There's a very interesting interview with Charles Glatzer you can read here and has some good stuff in it but I think this section about metering worthy of re-posting
:: Talk a bit about your metering method for shooting…do
you use the camera light meter or a handheld meter?
All exposure decisions require the same cognitive reasoning, deciding first what is most important, aperture or shutterspeed? If you cannot get the combination of variables desired alter the ISO. All metering patterns and methods work, some are simply easier to implement than others in certain circumstances. In truth, I will use whatever method I think is easier in a given situation. I believe to truly be a consistent photographer you need to understand the benefits and detriments of each pattern and method. Knowing how the pattern or reference value determines the recommended exposure, be it Eval/Matrix, Spot, Incident, or Reference Values is paramount to this understanding.
You need only place one tonal value accurately on a histogram and all others will fall into place. Thereafter, it is a matter of salt and peppering to taste to render the subject as desired, shifting to the right to show more detail in a dark subject, shifting left to render more detail in a white subject. Of course shifting the exposure effects all tonal values in the image, most times at the sacrifice of highlight or shadow detail on either end. Typically, with new cameras having a wider dynamic range the shift need not be as great as with film.
What matters most is that a pattern or method affords the photographer a consistent means of determining exposure. My job is to provide students with a firm understanding of the fundamentals so that they can quickly make an informed decision, coming away with the envisioned image, regardless of the lighting circumstance. The ultimate goal is to put creative control back into the hands of the photographer instead of the camera. If a photographer cannot ascertain why an image succeeded or failed he/she has not yet fully grasped the fundamentals.
Many aspiring photographers have problems discerning when and how much to add or subtract exposure from the Evaluative/Matrix recommendation. I prefer to eliminate as many variables as I can, choosing not to use Matrix/Evaluative in situations where experience has shown the readings to be erroneous, inconsistent or in doubt. Eval/Matrix works well as long as the subject is not small in size and/or of very different tonal value relative to the background, and in low contrast lighting. I prefer the Spot Pattern as there is never a deviation in the method, no second guessing what built in camera algorithms are doing, subject size to background is irrelevant, etc. The Spot pattern does one thing, it renders whatever is in the pattern as a midtone value, and it does it accurately and consistently. I know exactly what is in the pattern, and how it reacts every time I depress the shutter. Most times I am in Manual Mode. However, I will use Av in conjunction with AEL in fluctuating light…along with the Spot pattern. In sunlight I already know the exposure, sunny f/16 rule, 1/800 @ f/8, ISO 200.. no meter necessary.
:: Talk a bit about your metering method for shooting…do
you use the camera light meter or a handheld meter?
All exposure decisions require the same cognitive reasoning, deciding first what is most important, aperture or shutterspeed? If you cannot get the combination of variables desired alter the ISO. All metering patterns and methods work, some are simply easier to implement than others in certain circumstances. In truth, I will use whatever method I think is easier in a given situation. I believe to truly be a consistent photographer you need to understand the benefits and detriments of each pattern and method. Knowing how the pattern or reference value determines the recommended exposure, be it Eval/Matrix, Spot, Incident, or Reference Values is paramount to this understanding.
You need only place one tonal value accurately on a histogram and all others will fall into place. Thereafter, it is a matter of salt and peppering to taste to render the subject as desired, shifting to the right to show more detail in a dark subject, shifting left to render more detail in a white subject. Of course shifting the exposure effects all tonal values in the image, most times at the sacrifice of highlight or shadow detail on either end. Typically, with new cameras having a wider dynamic range the shift need not be as great as with film.
What matters most is that a pattern or method affords the photographer a consistent means of determining exposure. My job is to provide students with a firm understanding of the fundamentals so that they can quickly make an informed decision, coming away with the envisioned image, regardless of the lighting circumstance. The ultimate goal is to put creative control back into the hands of the photographer instead of the camera. If a photographer cannot ascertain why an image succeeded or failed he/she has not yet fully grasped the fundamentals.
Many aspiring photographers have problems discerning when and how much to add or subtract exposure from the Evaluative/Matrix recommendation. I prefer to eliminate as many variables as I can, choosing not to use Matrix/Evaluative in situations where experience has shown the readings to be erroneous, inconsistent or in doubt. Eval/Matrix works well as long as the subject is not small in size and/or of very different tonal value relative to the background, and in low contrast lighting. I prefer the Spot Pattern as there is never a deviation in the method, no second guessing what built in camera algorithms are doing, subject size to background is irrelevant, etc. The Spot pattern does one thing, it renders whatever is in the pattern as a midtone value, and it does it accurately and consistently. I know exactly what is in the pattern, and how it reacts every time I depress the shutter. Most times I am in Manual Mode. However, I will use Av in conjunction with AEL in fluctuating light…along with the Spot pattern. In sunlight I already know the exposure, sunny f/16 rule, 1/800 @ f/8, ISO 200.. no meter necessary.
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