Why meter a scene, set -2/3 exposure, and then recompose?
Asked 4/23/2011
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In Understanding Exposure, the author describes pointing the camera at green leaves, adjusting the exposure until the meter shows -2/3, then recomposing the frame before taking the photo. What does “-2/3 exposure” mean in this context, and why would you meter one part of the scene and then recompose afterward? How do you know when recomposing is useful?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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He initially pointed his camera so that the green leaves were in the center of the viewfinder. He didn't do this because he wanted them in the center of the photograph; he did this so that he could take a meter reading off the leaves, probably using spot metering, which is a metering mode that's sensitive to only a small area in the center of the view finder.
He the adjusted the exposure by -2/3 because he wanted those green leaves to be 2/3 of a stop darker than a middle tone.
He then "recomposed the scene" because he had only placed the leaves in the center of the field for metering purposes. That's not where they belonged in the photograph. "Recompose the scene" just means point the camera so that everything is where you want it to be in the frame.
(Just as the author recomposed after taking a meter reading, people will sometimes put an object in the center of the frame to focus on it, either using the central autofocus point, or a manual-focusing aid in the center of the viewfinder. Then they would recompose after focusing.)
Originally by user2138. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2138
15y ago
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“-2/3 exposure” means setting the exposure so the metered area is 2/3 of a stop darker than the camera’s normal meter reading. In this example, the author likely metered from the green leaves and intentionally underexposed them slightly because he wanted that part of the scene darker than a middle tone.
Recomposing simply means aiming the camera at one area first for a purpose—such as metering or focusing—and then reframing the shot the way you actually want it to appear in the final image.
Here, he probably pointed at the leaves because they were the best area to meter from, not because he wanted them centered in the photo. After setting exposure, he moved the camera to the final composition and took the shot.
You recompose when the best place to meter or focus is not where you want that subject placed in the frame. Common examples are:
- meter from an important tone, then reframe
- focus on an off-center subject, then reframe
You don’t need to recompose if your desired framing already lets you meter and focus exactly where you want.
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