SPOT METERING: FRIEND OR FOE? Whatever you do, don't do THIS!

Рет қаралды 109,146

Ай бұрын

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My name is Simon d'Entremont and I'm a professional wildlife and nature photographer from Eastern Canada. In this video, I'll show you how spot metering works, both the good and the bad.
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Пікірлер: 341

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

What’s your favourite spot-metering trick or technique?

@Dani_Makhoul Ай бұрын

I usually use the evaluative metering and then adjust my EV, as you learned me! 👍🏻👍🏻

@funtaril Ай бұрын

Not using it ever (sorry)

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

@@funtaril that’s ok!

@93Logen Ай бұрын

I often use the spot metering mode with my Olympus camera. The dynamic range of the m43 sensor is limited, so I aim the spot meter at the area I consider important in the composition. Plus I use the exposure compensation to adjust the brightness.

@Magicairsoft9 Ай бұрын

I use Matrix-metering combined with full Manual mode on Nikon DSLR and EV compensation, after this video I'm going to try some newly obtained tricks 🙂

@cursingbird Ай бұрын

During a photography class the instructor got bombarded by a student complaining about all the "blown out whites" in the photos the instructor was using in the lesson. The instructor stopped, looked at the student and simply said, "Sometimes white is white." I remember that when every last pixel in a photo isn't perfectly exposed.

@lonceyswildcairns333 Ай бұрын

Lol, 😂

@davidmilisock5200 Ай бұрын

True sometimes white is white. Then sometimes too much white is distracting. There's no one rule suits all. Except that no one rule suits all.

@andreak4280 Ай бұрын

😂😂 always that one in a class (clown) that knows everything more than everyone else …. and forgets they are there as a “student” 🙄 i had a same experience in a small strobe class with a guy that busted the instructors B’s about some blown highlights way off & blurred behind a model that was being used for portrait purposes w/outdoor flash - photo looked beautiful but those small dappled blown highlights in the background 😆😅 needless to say the group wanted to hogtie & gag the fool! YES! sometimes white is white 👌🏼

@leFoodeater Ай бұрын

When you say your french name is the highlight of every video

@robbinsdrones Ай бұрын

"It's your art, you do what looks good to you" @ 08:12 - Very true, words to live by!

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!!

@ldm6752 Ай бұрын

Sounds like an excuse for low quality "art"

@robbinsdrones Ай бұрын

@@ldm6752 Interesting take for sure and worthy of consideration 🤔

@memorable111 Ай бұрын

Mr Heaton is right. You are the best photography teacher on the web.

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

too kind!

@bruce-le-smith Ай бұрын

'when the meter is at zero, that is medium grey 18%', thank you! that made a light bulb go off. great video as always

@Cafl_Music Ай бұрын

Simon peaks with every new video

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Haha thanks.

@dlc1119 Ай бұрын

I was in a situation recently - under a canopy, bright day - where auto mode was useless. Switching modes gave me a shot with the background completely blown out, but what I 'saved' in the center became the 'shot of the day'. Videos from this channel have given me the push to shoot in other modes. Thank you! Merci beaucoup!

@deleaptealeaf8935 Ай бұрын

I use manual mode with auto iso. I watch the image in the viewfinder and then manually adjust the ISO to match the exposure I want for the whole image. I go back to auto iso for the next set of shots.

@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism Ай бұрын

I don't know how he does it, but he always knows I can do it. ;)

@venietvideo Ай бұрын

I rarely use spot metering since I have switched to mirrorless. As mentioned @ 09:27 exposure compensation together with the "what you see is what you get" property of the electronic viewfinder is good enough, fast, and intuitive. For static subjects exposure to the right of the histogram (ETTR) and adjusting in post is another option.

@careylymanjones Ай бұрын

Spot metering was a key component of Ansel Adams' Zone System. He would typically expose his negative to preserve shadow detail, and adjust his development time to preserve highlights. So he might "overexpose" the negative, but "underdevelop" it to reduce the contrast, and preserve the highlights.

@davidf6326 Ай бұрын

I so admire what photographers of the past were able to achieve with film. We're very spoilt nowadays, both in the forgiving latitude of digital and the microscopic cost of trying multiple versions of a shot. I realise it makes us a little lazy, but I do think digital cameras are one of the best products to come out of modern technology.

@lensman5762 Ай бұрын

Very good point. A spot meter is absolutely essential when a photographer needs to measure the luminance range of the scene he or she wants to photograph, it could be landscape, portraiture, still life, etc etc. Only then he can decide which parts of his image need to contain detail and how much of it and where to put it on the exposure scale and how to develop the negative to maintain full detail and luminance. I have heard so much tosh recently from some photographers that spot metering and accurate placement of exposure is no longer necessary due to the wide lattitude of the modern films, or even worse the digital sensor. Absolute nonsense, and goes to show how little they understand about film, dynamic range or even the basics of photography.

@TeddyCavachon Ай бұрын

I learned the Zone System in 1971 from the 1968 edition of his Basic Photo Series books. It was originally based on on metering with a Weston meter calibrated to the ASA “average scene reflectance” standard of 18% and meter exposure you would take a reading with the meter off the gray card not the actual scene then evaluate the negative by printing it on #2 grade paper, what Adams used for all his prints. If the nominal ASA set on the meter did not produce the desired shadow detail on the print or was too light when negative border was printed Zone 0 - Max Black you simply adjusted the ASA setting on the meter until it did. I bought a Pentax 1° spot meter to use with the Zone System and simply adjusted the ISO setting on the meter so when metered a Zone 2 shadow w. texture area in the scene it exposed the negative so it was reproduced like that on the print. 😢 Finding the development time to have negative densities in the highlights fit the #2 paper was again done with testing on Sunny, Cloudy, Open Shade, Overcast, etc lighting contrast until by trail and error you learned to what was needed for each. Even with a spot meter you needed to do that initial test to find what time was needed for each scene EV range. The Zones are not scene f/stops just a gray scale divided into 11 steps 0 - 10 Why 11 and not 10? Adams screwed up when he created it forgetting to assign a Zone value to specular highlights within smooth white Zone 9 highlights. My 1968 edition only has Zone 0 - Zone 9.

@TeddyCavachon Ай бұрын

Spot metering isn’t necessary with digital thanks to the over exposure warning and the histogram (if one knows how to interpret it). Raising exposure until the clipping warning it triggered in non-specular highlight then reducing exposure by 1/3 stop will correctly render the highlight detail with the brightness solid white objects rendered in the range 245-250 which is actually light gray but that is necessary so the SPECULAR HIGHLIGHTS which will clip at 255 will contrast and provide the specular highlight clues to 3D shape. On flat white objects like the hood of a white car the separation between the hood rendered at 245-250 one stop under clipping and the 255 specular reflection of the Sun it the only clue to 3D shape if too flat to cast shadow. Bird feathers and fun have millions of flat facets which create specular reflections in sunlight. If those are not preserved with careful highlight exposure then the foliage will look flatter. All cameras have a fixed range. Does the scene being photographed fit the sensor? After setting highlights 1/3 under clipping the left side of the histogram will tell you. If the bars are running off the left side then scene has more contrast than sensor can record and shadow detail seen by eye may be lost. If scene exceeds the solutions are: 1) blow out some highlights if shadow detail is more important, 2) use tripod, bracket with shutter until bars don’t run off on left and use HDR in post; 3) use flash to change the range of the scene.

@jimrinaldi8357 Ай бұрын

Studying Adams' Zone System back in the day was very valuable, and the principles still help me in today's world of smart digital cameras. Excellent video, Simon.

@bernym4047 Ай бұрын

Back in the day when I used to shoot weddings with a medium format film (fully manual) TLR camera, I used an old trick of metering the back of my hand if there was no grass nearby. when it was not practical to take an incident meter reading (e.g. shooting polar bears 😂). Just want to mention that you amaze me how you make weekly videos and find time to acknowledge every comment even if it's just a 'like'. Some of your contemporary photography youtubers don't even have the courtesy to acknowledge when I buy them a coffee. 'No names, no pack drill' as my dad used to say. Thank you for another brilliantly produced video.

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Welcome, and important to engage with my viewers, who make all of this possible. Love the back of hand tip!

@davidf6326 Ай бұрын

'metering the back of my hand' - if you're anything like me, you can now use your hair - mine's definitely close to middle grey ☹

@bernym4047 Ай бұрын

@@davidf6326 😂 Me too! 😂

@Centauri27 Ай бұрын

That would be the last coffee those KZfaqrs get from you! 😆

@mhaney1111 22 күн бұрын

I always have a medium toned camera bag or pack to meter off of when there are no medium toned in the scene. Just have to make sure that the pack or back of your hand is in the same light as your subject.

@aaronsnyder2198 Ай бұрын

Simon, I love your take/version of photography KZfaq! The other guys are fun to watch, but I don’t learn as much (or anything) from them. I find your videos are much more about “photographic theory”, and it’s both an insightful and refreshing break from 90% of “photography KZfaq”. Keep ‘em coming! 👍✌️🙂

@frankcaliendo4768 Ай бұрын

I would say Simon d'Entremont's videos are "photographic theory" for "photographic practicality".

@user-eh8jv2em2o Ай бұрын

Thanks for the video. The most correct approach is to have the bird hold a gray card in its beak. While the traditional 18% gray rule is important for metering and exposure, it is not always necessary to strictly adhere to it. The dynamic range of our displays, especially photopaper, is limited, even more so than the range of a digital camera sensor. What we usually do in editing is stretch or squeeze the range we want to present to the viewer to fit within the available target range. And during shooting, all we need to do is ensure that we capture the range that we intend to present later. It is essential to include both whites and blacks in the final edit; otherwise, the image file or print may lack necessary contrast. There can never be too much contrast in print or on display, as the real world has much more contrast anyway.

@tonytarquinio6439 Ай бұрын

Greetings sir. I was led to believe that Spot Metering was exclusively designed to be used for close up images to get a more accurate reading of light reflectance. I noticed you were using Spot Metering on subjects that were quite a distance away from you. Once again, many thanks for another one of your very comprehensive and informative tutorials. You make photography much fun, sir. Tony :))

@DavidSwarthout Ай бұрын

Oh Simon! Once again I've picked up a gem from your channel. I shoot in Manual and have been perplexed about light measurement of foreground vs background and the rest. Adjusting the EC while pointed at something that has a neutral exposure value is a priceless tip. Many thanks.

@robertbrown5052 Ай бұрын

Having grown up in the film era and using Ansel’s zone system (which I eventually was able to wrestle into submission) understanding the “whys” of in camera metering systems has always been an enigma to me - until I watched this video. And now the lightbulb has come on and I can sleep tonight! Thanks Simon!

@_brushie Ай бұрын

That bonus tip is something on older Olympus film camera does for it's light metering system. The OM-4 had this fancy pants spot metering system that you pointed the center of the frame at what you want properly exposed, and push a button to keep it on memory. You do this for every key part of the composition and you get this average metering made out of specific spot metering system that's kinda fun to use. Also came with buttons for dealing with all white or all black subjects as well for a quick exposure compensation, even though it had a normal exposure comp dial on the other side.

@rowlandspear4061 Ай бұрын

The Sandpiper photo hanging on my wall is one of my all-time favorites!

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Thanks Rowland!

@stevehassall6862 Ай бұрын

Simon, out of all the KZfaq photographers I watch and or follow you are by far the most informative without being patronising, you explain technics clearly and give me the confidence to get out and enjoy my photography. Many thanks from across the pond in the UK

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Wow, thanks!

@sandbilly100 Ай бұрын

I started in the early 80s with the Camera, the Negative and the Print, a 3 book series that served as my text books. So with Ansel Adams help I taught myself some fundamentals. Then it was mostly street photography and I was a stringer for two local papers. Heady times and great experience. One of my double majors at uni was Art History so I was ready to conquer the world 🙄. Understanding the Zone System has served me well these many years. I concentrate on wildlife, landscape and macro now but the concepts remain the same all the while learning new ways to apply them by learning from your videos, thank you. Also by commenting both on DSLR and mirrorless as you teach makes my learning feel seamless. I have embraced mirrorless whole heartedly, the adventure continues.

@RandyPollock Ай бұрын

Fujifilm cameras can either keep the spot meter in the center of the frame or synchronize it with the auto focus point...I often use it linked to my autofocus point for church photos where I want the audience dark, but the meter reading correct for the people on the stage.

@joylox Ай бұрын

That's really cool! I do some church video stuff, but with a limited budget, the church just has a camcorder (Sony AX43) and getting the levels right on that thing, especially with a projector behind the stage, is really difficult. Being able to select what area to meter from must be so handy! I've given up on spot metering for the most part with my Canon R cameras.

@pcs9518 13 күн бұрын

Dang I remember when you used to have a light meter you had to get out to see what light you had to work with to get an idea of how to expose your film. I honestly think a fundamental understanding of film exposure is extremely valuable with digital photography at least for me it has been.

@davidsaad556 Ай бұрын

Back in the day shooting slide film, and cameras with center weighted metering, I would expose for the mid tones and let dark tones and lighter tones fall where they may. For sure, you must know what is a mid tone...grass, blue sky etc. Note, that the meter will render colors mid tones too. So, if you want a red barn to look medium red, shoot at the recommended setting. However, if you want the barn to look lighter, overexposed by a third or half stop. This is just a modified version of the zone system for exposure. No fancy evaluative meters back then so when things get contrasty, you had to know how to compensate to get the value you wanted. White snow? At recommended exposure it is zone 5, mid tone. To get it to look like snow while keeping some texture, you could increase exposure by maybe 1.5 stops or so. Bracket just in case. If you are going to use a spot meter effectively, you must learn what mid tone values look like and than interpret the exposure And compensate either darker or lighter to get the photo you envision.

@bmamree Ай бұрын

You are the best teacher, Simon❤.

@bruce-le-smith Ай бұрын

that last bonus tip is gold too, thank you Simon

@ddsdss256 Ай бұрын

I just rely on zebras (overexposure clipping warning for Lumix and other cameras), and unless I don't care about (or actually want) blown-out highlights, I adjust exposure* until those just disappear (I can't begin to understand why anyone wouldn't shoot mirrorless--what a huge advantage!). That way, I can recover details at most any value (shadow detail is rarely a problem). This is basically ETTR with artistic adjustments. It really doesn't matter what metering mode I choose in this case. I'm used to spot-metering (and for B&W, Ansel's Zone System as mentioned below) from my film days, but I think center-weighted makes more sense for most people most of the time. As you say, it just depends on what you want to show in the image. For me, the editing phase is where the real decisions are made, but you need a good negative (or RAW file). *I also have the rear dial on all of my cameras set for exposure compensation (except for S mode, in which case it's SS). In most cases, that's up to +/- 5 stops.

@sh8736 20 күн бұрын

You have to remember to set your iso range to be wide enough to allow exposure comp to work if you’re tweaking the exposure against what the camera meters. You can also choose with Sony to set the metering with the focal point as well as with Nikon and Canon 😊

@DimmyV Ай бұрын

Almost half a million, great job Simon. Appreciate your educational videos.

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

So close!

@wildbillgreen Ай бұрын

Holy mackerel you need to switch from photography tutorials to how to grow your channel tutorials! Congrats on your success! This is a great topic. Thanks

@forestchaput Ай бұрын

We love your insights Simon!🙌

@Sadieazuki Ай бұрын

I can't stop watching Simon' videos when it shows up

@chrisburnard5157 Ай бұрын

Thank you Simon for your brilliant content and great teaching ability.

@aggelostaff8997 Ай бұрын

simon, i shall thank you for helping me learn about my camera. you are truly great at what you do!

@NotAnotherYoutubePhotographer Ай бұрын

This is by far now of the best videos I've seen explaining metering... and you're only talking about 1 method! I'll be checking out your exposure compensation and metering explained videos for sure.

@LordAcidpain Ай бұрын

The timing is insane, this week i rented a 100-400mm canon lens, to have a go at some easy wildlife photography in the park near my house. I had the exact problem you describe about blowing out the highlights in the water when photographing coypus with spot metering. Decided i had to go back to watch your metering modes video, and there you go doing a special about spot metering, perfect! Thanks a lot Simon!

@trevor9934 Ай бұрын

Thanks for this video, that is very well-timed, as I am teaching this to some folks who are learning all about this. I have used spot metering most of my career - over some 43 years. At the time I began I was shooting Nikon F3 and Canon A-1 bodies and spot metering gave me the best results. I used it across many environments from the high north of Canada to open plains and thick bush. Now retired and living in NZ, I still use centre point exposure, along with Exposure Lock on the * button, and centre single point Back Button Focus. Part of the reason for this is that in NZ many of the birds I am shooting are in deep foliage where I have to be very specific for both. My methodology is: find a mid-reflectance spot and lock that in, find the eye of the subject and lock that (likely with tracking), compose, and shoot. Once you get used to it, it can be done in about a second.

@Jesus503_ Ай бұрын

I learn something new every time I watch your videos. I’m excited to go shoot and try this!

@mariposa.2507 Ай бұрын

The R7 also takes the center for spot metering, my subject usually is not in the center. So I use the whole frame where the metering is basically on the focus point. It also works good with black and white cats in one picture.

@michaelmicieli2796 Ай бұрын

Simon, Great video as usual! Could have used these tips before my shoot today. Thanks as always!

@PaulGavinger Ай бұрын

I just had a spot-metering drama this morning! It's like you were there!

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

That’s a good phrase… « spot-metering drama! »

@PixWaxGB Ай бұрын

Great explanation, thank you! Will take my camera out later and experiment with this. I also watched a video where the tip was that (with Sony for sure) the dust cap on the camera body is the grey level and to take a test shot of the cap to calibrate. So much to learn, and these videos are most welcome.

@ymn3112 Ай бұрын

I stumbled into exposure lock by trial and error and god I wish I had this video when I was searching for that. This is so validating. Thank you ❤

@JeffreyHauser Ай бұрын

Nicely done Simon. You have a gift in teaching others about many photographic topics. I always enjoy your videos & the examples that you show in respect to the topic that you are explaining. (Your white kitchen counter top & black stove top are excellent examples as to how your camera will interpret a scene.)Best wishes & safe travels.😊

@knotfreejc Ай бұрын

Wow, fantastic video. Thank you! I always learn something watching your videos!

@michaeltyniec7010 Ай бұрын

Spot metering has helped me so very much over the years when trying to grab a quick shot on the fly with challenging exposure. My old Minolta x-700 (film) has a huge button on the front that makes it so easy to get to when required. My three DSLR's have dedicated buttons too - but all in a different "spot" on the camera and I often fumble to find them.

@MrShaft70 18 күн бұрын

Dear Simon, I am already familiar with the information, and I use it in practice. Yet, I still watch your instructional videos because the information is very well explained by you, and it helps me to review and structure my knowledge. Thank you very much for your great contributions end explanations.

@simon_dentremont 18 күн бұрын

You are very welcome

@KeithHeinrich Ай бұрын

Very good explanation, thanks for taking time to put it together. Another tricky situation is surfers, black wetsuits, white water in the waves and often bright sunlight and a fast moving subject. Can be difficult to expose well consistently and in particular the face.

@markcataldo1012 Ай бұрын

Great video Simon. Spot metering is a mode that rarely gets visited by me, I will have to give it a little more consideration. I almost exclusively shoot with the histogram and use my control ring to adjust exposure compensation. The control ring is convenient for me as I mostly shoot primes. Keep up the great videos!

@RipeOldBanana Ай бұрын

Having pulled together tips from many of your videos, I set parameters in my 7d 2 so that Program mode is tailored to my own shooting style. I have combined elements of ISO and shutter speed range that allow variable aperture. My results have improved, and I have to thank you for insight into camera operation.

@01bpap Ай бұрын

Clear , Precise , and to the Point . You have covered so much in such a short video . Wonderfully explained , you make it seem easy. Thank you.

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Glad you liked it

@vectorwuffy Ай бұрын

I know this might get lost around, but every time i watch one of your vids, i wait until the end to hear those very inspiring words of yours "I know you can do it!" Those words are enough motivation to pick up my camera and look around to practice and take more pictures So thank you so much for inspiring me to keep learning and shooting more and more pics with my camera. I personally have learned a lot from you and your tips have saved me too on some occasions when i was in mid-session. Thank you 😊

@brendallsterling4117 Ай бұрын

You're so good at telling your ways on spot metering. As always, I listen and follow your advice. Thank you again, Brenda from Maryland

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

You are so welcome

@seaeagles6025 Ай бұрын

Hi Simon, Thank you very much for speaking about Metering Modes, a Mode that isn't talked about much. It's good you mentioned Exposure Compensation to Brighten up the Exposure, very beneficial advice that will really help the newer photographers. Also this tip you made about. to program an Exposure Lock to a Button and then to re-compose, that tip will help me. When i'm shooting the Moon i always use Spot Metering. Thanks Simon for your tips they certainly make a difference to my photography. 😊

@seaeagles6025 Ай бұрын

Thanks Simon 🙂

@blackforestwanderer Ай бұрын

I am not into wildlife photography, it is just too tempting to get more gear😅. So I watch a lot of landscape photography channels, but I have to say, you really stand out from any genre to me. You explain the basic techniques so well (I am really not a tech person), that even I seem to understand something. I learn so so much from you. I really appreciate your content, given to us all for free. Thanks very much! You are a great teacher.

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

@charliejg Ай бұрын

Really nicely done Simon!! Thanks for your clear teaching style. Have a rockin' day!

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Thanks, you too!

@joeg679 Ай бұрын

Thank you for your camera knowledge. Great video.😊

@lelandsmith2320 Ай бұрын

For botanical photography my camera rarely leave spot focus, especially for habit shots on epiphytes where I am shooting through branches and leaves to get a clear shot of the subject. Even then I have to check each shot to make sure I am on the subject and not on infinitely from the background which is often the sky or accidenttally on a nearby leaf. I also use spot focus on people or animal shots where I want to focus on the nearest eye.

@davidgillespie6604 Ай бұрын

I learn something from every one of your videos, but this one was exceptionally useful! Thank you.

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

You're very welcome!

@rickbabbitt5014 Ай бұрын

A trick to spot metering with digital is to say take a reading with expisure lock on in my case the shutter button on nikon z7ii then move out of the dark or bright area and look at the over all picture and decide if thats what you want. Side note on the trusty canon ae1 spot metering with the trusty utility iso of 800 spot metering was the go to for perfect expisure.

@glenblaven Ай бұрын

Excellent tips and advice Simon. Thank you very much for sharing your expertise and experience.

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

My pleasure!

@karlburchill2704 16 күн бұрын

I used to use spot metering but it was unreliable in certain situations so now I use ESP metering and manually use the ISO to adjust the exposure for my scene.

@halbourneutube Ай бұрын

I definitely love this quick tutorial! Thanks so much

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

I'm so glad!

@nyohaku Ай бұрын

Another entertaining and practical video, thank you. I started in the 70s and always gravitated towards full manual, and even used a handheld spot meter for my mostly static subjects. Camera settings then were few: aperture, SS, film choice, focus. Your videos are great help in unraveling the complexity of current cameras which can ironically get in the way sometimes.

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@juanpablohurtadolopez6986 Ай бұрын

Simon you are so good that I watch the sponsor's ad to help you improve your stats as a thank you for sharing your knowledge,

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

too kind!

@Michael-zf1ko Ай бұрын

I had some difficulty getting the right exposure until I learned about metering modes. Now, when I am walking around taking shots, I find myself swapping metering modes enough to warrant its own button for it, and my pictures come out much better. And yes, on my Nikon mirrorless, when you place your focus point on a specific subject, it will automatically put the spot metering point on the same location. It's a pretty handy feature, especially when you compose your subject off center.

@babyBELUGAr Ай бұрын

I think that egret photo is my favorite of yours I've seen

@Aceimus1066 Ай бұрын

Awesome video as always. Here's a really interesting video/video CHALLENGE series idea - you collab with non wildlife photographers and swap with them to see what results they get taking photos of wildlife and your results of portraits, product etc etc. That would be really interesting and educational

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Thanks for the idea!

@dangilmore9724 Ай бұрын

I use the last method (meter off a mid tone area), or, I meter off the lightest and darkest areas and essentially use that to calculate 18% gray. Most of the time I wing it from experience like I did when using film.

@francismoore4976 Ай бұрын

Coming back to photography from film to digital, I needed a fast course to be able to teach my daughter. Luckily I found your channel and subscribed immediately since you know what to are talking about. I had trouble finding the right infos on circular polarizer to make a great choice, Nikon, Carl Zeiss, B&W, PolarPro, Canon. I looked up your gear and bought the B&W CPL, if it's good for you then great for me! Maybe one day someone is going to make a great video that will give a better insight into them.

@rrr46060 Ай бұрын

great tips Simon

@CreativeIsolation Ай бұрын

Your bonus tip is awesome. Don’t know why I never thought of that! I’ve used. The meter in manual but never in spot mode like that. Clever clever!!

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@lynsmith1096 Ай бұрын

Another good tutorial Simon

@romanhar4151 Ай бұрын

Hi Simon, thanks for the interesting video. I had an ugly situation at a sports event with partly bright windows behind the athletes. - So I thought Sportmeter on the focus point would help. This worked partially but not reliably. In the end I used manual exposure, which gave more consistent exposures.

@alsnyder1660 Ай бұрын

This video was extra-excellent for me. Thanks

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@hinenik Ай бұрын

This was game changer in blackwater photography (taking pictures of plancton in the middle of the sea). When you place the spot into the critter you can expose It correctly with a decent shutter speed (very needed with fishes). The cool thing here is that you have always a dark background so you just have to care about the subject

@bartjes2509 Ай бұрын

Hi Simon, Thanks for sharing. As landscape phtographer I mostly use Av mode. I did play with metering modes during the night I spent at the hill overlooking the erupting Litli Hrutur volcano in Iceland. Lava at night is crazy bright ! When I use manual mode, I put auto ISO and use exposure compensation when I think I need that. Modern camera's have a great dynamic range so an incorrect exposure can be forgiven to some extent in post

@MatthaeusHeyna Ай бұрын

Good Guy d'Entremont. Me having stuggle with a certain shot. Masterphotographer posts 3 solutions 14 hours later. XD

@ian_lewono Ай бұрын

What I've found is that black objects will need -2ev, stuff like foliage in the sun will need about -1ev, clouds will need between -0.6 - +1ev depending on time time day, and pure whites will need around +1ev to make them look like they do in real life

@billmckinney7398 Ай бұрын

Thanks, Simon…very useful!

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Glad you think so!

@frstesiste7670 Ай бұрын

My first camera with a build in light meter had (semi) spot-metering and only that. It was one of the main reasons to choose that model (a Canon FTb). It was a fully manual camera and in my opinion manual exposure and spot metering is made for each other. As soon as you use to auto exposure it's so easy to put the spot in the wrong place, even if pointing at the right spot and lock the exposure certainly help. I rarely use spot metering anymore since the new metering systems handle most scenes so well, but when shooting slide film on a fully manual camera it was ideal. Most scenes have something to meter on that you want middle gray and if not metering on the hand would get me pretty close.

@adventureswithrebecca Ай бұрын

Super helpful and solved my problem, thank you!

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Glad it helped!

@stevebanks484 Ай бұрын

Thank you Simon. This is probably the most important lesson I learnt in correctly exposing a subject, particularly birds - it’s OK to have the background dark or blown out if you can achieve perfect results on the subject. Took me afar too long to realise this. 🙄

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@JonathanBarrientos Ай бұрын

great video. I have always been confused by this. Thank you!

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@billmcdonald4335 Ай бұрын

10:36 I was using that bonus tip on a Nikkormat EL back in the day. I do it today with my current daily driver. The more things change. . .

@blkscorpion01 Ай бұрын

Small popup grey cards work really well for this if the lighting is not changing alot. Just toss it on the ground in an area with similar light.

@dennisfrederick9304 Ай бұрын

Back in film 35mm photography I used spot metering and metered my hand making sure it wasn't in a brighter light like direct sunlight if the scene didn't have it. It was amazing the results I achieved. This was done in full manual.

@kobiorama Ай бұрын

Great video. Exposure compensation is the photographer's best friend (except for the guy carrying all the gear...)

@mrv1264 10 күн бұрын

Simon, at 2:15 in the video, your countertop, cook top, wood floor, cabinets, etc. all look properly exposed (although I don't know exactly how they look in real life). I believe the reason is that the exposure meter balances the light reflected off of all these surfaces. If you include only one of these surfaces, the exposure is way off -- that is my continuing experience regardless of what I'm shooting. For example, recently I was shooting photos of tile flooring and cabinets in a home for the owner so that her interior decorator could take the photos to a store to match colors of various materials an do her interior decorating magic. If I took a photo of just the tile floor (or the cabinets) the color was WAY off. So I included a piece of newspaper with a bit of variety of colors on the page. I also took some shots with various other items such as note pads, a pair of shoes, etc. That's how I got the color to show a pretty high degree of fidelity to what my eye saw. In my opinion, this exposure issue (philosophy and engineering) is a real problem with digital photography (this was never an issue in film photography).

@simon_dentremont 10 күн бұрын

True, but the light measured your meter, by definition, is “reflected” light, which is what a camera captures.

@erikkarjala Ай бұрын

Quality educational information. Thank you.

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@T_157-40 Ай бұрын

Thank you Simon!

@photographilife Ай бұрын

Great information! Thanks

@Twobarpsi Ай бұрын

Great advice Simon!

@VIIGGE Ай бұрын

Love this guy, just subscribed!!!

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Thanks very much!

@wolfgangmarvelous7239 Ай бұрын

Excellent tutorial.

@clairehachey2189 Ай бұрын

Thank you Simon. I really needed this video :)

@simon_dentremont Ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@TheMickebostrom Ай бұрын

Bright tips!

@FlatWaterFilms Ай бұрын

Best teacher. 🙂

@rbrtmllr Ай бұрын

Snow is the easiest to photograph: 100% diffuse, +1EV. So I guess that's my favourite! But auto-ISO + exposing for highlights can be a powerful convenience. When shooting sports in outdoor changing light, I lean on the camera's ability to recognize a face and adjust exposure. It doesn't always get it right, but I can't do it faster!