wteffey Loc: Ocala, FL USA

I like to photograph horses, who do not often listen to my posing instructions. To avoid missing a really good opportunity I shoot in RAW, and don't have to worry about much other than shutter speed, and staying out of the way. I can fine tune exposure later in PP.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Yes, he is spot metering the brightest part of the scene. The meter will try to put that into Zone 5, 18 percent gray. You then over expose to move that highlight up to say Zone 8 or 9, ETTR. With my camera I have profiled the metering to know that I can open up the exposure 2-2/3 stops and be very safe from blowing out any highlights using this method.

You can view videos Joe Brady made for Sekonic on shooting landscapes on YouTube to learn more about the techniques. The images will often not look good on the camera LCD, but nothing is blown and can be corrected in PP in a few steps.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

"I usually shoot aperture or shutter. In shooting manual what do you use to set up your dslr. In the film days we used a gray card and light meter."

I am somewhat confused here. I am sure you meant Aperture and Shutter priority. When you use manual mode you are setting the camera to a shutter and aperture that the camera considers as a "correct" exposure based on the information from the exposure meter. I hope you understand that the correct exposure could be accurate if you are metering from a middle tonality but never if metering from a bright or dark object. The correct exposure in both of those cases comes when a correction is made to the meter reading. I am not talking about matrix, evaluative or multi pattern metering. All those are computerized metering modes that use in memory photographs and algorithms in camera to give the photographer the "correct" exposure. Unless looking at the histogram there is no way to know if the exposure is correct, specially using those sophisticated meters.
Nobody needs a gray card today to get a correct exposure. Meter from a middle tonality, often called 18% gray and you should be in the ballpark. It is not convenient to move around when photographing carrying a gray card. You can use "sunny 16" or you can meter from the palm of your hand. The palm of your hand reflects 36% of the light falling on it so simply open up one stop from the meter reading and you are once again in the ballpark. When metering from the palm of your hand use spot metering.
No need to carry a gray card with you at all times.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

There is a difference between overexposure and exposing to the right. The trick is to expose properly for the brightest area without blowing out any highlights.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Exactly. From long experience with his camera, Bob is exposing to the right as far as possible (without blowing out the highlights) to get the maximum dynamic range out of his camera. He’ll pull it down in post processing.

Bob, show us the finished image after PP on this one, and it will be obvious.

RickL Loc: Vail, Az

Thank you, I did mean A or S priority. I use a D810 and have gotten very good photos in A or S mode but want to move over to M Priority. My question was not stated too well but you answered what I was attempting to ask. Thank you.

Rick

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Rather depends on the subject and environment. Can you be more specific?

idrabefi Loc: Michigan

My $0.02:

I've got this stupid concept in my head that manual is the only way to shoot. Typically I'll start with what I know (i.e., sunny 16, etc.). Then, I adjust to meet the situation. This usually works, but the cameras LCD and histogram don't always lead in the right direction. To resolve, I need to constantly remind myself to under- and over-expose. I've also used cards (white mainly), but limited to WB. Works great unless the light is constantly changing.

I've stood next to pros (those actually getting paid to shoot) and discussed. The pros shooting sports definitely did not shoot manual. Maybe some day after enough shooting I'll fully grasp which situations dictate the use of manual, aperture, or shutter priority.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

what difference does it make if he DOES blow out the highlights. there are times when you can go over a bit and be successful. after all if you blow them out it's not going to hurt anything. you delete it. I'm just saying this for the new people who are unfamiliar with these terms. to often they are left in the dark.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

If there's a lot of action and you need to catch it you can't be bothered trying fiddle with your aperture and SS. So you pick the SS and let the camera pick the right Aperture for the shot. That's called shutter priority. If you are more worried about your depth of field (depth of focus) you need to control the aperture which determines it. That's aperture priority. many people like complete control when they have the time to make the shot and thus shoot in Manual. Does that make sense??

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I use an incident flash meter for studio work. But I also work with a Delta-1 gray card, a One Shot Digital Calibration Target, and an ExpoDisc. All of these can be used to achieve "normal" exposure if you measure the light falling on the subject. And all of them can and should be used to perform a CUSTOM white balance for in-camera JPEG processing or easier raw image post-processing.

TheDman Loc: USA

It would be a mistake though to think that simply not blowing out your highlights means you're capturing all the detail, as is proven in this video by a better photographer than all of us.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Here's a pro perspective:

Every mode on your camera has a definite, legitimate purpose. And every mode has real limits!

You have to understand that every scene has a light level that requires a certain exposure. Your metering technique must be good enough to balance sensitivity (ISO) with exposure time (Shutter Speed), and the volume of light flowing through the lens (Aperture). For a given scene and ISO setting, you need a given size "bucket of photons."

Your meter is dumb. Stupid. It wants to see EVERYTHING as middle gray. If you meter a white wall, and set exposure blindly for that, you will get gray. If you meter a wall painted flat black, and set exposure blindly for that, you will get gray. So in difficult conditions, use an exposure target and white balance tool such as a Delta-1 Gray Card, or ExpoDisc, or One Shot Digital Calibration Target.

Oh, there are various matrix metering modes designed to give you a great exposure of "most" scenes, but they can all be fooled under certain conditions.

Manual exposure modes work best under stable, controlled lighting conditions, where the scene brightness range is limited to around 5.5 f/stops. A great example of this is an office or school classroom lit with 2'x4' fluorescent troffers. Another great example is a portrait setup with fixed lighting, used to photograph hundreds of school children. Another great example is a light tent used for product photography of small items for a parts catalog.

Program mode works best when you need to work in changing lighting conditions. If your camera has Program Shift capability, you can change the combination of aperture and shutter with the flick of a dial. The exposure remains in balance, but the aperture closes down as you slow down the shutter, or the aperture opens up as you speed up the shutter.

Aperture Priority gives you a fixed aperture and lets the shutter speed float with the light level. This is so you have absolute control over depth of field.

Shutter Priority gives you a fixed shutter speed and an aperture that varies with the light level. This is so you can use a speed that stops or blurs action.

Manual Mode gives you fixed everything... ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed. This is so you can make a series of exposures that are all the same, provided the lighting is fixed!

There are many variations on these, of course, depending on your camera's features. If your camera has Auto ISO, it may be combined with other modes to really confuse things! (Just kidding. It's helpful, too.)

JUST as important as understanding the modes, is understanding light and its characteristics:

Scene brightness range (contrast range) (You need to control it or cope with it!)
Source specularity (pinpoint source vs. giant light tent, or hard shadows vs. no shadows)
Shadow edge acuteness control (specularity mixed with diffusion)
Specular highlight to diffuse highlight to shadow ratios (main to fill ratio)
White balance (dealing with off-color light sources)
Source color accuracy — continuous spectrum (Daylight and Incandescent) vs. discontinuous spectra (Fluorescent, Sodium Vapor, Mercury Vapor, Xenon flash tubes...)

JUST as important as all that is understanding your camera's JPEG processing limitations and raw image recording capabilities. There are legitimate times to exploit either or both raw AND JPEG workflows.

The point of all this? Read as much as you can about your camera and light and photography in general. Avoid the idiots who throw absolutes around like, "Never make JPEGs in your camera." or "Raw is a waste of time." or "Never use ______ mode." EVERYTHING on your camera has a purpose, or it would not be there. Learn its advantages and limitations.

Read the *Fine* Manual... even if it feels like water torture. Patience, grasshopper!

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

LOL. You get a Fuji. The EVF shows you exactly what the sensor is getting in terms of light. You spin the dials (shutter, ISO) and the aperture ring on the lens until the EVF looks right to you, then fire! Comes out right every time! That is why my Nikons are sitting in a drawer!