Get Perfect Exposures Using Your Camera's Spot Meter

Your camera's automatic exposure setting does a great job most of the time. But it can be fooled by unusual lighting situations -- resulting in ruined pictures. If your camera has a spot meter and a manual exposure setting, you can get perfect exposures every time. Here's how:

Steps

  1. Set your camera to "spot metering" and "manual exposure".
  2. Point the spot metering zone at the brightest area of the scene that is not a light source (a light bulb or the sun). Zoom in if you have to.
  3. Set the aperture (or shutter speed) so the the meter reads "2 1/2 stops overexposed". (Depending on your camera and film, this may vary slightly).
  4. Note that the picture should be properly exposed.

Tips

  • This technique is great for sunsets. Point the meter at the sky next to the sun and set the camera for 2 1/2 stops overexposure (or whatever the setting for your particular camera). It's also useful when shooting snow or bright beach sand.
  • You may have to experiment to arrive at the proper setting for your camera. However, once you have, it will work in any situation.
  • You can actually point the meter at anything in the scene -- the brightest area is usually the easiest to "spot". If you're pointing it at the darkest area, set the camera to give "2 1/2 stops underexposure". If you want to try your luck at finding a mid-gray area, set the camera for "proper exposure".

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