Dumb mistake gone good?? Stupid mistake or a discovery? Went to a friends house to get some shots of his dog Shelby. I thought the previews were looking dark ... on the way home...

mahjonger Loc: Illinois

Stupid mistake or a discovery? Went to a friends house to get some shots of his dog Shelby. I thought the previews were looking dark ... on the way home remembered I had the metering set for center weighted average on a single point focus from the day before.

I think they turned out pretty good (much to my relief) Was this just a fluke to the particular settings of that day or should I start trying this more? Anyone else do this on purpose?

Shelby at full gallop

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

Center weighted Average was the first choice available after Full Screen when Nikon first offered in the viewfinder metering. It worked well for years, with a bit of judgement from the photographer for side lit and backlit conditions.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

mahjonger wrote:

Stupid mistake or a discovery? Went to a friends house to get some shots of his dog Shelby. I thought the previews were looking dark ... on the way home remembered I had the metering set for center weighted average on a single point focus from the day before.

I think they turned out pretty good (much to my relief) Was this just a fluke to the particular settings of that day or should I start trying this more? Anyone else do this on purpose?

I use spot metering all of the time. I don't trust the camera's meter much so I pick out something "neutral toned" or something that I want exposed correctly and use spot metering.

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

The center of your picture is about the same as the rest of it. No real shadows or bright spots. So the exposure should have been good. - Dave

mahjonger Loc: Illinois

I'm not really happy with the way the grass came out under Shelby. Is it worth getting the grass and (possibly) dulling the main subject of the photograph?

romanticf16 wrote:

Center weighted Average was the first choice available after Full Screen when Nikon first offered in the viewfinder metering. It worked well for years, with a bit of judgement from the photographer for side lit and backlit conditions.

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

mahjonger wrote:

I'm not really happy with the way the grass came out under Shelby. Is it worth getting the grass and (possibly) dulling the main subject of the photograph?

Are you talking exposure or color of the grass? In most Northern areas grass hasn't started to grow yet so there isn't much green. You could play with the highlights a bit in post processing.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

mahjonger wrote:

I'm not really happy with the way the grass came out under Shelby. Is it worth getting the grass and (possibly) dulling the main subject of the photograph?

What do you mean by "getting" the grass? You seem to be mixing issues....exposure (how light or dark) and "color saturation" issues...

which are you referring to?

Vrebelrider Loc: Chelsea, Ok

I like your shot, nice capture of motion

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

rpavich wrote:

What do you mean by "getting" the grass? You seem to be mixing issues....exposure (how light or dark) and "color saturation" issues...

which are you referring to?

Whether exposure or saturation, I think you have best photo as is. Grass doesn't compete with dog for your attention.

mahjonger Loc: Illinois

I didn't think I was mixing issues untill you brought it to my attention. Gonna have to think some more about that. Thanks.

rpavich wrote:

What do you mean by "getting" the grass? You seem to be mixing issues....exposure (how light or dark) and "color saturation" issues...

which are you referring to?

mahjonger Loc: Illinois

Thanks V. I had the shutter priorty set at 4,000 cuz I figured she would be running around.

Vrebelrider wrote:

I like your shot, nice capture of motion

mahjonger Loc: Illinois

Thanks Linda, kinda what I was thinking too.

Linda From Maine wrote:

Whether exposure or saturation, I think you have best photo as is. Grass doesn't compete with dog for your attention.

olcoach Loc: Oregon

I think you should be really happy with the shot. The grass is fine and the dog is moving well. Good job.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Someone else might not be as picky, but I think the way you have the dog running toward the center of the frame shows good composition.

Forget about the grass.

Carolina Wings Loc: Flew from North Carolina to Pennsylvania

mahjonger wrote:

Stupid mistake or a discovery? Went to a friends house to get some shots of his dog Shelby. I thought the previews were looking dark ... on the way home remembered I had the metering set for center weighted average on a single point focus from the day before.

I think they turned out pretty good (much to my relief) Was this just a fluke to the particular settings of that day or should I start trying this more? Anyone else do this on purpose?

Looks perfect to me!