metering issue


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gyjoe

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Mar 24, 2003
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i have a question here.

i always have a problem getting the right exposure when the foreground (subject person, maybe under shade) is dark and the background is very bright (eg. snowy mountains). how should i go about metering the scene such that i can get decent exposure for both the foreground and the background without whitening out the background?

assume tat i can use the following tools
1. flash compensation
2. exposure compensation
3. in built flash
4. spot/center weighted/matrix metering

i have this vague idea tat using the flash compensation would probably work but recent results are not encouraging... :dunno:

would appreciate any feedback :)
 

meter as per normal (matrix or center-weighted) for the background, and use fill-flash to illuminate the foreground. That way you get an well-exposed background and a well-flash-exposed foreground.

You may want to play with flash compensation to get the ideal fill-flash ratio. I'm not sure how Nikon system works, for Canon, in Tv or Av the flash mode is by default fill flash.

Try to use an external flash for that purpose, the internal flash may not have the reach if you use a high fstop.
 

hmm, wat i usually do is meter the subject (foreground), use fill-in, but usually ended with washout background. is this the root of the problem?

err, i just realised tat i probably need to read up quite a bit of previous threads on fill-flash before i make an a** of myself :D

thanks anyway...
 

Usually I meter the background, pop the flash, recompose and fire away. Not sure if its correct, but works well for me.
 

Originally posted by gyjoe
hmm, wat i usually do is meter the subject (foreground), use fill-in, but usually ended with washout background. is this the root of the problem?

err, i just realised tat i probably need to read up quite a bit of previous threads on fill-flash before i make an a** of myself :D

thanks anyway...

u shld have metered ur back ground like some others have suggested.

but normally for white snow, i think gotta underexpose by 1/2 to 2/3 stops. becos the white snow will be recorded to be middle grey by the camera.
 

Originally posted by Revo
u shld have metered ur back ground like some others have suggested.

but normally for white snow, i think gotta underexpose by 1/2 to 2/3 stops. becos the white snow will be recorded to be middle grey by the camera.

As in meter background, use exposure lock, den recompose huh?
 

Originally posted by Revo
u shld have metered ur back ground like some others have suggested.

but normally for white snow, i think gotta underexpose by 1/2 to 2/3 stops. becos the white snow will be recorded to be middle grey by the camera.

You mean overexpose by 1/2 to 2/3 ?
 

Originally posted by gyjoe
hmm, wat i usually do is meter the subject (foreground), use fill-in, but usually ended with washout background. is this the root of the problem?

err, i just realised tat i probably need to read up quite a bit of previous threads on fill-flash before i make an a** of myself :D

thanks anyway...

yup in this case if u meter the subject (which is dark), the backgrnd will be overexposed. So like what the rest said, meter the background, and in doing so the subj will be under. So thats where the fill in flash comes in. I believe ur cam will auto decide the amt of flash output...

I;ve seen someone deliberately underexpose the backgrnd by abt 1-2stops and flash the subj at proper exposure.... results in quite a dramatic scene :) of course use this technique appropriateli...
 

bracket


then study the results and then note down the "optimal" setting

that will be a "rough" standard setting which u will memorise.
 

Originally posted by Revo

but normally for white snow, i think gotta underexpose by 1/2 to 2/3 stops. becos the white snow will be recorded to be middle grey by the camera.

read thiz b4 alzo .....

but will the same theory apply if the whole scene iz not white snow but something very bright ..... ?? .....

for example ..... the merlion on a clear sunny day .....

thankz .....

:D
 

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