"The proper exposure"

What makes the exposure acceptable? What makes the exposure pleasing?

While the standards of one photograher are often at least a bit different from the standards of another, it's often the case that a group of people share many of the same standards in common.

This can be illustrated by a shared respect for traffic laws. I'm not talking about strict adherence to those laws but the common practice in many communities of drivers being observant enough that avoidable accidents are kept to a minimum.

In the same vein, the photographic community may not universally agree on a precise list of standards that determine a "proper exposure," but people share enough in common that a productive discussion of those qualities can be had.

No clipping in significant highlights.
Acceptable shadow noise
Acceptable DOF
Acceptable motion blur.

No clipping in significant highlights.
Pleasing shadow noise
Pleasing DOF
Pleasing motion blur.

In my opinion, DOF and motion blur are not associated with exposure, but with aperture and shutter speed respectively.

I would consider 1/100s at f/8 and 1/200s at f/5.6 as the same exposure. Presumably you would consider them to be different exposures?

Being within the latitude from the hottest possible.

True, but aperture and shutter speed both affect exposure. I consider 1/100s at f/8 and 1/200s at f/5.6 to give the same exposure assuming the same scene and lighting.

DOF and motion blur constraints are the main reasons we sometimes have difficulty getting enough light on the sensor, in situations where we don't control the lighting level.

Yep. Don't try for 21.

Yes, yet another meaning of 'exposure'!

Indeed, but today it is less commonly used by photographers than the corrupted meanings. Colloquial meanings are often not the 'proper' scientific meanings.

lets change replicate to "closest representation" of the scene. is = "proper exposure."

No such thing as "closest representation" without an acceptable metric of closeness.

when photographing museum peices, what word/words do you discribe your process/ final images ?

in the 70s Pentax used the word "exposition" because other variables (light , film speed) were used to set the cameras exposure.

The customers are interested in compliance with FADGI / Metamorfoze:
www.digitizationguidelines.gov/guidelines/FADGI%20Technical%20Guidelines%20for%20Digitizing%20Cultural%20Heritage%20Materials_3rd%20Edition_05092023.pdf
www.metamorfoze.nl/sites/default/files/documents/Metamorfoze_Preservation_Imaging_Guidelines_1.0.pdf

I'm not arguing against any of that. You're free to do whatever you like in the creation of your images, follow along with the crowd, and follow all the rules. However, (my own personal opinion here) this tends to produce the most technically correct, yet boring images. To me. So much so, that I nearly throw up when I see yet. another HDR, long exposure sunrise or sunset seascape, for example. I don't shoot to please others, I do it for my own enjoyment. Highlight and shadow clipping be damned. The best thing I ever did for my own photography enjoyment, was turn off the highlight and shadow warnings in whatever raw converter I use. Sure, the technicians will squeal about lost detail and information, excess noise or whatever rocks their own boat, but I'd rather what pleases my eye. Not the rule book

Why the technicians will squeal? They will just print whatever you submitted and take your money.

Maintaining technically correct or pleasing - but one can do both.