cygone Loc: Boston

I observed a Portrait tutorial concerning metering (outside) for exposure using Spot (just under the eye) while in Manual. The model was metered about 6 feet away, exposure was dialed in, and model was then placed maybe 15 or 20 feet away. My question is.....I must meter in the same light as the light where my model ultimately poses?

Also....if I use Aperture Priority instead of Manual, I would move the focus point on the eye, lock focus, and the meter reads the light at the same time? What metering mode would I use?

Also....isn't manual mode the best way to go? I would set my F-Stop (using my either 85mm 1.4 or 135mm f2 lens) to, say, f5.6., ISO to 100, then spot meter to determine shutter (And change ISO until I had a fast enough shutter speed for my shaky hands).

Then I would just have to worry about focus on the eye (using the center focus point, Single focus, and recompose)?

Am I on the right track here?

BebuLamar

You should be more concerned with the lighting than the exposure settings. If you have good lighting you can simply take a test shot and adjust from there. But the lighting is difficult. Does the light cast harsh shadow on your subject. Is the light too flat? Is the light in the background too bright or too dark as compared to the light on your subject? You may need to move your subject or use reflector or fill in flash to get better lighting.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

You might best a better answer to that in the portrait section.

I find the metering done up close a bit odd too but if one wants the exact skin exposure it is possible that would prevent a variation due to the meter itself (same light). The camera must be set to manual (A, S and ISO) then corrected for distance to keep a narrow DoF.

Moving away (or have the model do it - same difference) will have an impact in the DoF since the distance changes. (Lens+Distance+Aperture are used for the DoF from the point of focus). At 15~20 feet, I am not sure that you will have to worry about the plane of focus being exactly at the corner of the nose/eye.

You may want to provide the video link...

Anyway, use the portrait section for the best answer...

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

Aperture priority.

F5.6 or larger aperture opening.

Matrix metering.

ISO 100.

Focus on the eyes.

Don’t overthink it.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Yes, you must meter under the light the model will pose. If the model changes position a new meter reading is needed.
If you meter and lock the exposure at the same time from where you focus, the camera will take an exposure that could not be accurate. Focus on the eye but meter from the cheek and if Caucasian skin open the lens aperture one stop from the meter reading. Caucasian skin is one stop brighter than middle tonality. The exposure meter will expose for a middle tonality so you have to open the lens one stop from what the meter indicates is a "correct" exposure. For Afro-Americans close one stop from meter reading. Latino skin does well following the meter reading.
Manual mode for portraits is very accurate but not the only modality that will yield good results. It is perfectly fine to use Aperture Priority as long as you know that the meter reading could need compensation and as long as you are separating focus from the exposure like it is done with the rear focus lock button. If your lens has no VR just make sure you have a high enough shutter speed and I would say 1/250sec. with both lenses. A tripod helps considerably with composition and assures a steady shot.
If you meter from the eye with spot metering there is a good chance the exposure will not be accurate. Other photographers just use center weighted metering for portraits but once again, be careful where you take the meter reading from.

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

Yes, mostly. Untanned caucasian skin can reflect as much as 2/3 stop more light than middle gray, and Indian/African skin can reflect as much as 2/3 stop less light. Within the face itself, the reading can vary up to a stop or even more between shadow and highlight.

In digital, the goal is to measure the highlights that you want to retain detail in, and set your camera to allow one stop more light. Using the spot meter function in the camera, or a hand held meter will isolate the bright area from adjoining ones that are reflecting less light. I would not necessarily resort to using a lower exposure for darker skinned individuals, as long as nothing important in the rest of the scene is over exposed. It is best if you can record as much image data as possible, even if it means you adjust the exposure in post processing.

This technique will absolutely ensure in 100% of the situations that you will not overexpose (clip the highlights) in any image, portrait or not.

If the light changes (model moves to a new place, for instance), you'll have to re-measure the light. If you move yourself to a new location but the model remains in the same place (and in the same light), you have nothing to worry about, you can use your exposure settings.

Aperture priority has nothing to do with focus points, BTW. It just allows you to set the aperture and allows the camera to calculate the shutter speed based on your ISO setting.

Auto Focus is a function that is separate from what you use to determine your exposure settings.

If you use single point focus, either by setting the AF drive mode to single shot or set it to continuous but using a single focus point (you can usually use more if your camera offers more), moving the focus point to the eye is usually a good idea, especially if you are using a fast medium telephoto lens at it's widest aperture, since it is possible that the nose and ears will be out of focus. But be careful that in recomposing, the distance that you used to focus on the eye may be different after you recompose. At F5.6 you are less likely to encounter a meaningful focus distance change that will cause image softness.

It's a good idea to move the focus point in the viewfinder as close as you can to where they eye is in order to minimize the amount of recomposing you'll have to do.

If you are lucky enough to be using a Sony camera, it has a focus mode override that does facial recognition and finds the eye, and regardless of what focus mode you are using it will focus on the eye.

You can get more detailed information in the Portrait section.

cygone Loc: Boston

Thank you.

cygone Loc: Boston

Thanks

cygone Loc: Boston

Thanks for the answer

cygone Loc: Boston

Appreciate all the help. Very helpful. Thanks

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Yes. (but as the other commenters have said...open up one stop because you don't want the cauc skin tones to be too dark)



I don't know. I'd shoot manual. The light isn't changing...why have the camera keep changing it's mind?



Yes. Consistency in exposures is a good thing.



Yes, exactly. Less to be concerned with.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

OK making an assumption here. You are talking actual portrait work, not capturing your kids playing outside correct?

When doing weddings, family, or senior photos outdoors, my biggest issue is dealing with harsh shadows, not metering.

I use a handheld meter, because I'm really, really, really, old school, and would so much rather take a reading from right under the chin, facing back towards the camera, so there isn't any worry about light and dark clothes messing with the in camera meteri.

I underexpose by 1 stop, then use fill flash. That way, my skies have that nice blue detail, not blown out white, and my subjects are properly lit.

My way is not the only way, it's just one way. It works for me.

cygone Loc: Boston

Very informative. Thankyou.

wteffey Loc: Ocala, FL USA

Shoot RAW, then you can concentrate on focus, composition and timing. To a great extent, RAW will allow you to concentrate on things your camera cannot always do for itself, then refine exposure and white balance in PP. Focus should be on the eyes, composition includes angles, pose, smiles, harsh shadows etc, and timing means catching exactly the right moment. Try the same shots with and without fill flash. If this is really important to you and you may not be able to reshoot, make sure you have something "in the can" before you experiment too much. Basic good quality insurance shots may help avoid total disappointment.

philo Loc: philo, ca

everyone keeps talking about focusing on the eye. Doesn't this depend upon the f stop. If your A is f1.8 it may be a big deal. If you are shooting at f5.6 (depending upon the lens) it may not be a big deal. right or wrong?