter scene calls for positive exposure, while darker areas may benefit from negative exposure.

Here’s Where to Start:

Photographing snow: Snow reflects a lot of light, and your camera may underexpose to prevent the scene from looking too bright. Adding a positive exposure (+1 or +2) helps bring out details and makes the scene look more natural.

Two brown horses stand in a snow-dusted field with trees in the background. The light snow contrasts with the dry vegetation, creating a serene scene of nature in winter.

City at night: In low light with bright city lights, your camera might overcompensate, making the lights too harsh. By using negative exposure (-1 or so), you can tone down the highlights and create a more balanced, atmospheric shot.

A nighttime cityscape illuminated with bright purple and blue laser beams. Tall buildings are lit up against the dark sky, with reflections on the water below. A construction crane is visible in the background.

Dial it in and Take Your Shot

Once you’ve assessed the scene, adjust the exposure compensation using your camera’s dial or button. Most cameras allow adjustments in small increments, so start small (+0.3, -0.3), take your shot, and see how it looks.

Review, Adjust, and Reshoot if Necessary

After taking your shot, review the image on your camera’s screen. 

Does it look balanced? 

If it’s still too dark or bright, make further adjustments to the exposure compensation and try again until you’re happy with the result.

Note: Most cameras will keep the exposure compensation value you have set until you change it or set it back to zero. So don’t forget to reset it at the end of your shoot!

How Exposure Compensation Works with Different Camera Modes

Aperture Priority Mode

In Aperture Priority, exposure compensation tweaks the shutter speed. 

You set the aperture and ISO, and the camera adjusts the shutter. 

Want a brighter shot? Add positive exposure, and the shutter slows down. For a darker image, lower it, and the shutter speeds up.

Shutter Priority Mode

Here, exposure compensation changes the aperture. 

You choose the shutter speed, and the camera adjusts the aperture size. Increase exposure to let in more light, or decrease it to reduce the light.

Program Mode

Program mode lets your camera control both the aperture and shutter. 

When you use exposure compensation, it often adjusts the shutter speed. 

It’s good to double-check your camera’s manual, as different models handle this mode slightly differently.

An instructional graphic explaining how to read a camera's exposure meter. A bar with numbers ranging from -1 to +1 indicates underexposure, correct exposure, and overexposure, with corresponding instructions on how to adjust shutter speed and aperture settings.
Your camera will try to aim for that ‘0’ in semi-automatic modes

Using Exposure Compensation Creatively

Once you’re comfortable with exposure compensation, you can start using it to influence the mood of your images. 

A slight underexposure can bring drama to a landscape, especially during overcast days or near sunset. 

Try setting exposure compensation to -1 to deepen the shadows and enhance contrast.

On the flip side, overexposing slightly can create a softer, more inviting atmosphere. 

For example, when shooting on a foggy morning or in soft, diffused light, adding +1 exposure compensation can lighten the scene, giving it a bright, dreamy feel.

Experiment with these subtle adjustments to see how they change the overall mood of your photos. 

These creative tweaks help you move beyond just capturing what’s in front of you and start conveying how the scene feels.

A long wooden pier extends over calm, reflective waters under a vibrant pre-sunrise sky. The colors range from soft purples to bright oranges, fading into the horizon with distant hills in the background.
Underexposing this shot really helped to intensify the colours, adding a more dramatic effect to the overall scene.

Bonus Tip: Try Bracketing Your Exposures

Another helpful method tied to exposure compensation is exposure bracketing. 

This technique lets you take several shots of the same scene, each with a different exposure.

It’s super useful for tricky lighting situations, like sunsets or night scenes in the city, where it’s hard to capture both the bright highlights and dark shadows in one image.

By bracketing, you capture a range of exposures—maybe one darker, one lighter, and one in between. 

Later, you can blend these images in editing to create a photo that keeps detail in both the highlights and shadows.

It’s a great way to overcome the limits of your camera’s dynamic range and get a more balanced result.

If you’re interested in learning more or giving it a try, check out my guide:

A scenic view of a sunrise over a vast mountain valley, with rays of sunlight piercing through the clouds and illuminating the forested landscape below. The scene is framed by cliffs on both sides, creating a dramatic contrast between shadow and light. Text overlay at the bottom reads, 'Exposure Bracketing: Your Guide For Better Landscape Photos.'

Conclusion

And there you have it- everything you need to know about exposure compensation to take control of your exposures! 

It’s a simple but powerful tool that every photographer should get comfortable with, and it’s easy to practise.

Keep experimenting, and don’t forget, exposure compensation gives you the flexibility to balance your images in any lighting situation. 

So get out there, give it a try, and see what a difference it makes in your shots!

That’s it for now – keep clicking!

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Sam is the creator of joywithphotography.com, a website dedicated to helping newbies Discover the joy of learning landscape photography – without the overwhelm. Based in Australia, Sam combines her passion for photography to bring you tips, insights and experiences to help you take better photos without all the technical jargon so you enjoy the journey.

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