Photo 101 – Session 2 Karen Smale April 2015

Review of Session 1 Elements of a camera Types of cameras Did you find/read your manual? Do you have multiple focusing modes and/or manual controls? Exposure Aperture Shutter speed ISO

Exposure Review Combo of aperture, shutter speed & ISO f/29, 1/2s, ISO 500 f/8, 1/8s, ISO 500 f/4.5, 1/20s, ISO 500 f/8, 1/20s, ISO 1600

Session 2 Metering modes Exposure Compensation White Balance Gadgets How does your camera know how to make the “proper” exposure and how can you help it to make the right decision Exposure Compensation How to override what your camera thinks is “proper” White Balance How to fix the color on those indoor photos Gadgets

In-camera Exposure Metering Almost all cameras have a built-in meter that will adjust ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed automatically to yield a “proper exposure.” Some cameras allow you to control how the camera determines “proper exposure.” Sometimes the camera’s idea of “proper exposure” does not match yours.

Metering: How does it work? Camera uses Through-The-Lens (TTL) meter to evaluate the light in the scene Camera “wants” the scene to be mostly mid-tones Histogram

Metering Modes Multi-zone (evaluative, matrix) Center-weight (partial) Evaluates whole scene (60% center, 40% other) Great for evenly lit scenes, fine most of time Center-weight (partial) Gives preference to exposure of central (~10%) area Great for scenes with well-lit center, unimportant dark areas around edges, e.g., portraits Spot Gives preference to small (~2-3%) area Gives precise control over exposure of one important area If the metering spot you want to use isn’t in the center of your frame, use AEL (Exposure Lock) button – press to hold the exposure while you recompose

Pop Quiz!! What metering mode? Choose: Multi-zone/ Matrix/ Evaluative Center- Weighted Spot

Sometimes it doesn’t work Remember: Camera “wants” the scene to be mostly mid-tones Camera will adjust to compensate for overly-bright or overly-dark scenes Dark image Bright image

Exposure compensation Overrides your automatic metering Increase/decrease exposure, usually in 0.3-stop increments No exposure compensation +2EV exposure compensation No exposure compensation would make this look like daytime -1EV gives the dark mood we want (photo by Joel Gambino)

Limits of Exposure Dynamic Range refers to the extremes of light and dark that a camera can render. Clipping or Blown refer to pixels that are overexposed beyond the limit of the sensor Shadows refer to pixels that are underexposed beyond the limit of the sensor Camera review can be set to show shadows or highlight. And check your histogram!

Color balance / white balance (WB) Color Temperature Adjust for incandescent and fluorescent lighting The camera has several presets including Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten. Beware mixed light sources with different color temperatures (i.e.: shooting indoors with fluorescent lighting next to a window to daylight)

White balance correction Camera set to fluorescent Uncorrected

Gadgets Lens hood Spare batteries Spare memory cards Camera Bag Tripod/Monopod Lens cleaner Lens caps UV filter Lens hood Polarizer / ND filter Shutter release Remote control External flash Reflectors/ diffusers Color checker Drone

Homework Find your manual and check out your Metering modes Exposure compensation White balance … and how to change them! Photograph a scene using different metering modes Try it again with one metering mode but different exposure compensations Try different WB settings