videochicke
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Apr 20, 2007, 8:58 AM
Post #8 of 15
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Re: [szerangue] Something that confuses me about exposure
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First, the camera has 3 metering modes. Partial, center weighted and full frame. It also has more than one auto focus mode. In one mode, when you press the shutter down halfway, focus and exposure is locked as long as you hold the shutter down. In the other two, the focus and exposure will change as you move the camera.
The camera's meter wants everything to be 18% gray. So when you shoot say a close up of the bride's gown, it will be underexposed when the needle is dead center. A black object will cause an over exposure. So if no flash is being used, you have to adjust the exposure manually up or down a bit to compensate for whet you are seeing. If a flash is being used, there is control even in the ettl. You can stop the flash up or down in 1/3 increments.
If you Google the "zone system photography" , you will find many articles on how to adjust the exposure. This system was made famous by Ansel Adams.
In a VERY condensed nutshell, there are nine zones. Zone I is complete black. Zone IX is total white. 18% gray--your gray card--is zone v. Each zone kind of represents one stop. Your camera meter assumes everything is zone 5. But average caucasian skin is zone VI. So if you metered the face, you need to increase exposure by one stop to expose it correctly. You can do this in the camera if no flash is used or with the flash. Snow is full shade is zone VIII. Need to open things up by 3 stops over what the meter is telling you if you want the snow exposed correctly.
It explains why when you take a picture of the bride, her face is often dark and when you take the groom, his face is often too light. The camera sees what they are wearing and factors it into the whole 18% gray thing.
Websites will explain the zone system better than I ever could. But once it clicks, it makes a whole lot of sense.
Julie
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Not much else you can do! 
