Why would you ever want to expose your photos for highlights, and lose details and information in the shadows?
One of the best reasons to expose for highlights is to create contrast. This can come in a bunch of different forms, you can separate your subject and background through the contrast of light and dark. You can embed a sense mystery and uncertainty through silhouettes or cast shadows.
You can expose for highlights within a space to give a sense of time and space, or use it to skew a viewers understanding of what they're truly looking at. This can often create a frame within the image, which might hold a little hint of a subject within it that can spark a viewer's imagination. In order to do this, you are going to want to meter for the brightest part of your image, using spot metering if possible. Once you have your exposure set, you can fine tune your focus and composition.
Sometimes you just simply have to expose to the brightest part of the scene so it doesn't overtake the rest. We don't always want all the details surrounding a subject, even if we cannot physically remove them we can let them fall into shadow if there is enough contrast between the highlights and shadows. This approach can provide a great deal of clarity or add incredibly valuable mystery and drama.
How do you use this technique?
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