Why Your Camera Lies About Exposure

Summary

The camera's internal light meter often provides inaccurate exposure readings because it interprets scenes as 18% gray. This can lead to underexposed or overexposed images, especially in high-contrast situations or when photographing subjects that are predominantly dark or light. Photographers need to understand how the meter works and learn to compensate for its biases to achieve correct exposure.

Key points

• Camera meters assume scenes are 18% gray, affecting exposure accuracy.
• Dark subjects can cause underexposure as the meter tries to brighten them.
• Light subjects can cause overexposure as the meter tries to darken them.
• Understanding meter limitations is key to achieving correct exposure.