Carl

[PolaroidSky]

Ahhh you mean "Bracketing" with the multiple exposures?... (I use a D200) its got a bracketing feature though I admit... as I am a huge fan of "older" styles of photography... I kind of feel it's cheating haha... I can't imagine Tim Page or Don McCullin bracketing... though maybe I am wrong...

Could you tell me... can you exposure lock... and focus lock?...

Many thanks for the reply and the link to your work : )

Jim

http://www.flickr.com/photos/polaroidsky/

[KeithT]

I think you will find they did. In fact, even Cartier Bresson himself took several shot at different angles to come up with the masterpieces we enjoy. (See his Scrapbook publication) I don't know a single pro photographer who relies on a single shot from the camera to make the final statement.''

Don McCullin actually guessed exposure if he didn't have a meter. See interview here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/johntusa...anscript.shtml You have to do what you have to do to get the shot.

I can set my camera to either, but I prefer, and have set mine to exposure lock, as I work and expose that way most of the time. I only ever use centre focusing, as that is also the way I have worked for years. I prefer to focus on the subject and recompose if necessary.

[PolaroidSky]

Thanks... and interesting stuff!... big thanks for the McCullin link = )

Here's one for you... very touching interview...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today...00/8492777.stm

I'll try Exposure lock...

At the moment I spot meter the brightest highlight of the composition in camera, set the exposure to compensate for that, then focus, focus lock and recompose and shoot...

[KeithT]

Thanks for that. Try to meter from a mid-tone area and then lock. It might take you a while to get the knack of it, but your success rate will improve over time.

Cheers...Keith

PS. Excellent video by the way. Thanks for posting it.

[PolaroidSky]

I have tried mid tone spot metering... but still always the really bright spots are overblown as they have not been exposed for... ruins a shot for me

: )

Jim

[KeithT]

No, don't use spot metering. Spot metering is fine for things like distant highlights that need to be metered correctly. For example, light falling on a mountain top at dusk, or streetlights along a dark alleyway etc. You should use centreweighted preferably, or partial if you can, though I always tend to shoot evaluative these days for most of my stuff. That way you will get a more balanced coverage.

You can zoom in to your mid-tone, lock exposure and zoom out and recompose. If you think the hilights might be blown you can use compensatation. If unsure look at your histogram and adjust looking at live view.

Here's a good tutorial on metering: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...a-metering.htm

[PolaroidSky]

Hmmm interesting... I will have to play with that idea as normally I always spot meter a blown highlight...

"TO USE PARTIAL & SPOT METERING

Partial and spot metering give the photographer far more control over the exposure than any of the other settings, but this also means that these is more difficult to use-- at least initially. They are useful when there is a relatively small object within your scene which you either need to be perfectly exposed, or know that it will provide the closest match to middle gray. "

...from the link you sent... I spot meter an area of face that I know will over expose usually... and never use the matrix metering as it always looks nothing like natural light when I use it... and center weighted... more often than not, for me, results in blown highlights that I can't recover... but, I will have a play and take a look at the results!....

Thanks for the advice : )

[KeithT]

Yes, I guess you can use spot metering to get highlights correctly exposed on the face, but it will not measure the shadow areas and they may be left underexposed because of it. Spot metering is very specific and will not give you the whole story, just the bit you are metering from. Yes, it gives you more control of metering, but only because the photographer can narrow metering down to a fine point. If for instance you were photographing a model against a white background, you would want to ignore the background and focus on the face/body of the model, otherwise you would end up with a silhouette of him/her. I would use spot metering in that situation. But to get the exposure right with a spot meter generally requires more than one reflected reading and then a calculation made to get the perfect exposure, and that exposure set in the camera using manual mode. But if you are comfortable with spot metering you must continue to use it and power to your elbow for doing so.

[PolaroidSky]

Thanks Keith... really interesting... so much of photography, the magic of it, is its constant alchemy... and the fun of all the many ways to get an individual style.... learning by ones mistakes and happy accidents and picking up some info along the way... is all the fun... 99 percent of it is... instinctive be it right or wrong for me... and as I always shoot full manual... its often a battle... with many photographic casualties along the way... but the little victories and the good shots are always so much sweeter for that : )

[KeithT]

Photography is a wonderful way to capture the world. It is an instant art form that far from being simple and straightforward, needs care and precission to get the best out of it. However, the science of it all is there for us to bend depending on our needs at the time and I like that individual aspect of it. I find it exciting and challenging. And yes, instinct is the greatest allie that a photographer can have. Funny thing is it's the joy of taking the picture that thrills me most. Sometimes I find motivating myself to get on with the processing a bit difficult, but nonetheless important in the scheme of things.

I don't usually shoot manual myself. I have always shot in Aperture Value mode so that I have complete control over depth of field. Most cameras these days have incredibly precise metering systems unlike the days when one had hand held meters and no choice but to manually enter the info into the camera. I think many photographers today choose manual because that is what they have been used to. But with different metering patterns and quick control of compensation levels I don't feel there is any gain in doing it all by hand these days. Each to his own though. Nice chat.

Cheers...Keith

Cheers
Keith