Think Fast: Exposure Quiz!

For pic #1...

1. Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Because its in full sun, I would just follow Artie's rule that the metering system
is smart in the sun and leave it at 0.

For pic #2...same camera, but with it being in the shadows, at least +1 on the comp.

Doug

D300, first one -2/3 and for the second +2/3.

Great to see folks being brave. Many are on the right track. My answers and a funny story on Thursday at 8pm.

Dear Mr. Curry-Check,

re:

This is a very interesting question...........although quite unfair!

Why unfair? It was a real life situation that I had to deal with and did...

I do understand your point by asking this question................but if i posed the same question to you......as an AV shooter.......................and the BG and lighting were changing..............would you still shoot AV???

Those who read the Bulletins and or ABP II know that I advise and urge folks to learn to use manual mode when the backgrounds are changing and the subject is in the same light. My point is that if you were in manual mode when this happened you might have gotten the first one right--assuming that you were set for "sun" and that you knew exactly what you were doing, but that you would have had no chance of getting the second one right.

As an all the time manual shooter...........I always check my exposure readings in the shadows on white subject and black subjects................note the difference.............and check the same in the light...........B4 I even took my first shot...............so when this happens.........i know how many clicks to turn the dial!!!....

Not that I am buying that at all, but in this case, you would not have a chance to turn as many clicks as you would have needed. Period. And that is why I almost always set Av Mode when I am simply walking around.

......I don't even think about it any more I just turn the dial between the differnece of the 2. Lets see if you can do that in AV!

Roman, this is not a contest. It is a matter of teaching folks how to get the image in a rapidly changing situation. If you understand exposure theory and are working in Av mode you can get this right in about one second. In this situation you simply cannot do that if you are working in manual mode no matter how much B4 preparation you have done.

Proper preparation B4 shooting is the key!..........and I'm always checking! If you want to leave something to chance........go play the lottery.

Again, if you are working in Av mode and you understand exposure theory (and many folks above are quite close) there is no need to be lucky (so I am really not getting your point about the lottery).

Respectfully posted.

That's a tough one Artie. Especially that I do not excel at nailing the exposure yet - yes I have all your books and I read the chapters but I have a bad bad memory

Anyways I am jumping in :
#1. I use a 20D or a 1D MKII in AV mode and evaluative.
#2. First scene with the 20D I would dial -2/3 because this camera - mine does - always tends to overexpose. If I were with the MKII this camera seems to handle things better - I just got it so I have little experience with it - I would leave it to zero.
#3. Second scene as it is darker overall and in the shade I would go -1 with the 20D and -1/3 or -1/2 with the MKII.

Anxiously waiting for your explanations now!

As for the comments well these images depict the brutality of wildlife. I feel sorry for the bird but a gator's got to eat as well. To me the more interesting is the second one, I like the ray of light highlighting the teeth of the beast. They work well as a serie though.

Best,

Philippe.

I'll play along.

#1: D300
#2: -1
#3: -1

Robert's right about the Nikon system having trouble holding white detail. In full sun light, I would make the first image at -1 EC. The majority of the scene in the second image is about one full stop darker than a medium tone... requiring us to compensate one full stop for the camera's error.

Artie,

Nice quiz! I will try it even if a look stupid!

1-What camera are you using?

Canon 1D MK III

2-How would you compensate with gator in the sun?

I will leave it at EV 0. I think there enough mid-tone (18% grey) in this scene for the MK II to nail the exposition...

3-How would you compensate with the gator in the shade?

I will dial something like EV -1, because the scene is really dark and the MK III will try to bring some mid-tone (18% grey again) in the picture

But ooking at your picture, it's somehow easy to say I will do that or do this but in real life I'm not sure I had enough reflex to change any setting from what from what a was setup...

Thanks,

The EC adjustment will depend on the metering pattern in use at the given moment. Are you metering all of the scene, partially or spot....then a compensation decision can be made.

c.w. moynihan said:

The EC adjustment will depend on the metering pattern in use at the given moment. Are you metering all of the scene, partially or spot....then a compensation decision can be made.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure an Evaluative, or Matrix meter is assumed.

Blake Shadle said:

I'm pretty sure an Evaluative, or Matrix meter is assumed.

Click to expand...

Canon user, -1 1/3 EC for both shots based on the majority of the scene being dark. Since the meter want's to turn the water and or gator 18% gray, the increased exposure will blow the whites, hence a significant exp. reduction is needed.

OK, my camera is back in the shop (3rd time for the same problem Grrrrr) so I might as well play along. Since I learned everything I know from experience and Artie's materials, I would have been in Av mode with compensation at 0 (evaluative metering) with my 1DMKIIN;
for image in the sun -2/3
for image in shade -1/3
I do know one thing; that histogram is a huge crutch that becomes useless in split second situations!!! Having never been one, I really admire the pros who worked with film for this very reason. Oh, to know exposure theory so well that it is automatic!!!!! Can't wait to hear the answer.....

Good thread!
D200 user: Somewhere in the vacinity of:
~ First image - 1 1/3 EV
~ Second image + 1 1/3 EV

Thats my entry capitan!

Great quiz, Maestro, I will claim the fifth, but would use the Nikon D3 with a minus comp for the first and pretty much even or little plus for the second.

This is a fantastic idea, getting members to use the little gray cells, as Agatha Christie would say
Important to know the difference in compensation according to the camera. Nikon tends to be more sensitive to whites and there's also a small diff between Canon's pro-sumer and pro bodies. I also believe that is true for Nikon, woning both models.

Looking forward to the revelation!

Shooting with the 40D or the 1DMarkIII on Av with evaluative metering:
#1 -2/3 to save whites
#2 no change, meter would adjust for lower light conditions and the -2/3 still holds true.

This BPN Newbie will offer a different perspective. I do not naturally "think" in A/Av mode (or manual mode, unless using flash indoors). As I spend a lot of my time photographing fast moving Ultimate frisbee competition, I have a Shutter-priority mindset (whether it's wise or not). When capturing Ultimate, I want to freeze the motion most of the time, and that requires a shutter speed of 400-640 to get good results and I'll let the F-stop float as high as possible because often the action & expressions of other players and spectators are priceless. If I'm at risk of underexposing, I have my camera set to automatically raise the ISO up to a ceiling of 800.

By reflex I've taken this mindset with me to wildlife photography, and this message thread has given me cause to question that mindset (and is an excellent education process, btw), however, to answer the question given that preface:
1) D300
2) Try to focus/meter on the bird, i.e. +0EV (I use center wtd auto metering) and spin the shutter speed up to at least 1/400 if not already there (probably would be due to the abundant sunlight)
3) As the gator enters the shadows, if I'm over 1/400, I'd spin back down to 1/400 by reflex as my minimum for action (would love to get it higher to freeze the splash, but would probably freeze myself when it came to any other exposure adjustment

Then of course I'd be glad I as shooting raw and try to recover in PP. Looking forward to the answers!

-Kevin
www.ultiphotos.com

Great action by the way, Artie. love the fish in the frame of the second image. I use a 5D and am not sure how it differs from other bodies but I think I would dial in at least -1, maybe closer to -2 for the first shot (I'll choose - 1 2/3) as the whites make up a small portion of the frame and the majority of the frame is dark tones. As for the second frame, in shade it would be normal to dial in +2/3 or so but because of the whites, take a stop off that for -1/3 (or so!). I am wondering if you blew out the whites a little on the second shot as they seem a little grayish to me, as if you used the highlight tool on them. Regardless of my guesses, must have been cool to witness

Milo, what fish??????????????

I thought I saw a fish too:

That's a fish for sure!