How do I use my camera’s built-in meter for correct exposure and white balance?
Asked 7/21/2010
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My photos often come out too bright or too dark, and sometimes a white background looks gray instead of white. I may not notice the problem on the camera screen, but I see it later on the computer when editing.
How should I use the camera’s built-in light meter so exposure is more accurate, especially for very bright or very dark subjects? Also, what should I do about color balance/white balance so whites look neutral? Any beginner-friendly tips or learning resources would help.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
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The problem is that the exposure meter in the camera does not know whether the subject itself is bright or not. It simply measures the amount of light that comes in, and makes a guess based on that. The camera will aim for 18% gray, meaning if you take a photo of an entirely white surface, and an entirely black surface you should get two identical images which both are gray (at least in theory). This means that if your scene is very bright you will need to over-expose the image. Otherwise the camera's exposure meter will be fooled, and produce an image that is too dark. The opposite goes for a dark scene, here you will need to under-expose.
When I have a subject that contains a white surface that I really want to be white, I often spot-meter on that surface, and then set an exposure in the camera that is around 1.5 to 2 steps brighter than that (so if spot-metering on the white suggests an exposure time of 1/250, I will instead use something around 1/90 - 1/60).
Also, the histogram is a good tool for this. If you have bright parts of your scene, you want the histogram to reach as close to the right edge as possible, preferably without blowing out any highlights. The Expose Right article on Lumonous Landscape offers some good info on that.
Originally by user10. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user10
16y ago
0
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Your camera’s meter does not know what the subject should look like; it generally tries to make the scene average out to about 18% gray. So a mostly white scene can be rendered too dark/gray, and a mostly dark scene can be rendered too bright.
Practical fixes:
- For bright scenes or white backgrounds, add positive exposure compensation.
- For dark scenes, add negative exposure compensation.
- If your camera offers spot metering, meter from the part of the subject you care most about, then adjust exposure accordingly.
Also remember dynamic range is limited: in very contrasty scenes, you may have to choose whether to preserve highlight or shadow detail.
White balance is a separate issue from exposure. If colors look wrong, check your white balance setting rather than only the meter. Exposure affects brightness; white balance affects whether whites look neutral.
For learning, a commonly recommended beginner resource is Understanding Exposure. Also check your camera manual for exposure compensation, metering modes, and white balance controls.
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