Measuring Exposure

Here the images were shot, ranging from 2 stops underexposed to 2 stops over. With the flowers, the overexposed images appear more pleasing as it emphasises their colou, even though parts of the images are burned out. The 'correct' exposure looks dull. Even though the background is brighter, its out of focus and hence still does not distract the viewer.

So here's an example where the camera's 'correct' exposure is not necessarily the ideal.