Exposure bracketing a low-contrast subject gives a much different range of results than with a high-contrast subject. Here, only the eyes are interesting in the light exposures, and nothing is interesting in the dark exposures.
In this case, we bracketed using exposure time in order to leave the aperture the same each time. You can use aperture to bracket, but changing aperture creates such different looks that you are varying two things at once, which is not scientific — and gets confusing. I had a friend at college who faded out his film sequences by slowly stopping down to the smallest aperture. It was interesting, but offbeat.
Bottom Line: With low-contrast subjects, shooting lighter or darker often doesn't reveal anything interesting, so there is generally a "correct" exposure.
(This page only applies to those point-and-shoot cameras that allow for substantial exposure adjustment.)
Left
Right
Although the image is nearly gone I still like something about the way it looks — perhaps that the face is now made up of isolated parts on white.
This is the sort of photo you could spend a few hundred hours working with on computer and come up with a hundred interpretations. See one below.
105mm, 1/20, f8, overcast day light
Very light. We are drawn to the eyes since they are the only area with any detail left.
105mm, 1/45, f8, overcast day light
This is tricky. It is not light enough to be considered stylized, so it just looks over exposed. Sometimes you need to go "all the way" to make it clear you mean it.
105mm, 1/90, f8, overcast day light
A little light. Unless you have a dark monitor you will likely see this as over-exposed.
105mm, 1/180, f8, overcast day light
A normal exposure. In the case of a low contrast subject there is usually little doubt about the "correct" exposure. With higher contrast subjects you often find yourself torn between lighter and darker ones.
Below is a different version of the above image, with much more contrast and some lightening in the eyes.
105mm, 1/350, f8, overcast day light
Dark here is too dark. Nothing new is revealed by under-exposure.
105mm, 1/750, f8, overcast day light
Way dark here is way too dark. Nothing new is revealed by under-exposure.
105mm, 1/1500, f8, overcast day light
Too dark here is dark. Nothing new is revealed by the severe under exposure. Compare this to the nearly black image of the high-contrast subject.
105mm, 1/3000, f8, overcast day light
Although the image is nearly gone I still like something about the way it looks — perhaps that the face is now made up of isolated parts on white.
This is the sort of photo you could spend a few hundred hours working with on computer and come up with a hundred interpretations. See one below.
105mm, 1/20, f8, overcast day light
Very light. We are drawn to the eyes since they are the only area with any detail left.
105mm, 1/45, f8, overcast day light
This is tricky. It is not light enough to be considered stylized, so it just looks over exposed. Sometimes you need to go "all the way" to make it clear you mean it.
105mm, 1/90, f8, overcast day light
A little light. Unless you have a dark monitor you will likely see this as over-exposed.
105mm, 1/180, f8, overcast day light
A normal exposure. In the case of a low contrast subject there is usually little doubt about the "correct" exposure. With higher contrast subjects you often find yourself torn between lighter and darker ones.
Below is a different version of the above image, with much more contrast and some lightening in the eyes.
105mm, 1/350, f8, overcast day light
Dark here is too dark. Nothing new is revealed by under-exposure.
105mm, 1/750, f8, overcast day light
Way dark here is way too dark. Nothing new is revealed by under-exposure.
105mm, 1/1500, f8, overcast day light
Too dark here is dark. Nothing new is revealed by the severe under exposure. Compare this to the nearly black image of the high-contrast subject.
