What kind of metering should i use

To establish this you need a meter that can read the levels of brightness. Exposure is measured using light meters. There are two types: one measures the light falling on the subject or scene, called an incident light meter; the other measures the light reflected off the scene or your subject, and is called a reflected light meter.

All meters that are built into digital cameras are reflected light meters, and we will be addressing that type in this article. The more you understand these meters and how they work, the better you will be at understanding and interpreting what they are telling you. Keep in mind that incident light meters are far more accurate than reflected light meters. Reflected light meters attempt to read the amount of light in the scene you are trying to capture.

Unfortunately, those readings are guesses. You may have had the misfortune of photographing a very dark or black subject and have it come out looking over exposed, or a snow scene where the snow looks grey or under exposed.

This middle grey is a mid-point between the darkest shadows and the brightest highlight. Since the camera meter has no idea about white or black, you need to help it using some form of exposure compensation based on the tonality of your subject or scene. To help with exposure, and determining how much to compensate, cameras have various metering modes. Typically, the three basic modes are Matrix also called Evaluative , Center-weighted and Spot metering.

Each of these is applicable in particular situations, but do not rely on just one of these modes to do it all for you. In this metering mode, the meter divides the scene up into a grid and analyzes each segment for highlight and shadow bright and dark information. Once that data is collected, it calculates the average value and bases the exposure on that average.

Keep in mind that all cameras do not have the same number of areas within the frame. Manufacturers use complex formulas to arrive at exposure values. Therefore, it is important that you understand how your camera behaves in various situations and learn when to trust it, and when not to trust it.

In the next series of images, matrix metering was used to set the exposure. Two foam-core boards, one white and the other black, were placed side by side in the same light. For the first image, the camera read the exposure while it was pointed in the middle of the white and black boards. The camera read all the white and the black and came to a reasonable conclusion by averaging the exposure.

Evaluative Metering — centered between the white and black boards. The next image was shot with the camera meter reading taken from the white board.

The white was captured as grey and the black a darker grey. Metering Viewfinder Photography A metering sensor. This sensor is located inside the camera, where it measures the brightness of the subject when exposed to light. Matrix Metering Red circle represents center metering area. Matrix metering ensures a balance between light and dark areas. Center-weighted Metering Red circle represents center metering area. Exposure is set correctly for the center of the frame.

Spot Metering Red circle represents center metering area. Spot metering mode uses a single focus point to calculate the light. Most cameras allow you to manually select your spot metering mode by simply moving your focus point.

Some cameras also allow you to choose the size of the spot, like in the new Sony camera models where you can decide between a Standard or Large spot metering. When comparing spot metering vs. Spot metering is the least used camera metering mode but there are some situations where using it is a must, like when your subject or the most important area of your subject occupies a very small area in the frame.

The best example to understand spot metering mode is photographing the moon at night. Partial metering mode is a Canon metering mode used specifically for their camera models. Changing the camera metering mode varies not only depending on the manufacturer but also model by model, as we said in our article on camera settings. In entry-level cameras, you can select the camera metering mode from the main menu. Advanced cameras usually offer quick metering mode buttons on the camera body to quickly change the mode.

In any case, I suggest checking your camera manual and getting familiar with how to change your camera metering mode. Changing the Metering mode in a Sony Camera. To identify your camera metering modes beyond the standard Nikon metering modes or Canon symbols, I created the following camera metering mode symbols chart by manufacturer :.

Camera metering modes symbols chart by brand. Maligne Lake, Canada. When shooting wide and vast landscapes, this metering mode allows you to calculate the average light of the main elements in your frame so you can get the perfect histogram.

Landscape shot using Matrix Metering Mode. Kirkjufell, Iceland. There are some specific landscapes where you can use center-weighted, especially when your subject is in the center of the frame with a different type of lighting. In some situations, like this, you can use Center-weighted to calculate the light of your subject when this is different from the rest of the scene. Antelope Canyon, USA.

Wildlife photography benefits from using all the camera metering modes depending on the situation. For general scenes where there are different animals in the frame, matrix metering mode is the most recommended. Matrix metering mode to capture the right exposure of this Grizzly bear and her cubs. In this case, the subject and the eyes were in the center of the frame, so I exposed using Center-Weighted.

Ubud, Bali. Lastly, if your subject occupies a tiny area of your frame, like in bird photography, spot metering mode works wonders for nailing your exposure. Since the bird was occupying a small area of the frame, I used spot metering focusing on the bird. New Jersey, USA. Similar to wildlife, the best metering mode for portraits depends on the number of subjects, their position, and the available light. You can use any of the three main metering modes according to each scenario.

Center-Weighted metering mode to calculate the light in this portrait. For shooting pictures of the Milky Way and the stars, multi is the best metering mode. Matrix Metering Mode to shoot the Milly Way.

Maine, USA. Lastly, for shooting elements like the moon , spot metering mode is the best way to get the best exposure. Spot Metering Mode focusing on the moon. Madrid, Spain.