Even in soft and diffused light, contrast can be an issue with respect to revealing detail in the shadows and highlights. For example, this young porcupine is very dark in color, and it was necessary to use the shadows slider in Adobe Camera Raw (or Lightroom) to bring back some of the detail that I could see with my eyes but that the digital sensor had trouble in capturing. Losing detail in contrasty situations is not about good or bad exposure. Rather, it's a function of the limitations of digital technology.
The settings for this picture were 1/500th of a second at f/5, and the ISO was 400. I used a 70-200mm lens set to 135mm. I took this picture at the annual babies workshop I conduct in Minnesota every June. The next one is scheduled for June 26, 2015.