tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

By shooting in manual, you don't have to fool around with any other buttons. Just concentrate on aperture and speed and composition. By shooting in manual, you have full control and don't have to "trick" your camera.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I've been shooting since 1967 - the concept of fooling the camera's meter is a myth. Only entity being fooled is the photographer who fails to understand what the meter is reading. Especially with today's cameras that offer center weighted and spot metering modes.

While I prefer a hand-held spot meter when shooting outdoors, and an incident meter when shooting under controlled lighting conditions, the camera's meter is quite capable of producing accurate results, as long as you understand how to read it.

I suggest you bone up on all that you can find on the zone system. Once you are comfortable with the concept, you'll better understand why I say that the camera doesn't get fooled - ever. :)

And yes, in many circumstances, and when you have the time to set up a shot, and you are not shooting a subject that is constantly moving through different lighting (bird in flight, mammal on the ground, an athlete at an outdoor afternoon event where the subject moves from full sun to full shade) then setting the camera's exposure to manual makes total sense.

BebuLamar

Since I never had a camera with auto ISO before and when I got one and tried it I kinda like it but I found out that when switch camera to manual it's still in auto and until I find a convenient way to turn on/off auto ISO it's quite a pain for me to use the exposure compensation. I have never used the exposure compensation.

JoeB Loc: Mohawk Valley, NY

Have to agree, this is from the Nikon Web Page.

"Although it is possible to use the exposure compensation feature in the manual mode, it is more practical to use it with the P, S, or A modes because the camera will make the exposure adjustment automatically. In the manual mode, it is much easier to simply shift the aperture or shutter speed by the desired amount directly if you wish to deviate from the metered exposure."

AP Loc: Massachusetts

I chose your written statement to work with Blasthoff, concerning "exposure compensation". Wheather you're using a film camera, or digital camera. Their are only two colors that you have too correct for during exposure. BLACK and WHITE!

If you do not make a correction for these colors, your picture will show your exposure is incorrect. To better under this your light reading through the camera is reading reflective light. If you're making an exposure in winter of children sliding down the hill in bright white snow, your camera's meter is being misled. Because of such bright white light the camera is seeing, your exposure is way higher than it should be and has to be corrected.

By looking through the camera you can use the overide correction turning the + dial until the under exposed gray snow becomes bright white as it should be.

This - & + composation built into your camera is an asset to making a perfect exposure and corrections in your photography. Try using this - & + correction instead of auto bracketing, you'll have full control.

In saying that your white horse or black horse is not correct. That statement is not true. Perfect exposures can be made using a hand held light meter. As you know light meters Measure Light!

The big difference in a hand held light meter from the one in your camera, it can measure incident light. And your camera cannot!

Using a hand held light meter if you slide the white dome over the meter cell and hold it up to the sun you are making a incident light reading. All the light from the sun is falling into your meter. It does not matter weather your making a picture of a snow scene or sail boats in the ocean or reading hot lights in gym or pro basketball game. The meter reads light falling into the meter. NO CORRECTIONS HAVE TO BE MADE!

If you use this incident light reading Blasthoff, both horses black & white horse would be perfectly exposed. Your digital camera only reads REFLECTED LIGHT, a hand held light meter reads both incident and reflected light. If you want to go further, you can buy a light meter that adds strobe flash as well. A big deal if you use studio strobe lighting for anything. AP

Papa j Loc: Cary NC

:?: :?: :?:

peterg Loc: Santa Rosa, CA

With my camera, I can select Auto-ISO in manual mode. Thus, I can choose the shutter speed and aperture (e.g. manual mode) that I want and the camera's light meter sets the ISO based on 18% reflectance. I can then tweak the exposure compensation to fine tune the exposure; the camera changes the ISO accordingly. Also, in the manual mode and fixed ISO, my camera displays how much it "thinks" the photo is over/under exposed. Many photographers use the camera's light meter to set an initial exposure setting, then "locks" in in by using those settings in full manual mode. No one configuration is best for all situations.

RRS Loc: Not sure

A lot depends on your camera, I shoot Canon and I find that I always leave my EC to a + 1/3 to +2/3 to get more detail in my exposure, I've never shot in JPEG. I'll open up more when shooting with snow. Try something, go out and with your meter centered take a shot outside with snow in it, I'm pretty sure you have some or soon will. Look at the snow, if it's gray it's under exposed, open up the exposure to the point that the snow is white BUT you still have detail in the snow. There is one other thing and I don't know if you do any PP on your shots, do you print your own or send the files out to be printed? If your monitor is too bright you may be turning down the exposure while PP resulting in dark prints, just something else to think about.

Blasthoff Loc: Life halved NY and IN

Just one correction to what your saying AP, what I said about the white and black horse IS correct. The camera meter IS a "reflected light meter" and that is how it works and what it reads. It is what MOST photographers rely on. You bring up using an incident light meter which is a horse of a completely different feather. Apples and oranges. You are correct in explaining the "incident light meter" and how it is used, but it has nothing to do with using the "in camera" reflected light meter which is what is being discussed here. Similar result to using an incident meter, would be to use an 18% grey card to meter with the reflected light meter in camera.

NOTE: For those that need an explanation, an "incident light meter" is a special meter with a diffuser that is used at the position of the subject facing toward the camera that measures the light falling on the subject. "Reflected light meters" include built in camera meters, hand held "spot" meters etc. These meters measure the actual reflected light going through your lens. You can look up more about meters if your interested.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Surely you do not understand exposure and you are not alone. Many photographers do not understand exposure.

Exposure meters in camera are reflective light meters and that means that the meter reads all the light reflected off the subject.

Exposure meters are calibrated at the factory to read middle tonalities, so called middle gray or 18% gray. Bright and dark subjects fool the meter because they are not middle tonalities and in the case of a bright subject the meter underexposes while it overexposes for dark ones.
That simply means bright subjects will be grayish and dark ones will also be gray and flat.

Exposure compensation is used in both cases, on the plus side for bright subjects and the opposite for dark subjects to control those tonalities. Incident meters, usually hand held meters, do not take reflectivity into consideration and they ALWAYS give us a reading of a middle tonality for a perfect exposure.

When the needle of your meter is in the center it is telling you that the exposure is correct for a middle tonality ONLY assuming the meter is working to factory specs. Just remember that neither black nor white are middle tonalities and exposure compensation will be necessary for the correct exposure.

Besides center weighted and spot metering modern meters also evaluate the whole frame divided in zones, so called evaluative, matrix or multi pattern meters. They tend to compensate the exposure on their own but nobody knows by how much. They are biased by the focus sensor selected in camera by the operator.

From what I have already discussed you will notice that it is evident that the meter needle in the center of the display does not necessarily means a correct exposure in all cases.

If you are using digital you should always meter from an important highlight and compensate on the plus side accordingly, usually at least 1 stop of light which is opening the lens aperture by one stop. This way your important highlight will be properly exposed although it could need more compensation. Use your color histogram.

You need to understand these basic concepts of photography if you want better exposures and there are many books that have been written to help the photographers. You could find them in your local library or buy one for yourself.

I have always recommended "The Confused Photographer's Guide to Photographic Exposure and the Simplified Zone System" by Bahman Farzad. A long title for an easy to read and easy to understand book that will make you an expert on exposure in just one week. The best book on exposure I have ever read.

John Shaw, the nature photographer, has published several books on nature photography and they always have a good chapter dedicated to exposure, well explained and easy to understand also.

Learn the basics of exposure. You will see an immediate improvement in the quality of your photography.

This is a shot I made here in Miami at the Bohemian Art Festival held in Calle 8 around 14th Avenue SW. The light was hitting the musician from the right of the frame and I waited till he looked that way to put some light on his face.
I used center weighted meter but added minus exposure compensation knowing that the meter will make it light gray in tonality.

Musician.

(Download)

Leitz Loc: Solms

The correct way to take an incident light reading is to stand at the subject's position and aim the meter (with the lumisphere in place over the cell) at the camera's position, NOT at the light source. :)

boydimages Loc: California

Correct, the only thing I might add is all COLORS start from black or white. Example, that medium blue if darkened would become a little darker than medium blue. A little darker several more times it will go to black. Reverse that to lighter and lighter and you will have white. Same with yellow or green. This is what rpavich means when he says "tones".

I have found many who have not shot B&W are confused when given the bleach and white example. After all they are shooting in color, mostly.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I think some people are confusing exposure compensation with the exposure compensation button.

If something is too dark or too light, exposure compensation means changing the aperture or ISO or shutter speed.

The meter tells me if it is correct. ( most of the time ) as does the histopgram..

because I shoot in manual 99% of the time, I now understand that because I set the meter to where it belongs
I now only have to change the usual setting, Aperture, ISO etc. Changing exposure Comp button would have no effect on the pic. When shooting in A or S etc and changing the exp comp button would then change one of the other settings to get the correct exposure.

lindmike

Hi Linda, I too have had the problem with exposure as BDK has.
My first question
If you shoot an exposure in Aperture priority and let the camera choose the shutter speed and then take another shot with a different aperture and different shutter speed, wouldn't both exposures be the same?
Second question re: exposure modes
Why would I choose "spot metering" which evaluates only a small area relative to exposure, over "evaluative metering", which evaluates a larger area relative to exposure?
Thanks, Linda. I always like to see your comments.

Mike

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Cp - your picture is tilted.