Konica Minolta TC-X - Manual (Page 20)

Bright subject, dark background
If the subject in the frame is brightly lit (ea. by direct
sunlight) and the background is dark, the subject will be
overexposed in normal AE photography.
To prevent this, move up close to the subject and press the
shutter half way down to lock the AE mechanism. Then
move back to frame and shoot the picture you want.
Exposure compensation
Use the AE Lock mechanism to control exposure in special lighting situations.
If the subject is in front of a bright background or fight source, the foreground will be underexposed. To prevent this, aim the
camera towards the ground (widening the aperture by I or 2 steps) and press the shutter release halfway down.
The camera will take a reading for the foreground and will lock at that reading as long as the shutter is held down half way.
Then aim at camera at the subject and press the shutter all the way down to get a correctly exposed picture.
Using depth of field