My Camera Corner

Camera Metering Techniques

Five ways to show you're smarter than your camera

Modern DSLRs are technological marvels. They are crammed with components, sensors, LCDs and advanced circuits. They do everything but talk - and a few working on it.

Despite all this technical wizardry, the average dSLR pretty stupid. It can not think. It knows nothing about art, composition or lighting effects. It does not tell if you are photographing a beautiful sunset or the local dump. It does not see the difference and would not care if it did.

But too many dSLR owners allow this non-thinking, non-appreciative hunk of electronics reign over their photographic endeavors. They believe that the camera is smarter than they are.

The more I use my digital cameras, the more I find myself returning to some form of manual control. That does not mean I never shoot in a fully automatic mode - it's just that more and more often I find that my knowledge and experience allows me to make better decisions than my camera.

How can you develop this knowledge? It can start gradually, by occasionally experiment with manual settings. If you always shoot fully automatic, in the program, try a few of these suggestions next time you shoot.

Turn off autofocus

Autofocus is useful and can be a lifesaver many situations. But if you always let your dSLR select the focus, you may miss some good shots. You may prefer a portion of the subject being out of focus. It is an artistic decision and your camera can not take the decision for you. Moreover, regardless of how fast the camera makers design their AF systems before the focus will always be faster. So try to use manual focus when appropriate.

Switch out of program mode

I'm finding less and less need for the program mode when I shoot. As I understand what type of image I'm trying to capture and camera can not read my thoughts - I think that is far better to choose the best combination of aperture and shutter speed to get what I want. The camera makers have gone to great lengths to add automatic modes like sports, night portraits and the like. The idea behind these conditions is that you can set the camera to the right attitude and forget about it. Sometimes it works, but I think I get better results when I determine the optimal settings.

Recently I have been shooting almost exclusively in Aperture priority. I set the f-stop and the camera chooses an appropriate shutter speed. Occasionally, I use shutter priority - Especially if the light is flickering, and I want to make sure I did not fall below a certain speed. Sometimes I want to use full manual - When I want to ignore the camera meters in order to get exactly the shot I have in mind.

Playing with exposure compensation

Most DSLRs offer some form of exposure adjustment, which will allow you to override the actual meter reading of a set number of stops. Much of the time, the default setting must be very close, but if you try a special effect or the light is tricky, exposure compensation can be your best friend. Learning to use it to your advantage.

Experiment with contrasting

If camera allows contrast adjustment, learning how it can improve your pictures in different lighting conditions. If you shoot outdoors at noon on a clear, cloudless day, the normal Contrast make your photos appear awful. See if downplay the contrast will soften shadows and eliminate hot spots. If the light is dim and dull, you can improve your image by turning on some extra contrast?

Vary your flash settings

It's true. The camera makers have created some wonderfully intelligent flash units. Even the built-in flash can produce stunning results under the right conditions. But there are plenty of times when the flash should be overruled. Start with the flash compensation. Try more or less compensation to see how the light changes. Experiment with different shutter speeds to see how it affects the tone in the background. If you have a separate flash unit, get a wire and try to shoot with the flash off the camera. Experiment, experiment, experiment. You will get some duds, but you will also get some fantastic pictures. And you will never allow your camera to dictate how your flash will be used in future.

I urge you to try all these techniques when you get the chance. You can not use all these techniques every time, but makes it a point to try at least one of these every time you head out with your dSLR. If you do and you ware willing to learn from your successes and your failures, you will soon see your photographic IQ surpasses it, your camera. When you're smarter than your camera, you'll be well on its way to conquer some amazing images.

About the Author

This article originally appeared in
Alphatracks
; the weblog for Sony and Minolta SLR enthusiasts. Enjoy for more articles by Tom Bonner at Alphatracks.com. Tom Bonner is the author of the
Sony Alpha DSLR-A300/A350 Digital Field Guide
, published by Wiley Publishing. A photographer for more than three decades, he offers photography and web design services to clients in the Charlotte, NC area.

Where can I get gray card?

I've read up on measuring techniques and greycard get into it a lot. No photo labs and camera stores sell it. Do I need to consult a pro photography equipment vendor? Or is it ok to buy some common gray card from a bookstore?

You need to ask about the gray cards, most camera shops sell them. At least one is where I live does. Do not just buy a piece of gray stationary what is important about the gray card is that it is 18% gray, giving it a specific gray and not an ordinary gray (although regular may work for you anyway). To tell you the truth, I do not think it matters much. I've shot my custom WB from both a 18 gray and some good asphalt and got identical results. The key is to have a good midrange to work from, especially when dealing with difficult measurement and WB. Some use them some dont. I do not. Now I do not doubt you could not find one at a photo lab because they do not have much to do with cameras (just finished images), a place like Wolf can not be advanced enough, but you should have several camera stores around your area that makes you just have to ask someone.

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