It is a matter of understanding the underlying principles of exposure compensation for you to master the skills in taking a picture with the "correct" exposure. In simple words, if the majority of the composition is bright areas, you should increase the exposure by +2/3 to +1 in order to have a "correct" exposure of the subject (which is usually darker than the bright background); and if the majority of the composition is dark areas, you should reduce the exposure by -2/3 to -1 in order to restore the details of the subject (which is brighter than the background). You may find more details here:
