Fix the exposure on smartphones

Have you had pictures tun out “too dark” when you think you are in bright light?

For example, I recently took this of my family on a boat trip in Annapolis with my smartphone. The result- harsh shadows and glare! I saw this on the ‘preview’ (the 5 seconds that the phone showed me the shot) and decided to take another one.

This time, I pointed the “focus point” on to Neena who was in the shadows. The “focus point” on my smartphone also controls the “exposure weight” (what the camera considers as important in determining how long to keep the shutter open). So the next shot I took correctly guessed the amount of light that was needed to light up the subject in the shade. What is the down side of this? Compare the skies. They are are now washed out! But what woudl I rather have, perfectly exposed skies or my subjects? 🙂