What should I meter off with the in-camera light meter?
What (or where) should I meter when using my camera’s built-in meter? It’s a question that mystifies many photographers when they start out, and first realize you can’t just point your camera at the scene and hope for correct exposure. The incredible metering systems in modern cameras notwithstanding, it is essential to our growth as photographers to have a working grasp on metering techniques. Of course, an incident light-meter is always a great idea, but has become less necessary with digital photography when shooting outdoors. We can interpret our camera’s meter reading, or use the histogram … or (an outrageous idea to some), just look at the camera’s preview.
With mirrorless cameras you can set the camera to show the actual exposure that you’d get for your chosen settings. That works too … but I still feel like this is a shortcut that we can’t summarily rely on forever if we want to develop a deeper understanding of how to use our cameras wisely.
This photograph of Anelisa is an anchor image in the explanation of metering techniques as explained in my book, Direction & Quality of Light (Amazon). I want to use this and embroider a bit more on it, and taking a different route in this discussion on using the camera’s built-in meter. However, before we get there, also take time to familiarize yourself with the Exposure metering tutorials, where the same topic is also discussed.
Direction & Quality of Light
I wanted to distill the essence of what we, as photographers, work with – light! Before we can truly grasp on-camera flash and off-camera flash, and really, any kind of photography, we have to be aware of the direction and quality of light. We need to observe the light that we have, and then decide how best to use it, or enhance it.
With this book, I try my best to share those “aha!” moments with you, and I do believe this book can make a difference to your photography.
The book is available on Amazon USA and Amazon UK, or can be ordered through Barnes & Nobles and other bookstores. The book is also available on the Apple iBook Store, as well as Amazon Kindle.
Tonal placement and Exposure metering
We have discussed in previous articles how we can use the Histogram as an accurate method to see if our exposure metering is correct,
and as explained there, we can use the brightest relevant part of our subject (i.e., white areas) to determine if our exposure is correct.
The inevitable question then comes up – what if there isn’t anything white to meter off, or use via our histogram?
A possible solution is then offered with the question, can we meter off someone’s face? The answer is … we can, but we have to take into account how light or dark the skin tone is.
So let’s walk this back a bit and consider tonal placement. Whatever area we meter off – whether skin tones or any other area of our subject or scene, we have to keep in mind what tone it is – is it a middle tone (i.e., kinda “average”) or is it darker or lighter. We have to be able to place that tone in relation to an average tone – the classic “middle grey”.
The classic explanation of the Zone System revolves around the “scale” of tones from black to white and assigned each one a number, with ‘0’ (or oftentimes ‘1’) being almost pure black and ‘9’ or ’10’ being nearly completely white. Zone 5 is the middle tone, also known as middle-gray. Caucasian skin is placed at Zone 6. All these tones are 1 stop apart in the traditional application of it in B&W photography. We can’t quite do that with digital. Two stops up from a middle tone is pure white, and most likely blown out. We don’t quite have that latitude from the middle tone to the brightest tone. However, an understanding of the Zone System is fundamental to understanding exposure metering.
So while that tonal scale can’t be applied to digital in the same way we might have if we processed our own B&W images (from developing the film to printing the images), it does help us understand one thing – we have to be aware that there is a range of tones, and we have to place them accordingly.
With that, we can meter off an equivalent tone which is “average”. Or, if we meter off skin tone, we have to adjust our interpretation of our meter reading accordingly. For example, caucasian skin tone which is seen as Zone 6 (and one stop up from average), will be too bright if we metered off lighter skin and opened up by a stop. We might open up by just 2/3rd of a stop. A slight difference perhaps, but this is how we need to interpret our meter readings and the tones we meter off. Similarly, if you want to meter off a skin tone, you have to figure out relatively how dark the skin tone is from “average”. Then you adjust your exposure accordingly.
This explanation is triggered by a question that I was asked:
Spot metering on the face or the lightest part of the subject or the whole scene or do it with matrix metering ?
The same for outdoor. Fill flash with -3 FEC but where to measure (the face, the dress) ?
So back to using the white area of our subject (e.g., clothing) as the tonal value we can most accurately place on our histogram:
With my camera in manual metered mode, I can then either,
– zoom in tight (which is what I normally do), and exclude EVERYTHING that isn’t the white dress; or
– use the camera’s spot-meter.
Then I place that tone on the edge of my histogram.
Let’s go back to the image at the top again, and go over this step-by-step again:
Exposure metering and the histogram
This photograph was taken using available light only. The wider shot below will show the scene – there are sunlit areas which are completely blowing out. We can not let this influence my meter reading. We have to meter only for our subject.
If were to use a hand-held incident light meter, it would be very straight-forward – we simply meter the light falling on our subject. This would entirely disregard the brighter background. We would be metering only for the light falling on our subject. Dead simple.
Using the camera’s built-in meter, we have a few possible options:
A: We can meter off a tone that is equivalent to the middle tone – but most relevant tones here are relatively bright – her dress and her skin tone. But we might get to an “average tone” if we metered with our lens seeing only part of her skin tone, and partly her hair – thereby averaging out two tones. The one tone (skin) would be lighter than average, and the other, darker than average. So if we selectively metered, with a bit of each tone adding to the final evaluation of our exposure, we might get there. This is slightly laborious – there should be an easier way.
B: We can meter off her skin tone, and guess that it is about 2/3rd of a stop above “average”, and in Manual Exposure mode, open up our exposure a bit accordingly. A test shot or two should confirm if we are on track. However, in that kind of bright back-lighting it might be difficult to judge our exposure from the camera’s preview screen.
C: We can use the histogram, going by her white dress! Zooming in so that we only see her dress in th viewfinder, we can take our exposure reading up by (about) 1.7 stops from average. Then with a test shot we can see if the histogram shows that the white tone is just short of the edge of the histogram.
Why +1.7 stops? This is what I’ve found to work for most Canon DSLRs. For Nikon it varies from 1.3 stops to 2 stops. This is something you have to find out for yourself – where your camera places a white tone on the histogram, if you take the exposure up from the meter reading being centered. i.e., we need to take the exposure up from where the metering reading being zero for white.
We can’t just zero our camera’s meter reading for white – that would turn the white into an “average” grey tone. We need to place that tonal value by adjusting our camera settings!
Summary
With this tutorial, I wanted to explain Tonal Placement, and how we converge some of the important concepts in Exposure Metering in a practical way. Easy to use on location!
If there is anything which isn’t clear, and needs clarity, please post your question.
Related articles
- Exposure metering for the bride’s dress
- Using the histogram to determine exposure
- Under- / Over-exposure vs. exposing correctly
- Which exposure metering mode for outdoor photos?
- Exposure metering for a backlit subject, using the histogram
- Expose for your subject – (model: Anelisa)
- Exposure metering techniques
- Exposure metering tutorials
Recommended books
Exposure metering technique is a topic too complex to cover completely in a single blog post. Besides, the definitive introductory book on this is readily available: Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera. If you struggle with exposure metering, then I strongly suggest his book.
Hey Neil, As always, great tutorial,
When you have a predominantly BLACK subject, does the same apply? I find I need to overexpose more?
All the best, Leon
Hi there Leon – I would still protect the highlights of my subject (or relevant parts of the scene.) But if the subject / scene is predominantly dark, you could push your exposure up a bit.
However, if you need to protect the highlights, then bringing up the detail in the shadow areas would be something that would be best controlled by adjust the RAW file’s settings – the Black Point; Contrast; Shadow settings and such. Even use the Local Correction Brush to bring up shadow details.
I can’t remember where I heard this, but somebody said to bring a white cloth with you to help with placing the white tone. This isn’t always possible, but it is another tool in the arsenal to consider.
Great pointers Neil.
Considering that the histogram is an electronic representation of what the sensor will see when you press the shutter, it should be relatively easy for camera manufacturers to automate the steps you take to move the white tone just short of the right edge of the histogram. In other words, the camera should be able to analyze the histogram and adjust the exposure to where the bright part bumps up to the right.
Am I missing something?
Kobus … in the same way that the camera has no idea what we are pointing it at (in terms of subject and scene), and we have to interpret the camera’s built-in meter … we have to do the same with the histogram.
Two examples immediately come to mind:
– If there is a scene with no white in it, or
– we have clouds in the background that we don’t want to include in our metering of the scene,
then the camera shouldn’t make an automatic decision based on the histogram.
It will still need the photographer controlling the decision where possible.
Hey Neil?
Great tutorial…so I am wondering if you could zoom in on a grey card and set that tonal value in the center of your histogram? Would that work?
David – you could meter off a mid-grey tone, but I still feel you risk blowing out the high-lights then. I really think it is safer to protect the high-lights of your subject (or the important parts of the scene), because then all the other tones will fall into place. No risk of losing detail in the highlights.
You are definitely THE man when it comes to understanding how cameras interact with light. I just added your book “Direction & Quality of Light” to my fathers day list. Never too old to learn. All of your videos are outstanding.
Admit metering is arguably the weakest link right now. This certainly helps. Thank you.
Hi Neil,
Thanks for the article ;)
Got one questions regarding this recipe: If you are zooming in tight in the dress to keep the viewfinder filled mostly with what it’s been metered and placing the exposure needle in the right zone accordingly, why use Matrix and not spot?
One of the things that always drives me crazy in Matrix is how the metering is affected heavily by the focus point. If you point the camera to a scene and change only the focus point in the controls and really nothing else, the meter will be completely different. I understand that in manual this is irrelevant the exposure will be the same – but it’s completely unpredictable.
Thiago .. if you zoom in, and the area you are metering off fills the frame, then there should be no difference between Matrix or Spot metering. Spot metering is a good choice though. Why I usually just keep to Matrix metering mode (and zoom in), is that it affects the flash metering if you use TTL flash – with spot metering, you lose TTL BL. The camera then defaults to TTL mode … and I usually want TTL BL when I use fill-flash.
Got it Neil, makes sense! Thanks again ;)
Hi Neil,
I think I pretty much follow your logic and reasoning for protecting the highlights in a shot, especially a wedding dress shot. I’d be interested in seeing your before and after settings for the white dress shots in this article to kinda seal the deal as far as understanding the impact of exposing for the dress and/or exposing for skin tone/hair in an attempt to determine average tone for a scene.
In other words,
What were your settings when you metered for the white dress initially (aperture, iso, shutter speed, exposure comp.)?
What adjustments did you make and your resulting settings after you made your adjustments to get the highlights in the midrange of that 5th zone of the histogram?
I have been learning a lot as a fairly new photographer the importance of properly exposing skin tones. Being African American and having taken several portraits of African Americans with such varying skin tones and hues has always been challenging. So this tutorial has been tremendously helpful.
Thanks in advance for your feedback and thanks for sharing.
Hi there Vincent
Make sure you go over the two other related tutorials as well:
Now, to specifically answer your questions:
There are no “before” & “after” photos of the test shot of the close-up of the dress. I don’t have to take the photo with the meter zero’d out, because I know it will be under-exposed. I only need that one shot (or perhaps another fine-tuning shot), to get the correct exposure. I do this by checking what my camera’s built-in meter says.
Depending on the camera, you would take it 1 stop, or 1.3 stops, or 1.7 stops up from zero to correctly expose for the white.
So in this example, the “zero” settings would be 1.3 stops less than shown on the screen-capture of the histogram on the back of the camera.
The exact shutter speed / aperture / ISO settings then aren’t all that relevant. The relationship between those three settings, i.e., how I balance them to get to correct exposure, is all-important here.
As for darker skin tones, I would still expose to keep my highlight properly exposed. The latest range of cameras have incredible dynamic range, so you can easily bring up detail in darker skin tones. But you can’t really pull back highlights that you’ve blown.
I hope this helps to have everything fall into place for you. But make sure you go over the other two tutorials as well. They cover similar ground, and the different angle that those articles take, might help things click for you.
Thank you Neil from the insight and prompt reply. I’ll definitely go back and read those tutorials.
Hi Neil,
I also read somewhere that its easy to blow the highlights if one is not careful in metering. Explanation given is that camera’s mid-tone is 18% grey, +1 stop is 36%, +2 stops is 72% and +2.5 stops is 108% (already blown). While for dark tones, there is more latitude, 9% grey is -1 stop, 4.5% is -2 stops, and 2.25% is -3 stops, etc. So, details in the dark tones can still be extracted from RAW images, but details in blown highlights is difficult is recover in RAW files.
Regards.
Neil,
I was having problems with my somewhat new Nikon z6ii flash not working correctly (or so I thought) and I found your website, looking for a solution. I read your great, well explained posts then I followed the link to your Amazon USA book “Direction and quality of light” and the price was $199. I’m not sure that’s correct? I just wanted to let you know in case there was an error. Thank you for writing your articles. You/they have been a great help to me.
Hi there Rick,
Thank you for the kind words. As far as I know, Amazon automatically bumps up the price on books that are out of print, and then you get these kinds of astonishing prices.