Another noobie question

[mainstreet1997]

So Ive been lurking around some other photography boards and have been here for about a year and am finding out that I still have a lot to learn. What does it mean when someone says "expose to" or "meter to" and how do you do it?

 

[Roger]

Usually, when you have tricky lighting situations (while today's meters are much better than the ones 10-12 years ago), you have to meter the proper exposure to something in your scene. Most of the time this means using the spot meter (if your camera has one). The lower end cameras will usually only spot meter the center, some will allow you to spot meter around the selected focus point. So in this case, you would meter something bright with the spot meter, lock your exposure (AE Lock), recompose the image, and then take your picture.

However, some of the better evaluative metering systems now can adjust for the tricky lighting, like backlight subjects in shade - an older evaluative meter would meter for the bright backlighting so your subject would be underexposed (a reason to use fill light btw). But the new computer algorithms seem to take the subject matter under the focus point more aggressively than in the past.

Another thing would be metering for something bright in an image. I'll see if I can find an example.

 

[Tim]

the camera uses the meter to determine the proper f/stop and shutter speed depending on your settings. they are set to render a middle gray (i am over-simplifying) but if you meter off something dark it will slow your camera down and if you meter off something bright it will speed your camera up. you want to try to find something neutral (gray) if possible... on people skin tones usually do the trick. this is a fairly advanced concept so some additional research is in order.

perhaps a tmip article?

 

[Roger]

Here is an example of where evaluative metering got confused:

 

[zackiedawg]

Of course if you're shooting manual mode, it's up to you to do the 'metering' by choosing the right shutter and aperture for the conditions of the scene.

The automatic metering process occurs in P and scene modes (where the camera adjusts both parameters as needed to meter off the chosen metering point or points), as well as in Shutter or Aperture priority modes, where you set the one value to what you want, and the camera will adjust the other (to meter off the chosen metering points).

I agree - spot or center weighted metering is the best mode most of the time when you are trying to shoot a specific subject, against either a high contrast background or if the subject is excessively dark or light due to lighting conditions. My camera is almost always in center-weighted metering in all modes as I set that as my default.

 

[Tim]

rog, that pic almost looks like you caught someone else's flash. it's happened to me a few times...

 

[Craig]

"expose to" or "meter to" or "meter off of" means deciding what you want to be the prominent feature in your photo and reading the light reflecting off of it. It could be a building against a sky, a persons face against a sunset or backlight, it could be a silhouette where you meter off the sky and not off the silhouette.

here I spot focused and spot metered off the building to the right of the tree. I did not want the dark sky misleading the camera into overexposing the building lights and shadows:
[attachimg=1]

For this sunset I had the camera in A mode at f8 and "metered off" the sun which gave me 1/8000 shutter speed (which I didn't even know the camera could do)
[attachimg=2]

For this image I "metered off" the lake at f8 and got a shutter speed of 1/125
[attachimg=3]

By "metering off of" in the last two photos, what I mean is that I put the camera in center weighted meter mode and pointed the camera at the sun and then at the lake and locked the exposure by not releasing the shutter button, then recomposed and took the shot.



[attachment deleted by admin]

 

[Roger]

rog, that pic almost looks like you caught someone else's flash. it's happened to me a few times...

Nah, I was focusing (no pun intended) on the focusing* of my Edsel during that parade viewing. It was the float lights on the two of them; I got no usable shots out of 6/7 that I took. I still have the originals although I removed them from A2.

* If that's what you would call what the Edsel was doing during that parade.

Hey Craig, weren't you next to me for those?

 

[Craig]

Hey Craig, weren't you next to me for those?

yep, Pirate and Princess Party Parade. My photos from that parade are the best night parade shots I have gotten!
Roger told me how to set my camera!