Exposure Metering - 101
by Kevin Mundy
A short description:
How to get the correct shutter speed and f-stop for a scene.
Ever have a photo come out too dark or too light?
Well, then, this article is for you!
Put your dial on "P". Looking through
your viewfinder, point the camera at a subject, note the shutter
speed and f-stop. Boom, that's your proper setting for the "entire"
scene. BUT what if you are 100 feet away, the subject you want
to take is dark, small, and the rest of the scene is bright? Can
you guess what will happen? That's right, the bright part will
look great and the dark part (the subject you really want) will
be too dark.
The metering your camera did and does is called "average"
metering. Your camera also does what's known as reflective metering;
the light reflects off the subject into the meter. It takes the
whole scene into consideration and gives you an average setting.
So what do you do?
If you can, get up close to the subject, or zoom
into it really close, close enough so that there is nothing else
in your viewfinder but your subject. Now check your cameras reading,
this is the proper reading for that subject. Now turn your Camera
to "M" or Manual and put the shutter speed and f-stop
to that reading. Now you can take the scene from
wherever and your subject is properly exposed, but realize that
everything around it may be too bright (in this case). If you
can't get close to your subject, pick something near it or you
that is similar and meter that instead.
That was an over simplification of exposure metering, but it should
give you the general idea.
There is a ton you can learn about metering and
you should check the web and books on the subject as it can only
benefit your photography. In order to take really good photos,
you must learn about light - both natural and artificial.
I'd say everyone should spend the same amount of
time learning about this subject as they have to learn about all
other aspects in photography.
It's THAT Important!
A good understanding of lighting will make/break
your photos.
Good Luck to All!
|
