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Use Spot Metering for Perfect Photos in Difficult Light (VIDEO)
It can be extremely challenging to capture accurately exposed photos of scenes with a wide range of brightness values from white to black and everything in between. This tutorial from the My Photo Journey YouTube channel explains how to get the job done in the camera by selecting the oft-ignored Spot Metering mode.
Spot metering is a great choice for a variety of outdoor situations, like when shooting backlit portraits, when there’s a significant difference in tonal values between a key subject and the background, and or when attempting to faithfully capture a full moon in the nighttime sky. Once you understand exactly how this mode works, it’s almost impossible to get things wrong.
High-contrast scenes can easily confuse the light meter in your camera when using more familiar exposure settings. Spot metering works it’s wonders by limiting measurements to a small area in the center of the frame, therefore the reading you receive isn’t biased by darker or brighter surround areas.
Some cameras even allow you to move the metered point, and even make multiple spot readings of the same scene when a compromise is in order. Today’s instructor is a British pro known as Dawley Lad, and he explain everything you need to know in this behind-the-scenes journey through the historic city of Lincoln that’s steeped rich Roman Heritage.
Dawley presents his spot metering tips in the context of street photography after dark, but everything you’ll learn is equally appropriate for precise exposures of other types of images no matter the time of day. One apt example would be capturing a large, dark bird atop a tree with a very bright sky in the background.
The challenge faced by Dawley is a combination of bright streetlamps, brick walls that span an entire range of gradated midtones, and the mysterious darkness looming in the background. He explains his process like this: “I use spot metering to perfectly expose the highlights and, due to the warm cast of the lamps, I may convert some of my images to black and white.”
He also makes the most of picturesque Bight St. by taking two spot readings of a scene “to keep the lamp highlights under control.” Bottom line: They’ll be no more guesswork about getting the light right once you’ve mastered this straightforward technique.
Be sure to explore the content-rich My Photo Journey YouTube channel once this episode concludes.
And on a related note, be sure to watch the recent tutorial we featured with another expert shooter who demonstrates a unique Dodge and Burn post-processing trick for rehabilitating improperly exposed photographs.
Reading time: 2 min
Unsharp Landscape Photos? Here’s How to Fix What You’re Doing Wrong (VIDEO)
How often have you been out in the field, captured what you thought was a truly spectacular image, and returned home to pull it up on the computer—only to find that the photo is painfully unsharp? If you’re like the rest of us, you’ve suffered this disappointment more than one or twice.
This problem can occur because of problems with your technique, but more importantly because you’re unaware of a few simple solutions that will help you nail focus every time with whatever camera you own. That’s what you’ll learn in today’s very helpful tutorial with instructor Steve Arnold.
Arnold is an accomplished landscape shooter based in Australia whose straightforward how-to videos are designed “to help less-experienced photographers level up their skills and create images they are proud of.” In barely 11 minutes he reveals several commonly used focusing techniques you should ditch, and easy alternatives for pin-sharp photos every time.
The good news is that capturing the sharpest possible photos “is really easy” under most scenarios if you follow Arnold’s straightforward advice. He also demonstrates a foolproof focusing-stacking method you can employ during post processing when you can’t get everything sharp from front to back with a single exposure in the camera.
So what are you doing wrong? Arnold suggests you may be guilty of what he says “99% of people are taught are the best focusing techniques for landscape photography.” One culprit among experienced photographers is paying too much attention to “hyperfocal distance”—a focusing method that will supposedly keep everything from foreground to infinity acceptably sharp.
Arnold demonstrates why this approach is counterproductive with certain types of photos—especially when a scene includes important elements in both the foreground and background. Another popular technique that doesn’t always work is focusing one-third of the way into the scene and relying upon depth of field. Arnold demonstrates when and why this can be a big mistake.
After running you through these and other destructive scenarios Arnold reveals the time- proven methods that he recommends for preventing that sinking feeling when you evaluate images on the computer. His expert advice doesn’t require any complicated calculations for distance, and you can start using his tips the next time you take a photo.”
This advice comes with a warning that sometimes, depending upon your choice of focal length and aperture it’s literally impossible to get the job done in a single shot in the camera because of where key elements are positioned within the frame and your choice of focal length and aperture.
This challenging situation is when focusing stacking comes into play and Arnold walks you through every step of the process—including a few common pitfalls that he explains how to avoid. Be sure to visit his instructional YouTube channel once the video concludes for more effective solutions to common photography problems.
Reading time: 2 min
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