Subject too dark in portrait photo - Dlux7

[jh165]

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During indoor portrait mode for Dlux -7, without flash, the subject (face) comes out too dark. Is there a mode or setting that can help with this?

Edited September 16, 2024 by jh165

[jaapv]

Yes - EV compensation. It is up to the photographer to determine the right exposure.

[GFW2-SCUSA]

2 hours ago, jh165 said:

During indoor portrait mode for Dlux -7, without flash, the subject (face) comes out too dark. Is there a mode or setting that can help with this?

Another method would be to set your meter mode to "spot" and take the reading of the subjects face. I suspect you metered using full scene mode which metered all the surrounding light.  EV compensation, as jaapv gently suggested, is another way.

[Graham (G4FUJ)]

If the subject was very pale, even spot metering can lead to the photo subject being dark.  

Perhaps a book on basic photography would help to understand how a camera meter works (18% greyscale) and how to correct for such situations?

Good luck with resolving how your camera needs adjusting to cater for differing lighting situations.

Edited September 16, 2024 by Graham (G4FUJ)

[pop]

Measuring incident light instead of light reflected off the subject might help, too.

[stuny]

I suspect there was backlighting via a window behind the subject during the day throwing everything off.  Jaap's suggestion of EV compensation will do the trick, plus Grahma's two suggestions of using spot metering on the face (which will improve the shot, maybe enough), and a book on the basics of photography.