Using Exposure Lock

Using Exposure Lock - When and Why Should I Use It?

Q.

I have been going over your tips for advanced photography for the last two weeks. However, I am struggling with the exposure lock section.

I use a Fuji Finepix S5600 Compact Digital. When I try to shoot a scene that has got both under and overexposed elements, I try to take a reading from the bright area then step back and take the shot. However, the dark area is still underexposed?

Does this "exposure" method only apply to DSLR format cameras?

A.

This scenario is difficult to get right for any photographer with any camera. It really depends on the scene you are shooting.

A landscape scene with highlights in the sky and shadows and dark areas on the land, for example, can be rectified by using a gradual filter to "kill" the brightness of the sky to closely match that of the land.

Other scenes, probably like the one you are attempting are more difficult. You may need to use a tripod. Take two shots exactly the same but with one over and one underexposed and then merge them later on in Photoshop.

If one part (the dark part) is close, you could balance the exposure by using fill in flash. That is after metering for the distant part of the scene.