8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

www.scantips.com

How Camera Light Meters Work

Novices to photography always assume their camera meters magically
should always give the correct exposure, but alas, they need to learn that
life is not that simple. Meters are pretty dumb. They can be a good guide,
but proper metering is an art done by the photographer. It's not difficult,
but sometimes requires a bit of thought, about the subject.

Next is a quick rose picture, intended to mimic some real photo scene.
Photographed below five times, all with the same settings (automatic
point&shoot TTL flash).

The ONLY difference in these next pictures is that the background is

modified (ordinary white and black craft paper, just shifted to the left). All
else is the same. The camera is aimed at the subject, and TTL automation
exposes the picture. However, the camera's reflective light meter sees
different scenes differently. Under or over exposure depends on the scene
the camera sees. All of this page is speaking only about reflected meters,
like are in cameras (two more pages to Incident meters).

The Obvious Evidence

To make that be real clear, let's adjust only the background a little at time,
all else stays the same (but still with automatic TTL metering of the flash).
At each frame, the ONLY difference was that the black paper was shifted
left a little, and then the shutter button was pressed again. The scene the
meter sees is different, different ratios of dark and light colors. Then the
TTL metering reacts to the new scene it sees. The exposure you get
depends on what the meter sees. This is how reflective metering works
(it sees the light reflected from the colors in the scene).

Direct flash, on cord off camera. Automatic TTL, matrix metering mode. No
cropping, ISO 200, all f/8, 1/200 second, TTL.

No adjustments were made. The ONLY change in each frame is that the
black background was simply moved left after each picture, so that the
camera TTL metering saw more white paper.

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 1/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

Dark or black colors White is white, Seems about right

cause more exposure, black is gray
seeking middle gray

Black is black, Bright or white colors

white is gray cause less exposure,
seeking middle gray

See?

This is what happens, how reflective metering works, on your camera too.
Reflective metering exposure depends on what you aim it at and how well
it reflects light. The general rule is that low reflectance dark colors tend to
overexpose, and highly reflective light colors tend to underexpose. It's just
how things work. It does seem good to expect this. It does require a quick
look and thought about the picture you're about to take. Not everyone can

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 2/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

be bothered to think, but photographers learn this. See the Kodak article
just below.

Light colors reflect light well to meter a high value. The exposure sets that
to be a middle result.
Dark colors reflect less light to meter a low value. The exposure sets that
to be a middle result.
The meter does not know what anything is, or how it should be. A
reflected meter puts (the average of) everything in the middle.

The flash TTL system meters on its fixed central area. Which includes the
rose, and some of the background. Our human brain and experience can
immediately recognize the scene, and we know exactly how it ought to
look. But the meter has no brain, it just sees a blob of light with no clue
what anything is, or what it means, or how it ought to be. It can measure
the light, but it sees the averaged tone blob in the area it sees. This
average tone of all such properly metered scenes can only go near the
middle range.

In the first picture, the black is overexposed towards middle gray. As the
background becomes more white, the blob of light appears brighter, so
reflective meters reduce the exposure, still trying to achieve the same
overall (middle gray equivalent) average result for the area (the averaged
colors of rose and background). The goal is a result not too bright, not too
dark. That's all a meter can know to do, without a human brain and
experience to be able to recognize the scene, to know how it should be.

A reflected light meter (a camera meter) does not try to recreate the
correct tones. It can't do that, because it only sees a blob of light, and it
cannot recognize anything to know what it means, or how it ought to be.
It cannot differentiate between dim white vs. bright black, it just sees a
level. It is a silicon chip, not an experienced human brain that can think
about what it sees. Reflective metering merely just tries to keep the
average of all the tones more in the middle, not too dark, and not too
bright. There may be very bright or dark areas, but the overall average
will come out midtone level. This middle tone average means that
bright areas will of course meter brighter, and so will be made to
come out darker. Dark areas will meter darker, and so will be
made to come out brighter. It depends on how much brighter or darker
is necessary, but for an average scene, both extremes might be in range of
the exposure now, because the overall average was placed at the middle.

So the rule is, a mostly light-colored reflective subject will come out
middle gray (underexposed), and a mostly darker-colored less reflective
subject will come out middle gray (overexposed). The result goal is, Not
too dark, and not too light. I'm speaking generally, and don't mean exact
technical "middle gray". Light meters work to 12.5%, not 18%, about 1/2
stop difference.

Which is the reflective meters only capability. It does not have a human
brain to recognize the scene and understand "correct" exposure - it can
only give an automated averaged middle tone exposure. And this often
does work out pretty well, for "average" scenes (containing a wide mix

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 3/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

which probably ought to average near middle gray brightness). The meter
is a very helpful guide, but there are many exceptions, to which we must
pay attention, and think a little ourselves. We must learn to expect that a
white or light colored subject will be underexposed, and a black or dark
colored subject will be overexposed.

This is nothing new. Light meters have always worked this way.
Photographers have always had to learn this, for the 85 years since
we've had light meters. Here is an oldie but goodie Kodak Tech
article, Accurate Exposure With Your Meter. Kodak may be gone
now, but their article is still available. Still very true and valid and fully
applicable today, in every way. One quote from it says:

"A reflected-light meter reading is influenced by both how much

light there is in the scene and how reflective the subject is. The
meter will indicate less exposure for a subject that reflects little
light, even if the two subject are in the same scene and in the
same light. Because reflected-light meters are designed to make
all subjects appear average in brightness, the brightness
equivalent to medium gray, they suggest camera settings that will
overexpose (make too light) very dark subjects and underexpose
(make too dark) very light subjects."

All of this has been well known for many decades, and reflective
metering has always worked this way, and camera meters are
reflected meters. It is very good info, simply about how things work.
Since it is obviously true, I promise it will help you greatly if you
realize how it works. Give the scene a seconds worth of thought - use
your eyes and head to help the camera. :)

The scenes "average" value will be set to middle tone

(often called "middle gray" tone, even with a color cast)

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 4/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

A. Averaged result

A. Black background A. Average of pixels

B. Averaged result

B. White background B. Average of pixels

This try is the ballpark idea, but did not come out precisely equal tone
here, because camera light meters don't consider the entire frame area
equally. But I did here (giving the entire black or white area more
weighting). Using Photoshop's "Average" filter, these are the overall
average tone of all the colors of all the pixels (in the full frame) of the first
and last rose pictures above. Only one tone value can go at the middle,
and that one tone is the average of the metered area. Camera reflected
meters simply try to set the exposure to put the average tone of the scene
in the middle (reflected meters use 12.5% linear). The middle is not too
bright and not too dark, so that hopefully, any brighter or darker tones will
still fit into the overall range then.

However, there are bright colored scenes (like white) that meter high, so
the system drops them back to middle, appearing darker. Or dark colored
https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 5/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

scenes (like black) that meter low, so the system boosts them up to
middle, making them brighter. So the average of all scenes goes towards
the middle (not too bright, not too dark). The light meter does not have a
human brain to know what it is, or how it ought to be. However the
photographer can recognize it, and can often supply proper
compensations.

All photographers can look at any result, and think "that's too dark or too
bright". The trick is to learn to look at the scene FIRST, and think about
this FIRST. We can expect and correct this result in advance with
Compensation (Exposure Compensation for ambient, and/or Flash
Compensation for flash). Now we can see our rear LCD result, but this
advance thought was quite necessary when using film, and just a few tries
is sufficient experience to really help. Most general scenes are easy, but
we need to learn to recognize the exceptions which will need attention.
This is how exposure is properly considered. A little experience makes this
be an automatic thought when you first walk up to a scene.

The exposure varies with the scene. More black or dark color causes
overexposure (trying for a middle tone result). More white or light color
causes underexposure (trying for a middle tone result). The meter's goal is
to always create a middle tone. The picture above that is about 50/50
actually averages near middle gray, and so comes out about correct. The
variations are the expected result. You can count on it. Simply how
reflected meters work, all of them.

Reflected meters are aimed at the subject from the camera, and
meters the light that the subject's colors reflect.
A white background or subject reflects a lot of light, which reads
high, so the meter underexposes the picture.
A black background or subject reflects little light, which reads low,
so the meter overexposes the picture.
The expected reflected goal is that all metered results (the
average of each scenes areas) come out middle gray
brightness, not too dark, not too bright. This is all the meter can
do (it cannot recognize anything). Fortunately, many typical
scenes contain a random mix of dark and light colors that probably
will average out about middle gray, then the middle gray result can
often be about correct. When otherwise, we can recognize it, and
compensate it, to correct it to come out as we want, brighter or
darker, as needed by this scene.

A Spot meter is simply a reflected meter, so the small spot should

come out middle gray. Meaning, the user better consider the
reflectivity of that spot they selected. The spot will not necessarily
be "correct" exposure, it will simply be middle tone (because that's
the only way reflected meters work). If the selected spot ought to
be middle tone, then it might be a correct exposure.

Incident meters are the reverse, aimed at the camera from the
subject, which reads the incident light from the light source
directly. An incident meter never sees the "subject", it directly
meters the actual light incident on the subject (independent of the
https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 6/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

subjects colors). So then any subject tone, be its colors light, dark,
or middle, is shown as it is. Kind of a big deal. Point&shoot where
it counts. :) Incident meters have the accuracy that newbies
imagine their reflected meters ought to have (but can't). Of
course, this is not possible at the camera, since incident meters
meter the actual light level incident on the subject (from the
subjects position). We might make exception for situations in
bright clear direct sunlight outdoors, if the meter and subject are
in actually the same sunlight, but specifically, the incident meter
needs to be at the same distance from the exact same light that is
actually on the subject. In a portrait situation, you'd meter from
under the subjects chin.

Said again, speaking of reflective meters (camera meters), their method

is, if more dark area, make it brighter. If more light area, make it darker.
This is simply because - its only capability is to make the metered area of
all pictures average out to be a middle tone, which is "correct" by its rules,
but it may or may not be the result you want. Whatever the scene, the
reflective meter's overall goal is that the metered area will be exposed to
average out to a middle tone (I call it middle gray, meaning the brightness
equivalent, but it could be any color tint). The metered area of this is a
factor too (next page). Incident meters are a different story (second next
page).

Here's the real deal about metering.

We know that a scene with a good degree of white or light colored

content will reflect light very well, so a reflected meter will read too
high - and also a dark colored scene will read too low. But the
reflected meter does not place these high or low as we would hope, it
places everything in the middle. The meter is a dumb chip that cannot
recognize the scene, and does not know the difference. A high reading
might mean the light was bright, or it could mean the scene colors
reflected unusually well, like white. The simple chip can only assume
all scenes are an average scene (it cannot contemplate things). So
according to a reflected light meter, all scenes should and will go to
the middle, which does take care of bright or dim lighting. But the
camera meter is fooled by scene colors.

Preachy here maybe, but intended as hopefully helpful. This fact about
scene colors is Photography 101, perhaps not obvious, but basic and
clearly evident, and one of the first things we should learn. Our best
tool is a human brain that can see and actually recognize the scene.
Brains and photographers have experience to know the difference. We
should think about how we work. If we can see there is a white
background, we know to expect underexposure, so we would
compensate to boost metered exposure a bit. Or maybe a stop or two
if the scene is mostly all white. For example, most pictures in the snow
probably need +1 EV, and if the scene is entirely snow in bright sun,
maybe consider dialing in +2 EV exposure compensation. (Always do
what is seen needed, because you will be disappointed if you imagine
the camera should always get it right.) Experience lets us "already just
https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 7/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

know" when we first walk up to the scene. It does require we look, and
think a little about we're doing. Do Not turn off the brain while the
camera is engaged. :)

Or easier, an incident meter directly meters the light itself

(independent of the subjects colors), and in that light level, light and
dark scenes will seek their proper high and low levels then, same as
we see them.

And metering on a gray card is about the same deal as the incident
meter (standard reflection from the gray card, representing the light,
and independent of the subject colors). If we did not have an incident
meter, this would be the reason we might meter on a gray card.

The camera's reflective light meter tries to make all scenes come out
averaging about middle gray tone. This is often about correct, because
"average" scenes normally do contain a wide mix of light and dark
colored areas which do average out about middle tone overall. But
there are also many exceptions.
When you walk up to a predominately light-colored scene (heavily
influenced by white walls or clothing or snow or bright sky), you
automatically know to expect underexposure (which reduces the result
to be about middle tone). So you simply add a bit of +EV compensation
to correct it (to make the bright scene be properly bright).
When you walk up to a predominately dark-colored scene (heavily
influenced by dark suits, or a distant dark background beyond reach of
the flash), you automatically know to expect overexposure (which
boosts the result to be about middle tone). So you simply add a bit of -
EV compensation to correct it (to make the dark scene be properly
dark).
Some common problem situations of a too-bright background:
A camera meter aimed at a bright daylight window behind the indoor
subject will cause a severely underexposed image.
A camera meter aimed at the bright sunlight out past the subject
under a shade tree or patio roof will cause a severely underexposed
image.
A sunset picture aimed at the bright sky or sun will cause a severely
underexposed image.

The need is to SEE the scene and use your head. You could use + EV
exposure compensation, but the bright background might make that
extreme. You might plan to provide proper fill flash for the dim subject.
Or easier, perhaps reposition camera to avoid including the bright
background. If these are not possible, the popular and easy classic
work-around in that type of situation (bright background is making
picture too black) is to instead aim the camera meter at the ground at
the subjects feet (same focus distance), and then hold shutter half
press to lock that darker reading (and focus), and then holding that, re-

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 8/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

aim at the subject. This is not precisely metered then, but it will be a
vastly better result of the subject. Try that, you'll like it when needed.
Remember it, it can very often be very valuable to easily save your
picture in this situation (bright background is making picture too black).
The bright background will of course then go overexposed, but the
subject should come out great. Center Weighted metering mode will do
this better than Matrix metering mode.

This is not at all hard, it's very usable, but to avoid surprises, it can
require a bit of seeing and thinking. After you have actually tried
thinking a few times, then when you first walk up to your scene, you
will already know tremendously more than you may know now. A little
experience will quickly teach you about how much compensation.
Quickly judge the dark and light proportions of color mix in the scene.
In many average scenes, wide range scenics or portraits, may not need
any compensation. But extremes, with unusual or large areas of light or
dark colors might need a couple of stops, one way or the other. Watch
your results, and adjust the next try (but pay attention to the scene,
and think of it in terms of the scene colors).
Beginners ought to read about Spot Metering on the next page too... it
is also reflective, and probably NOT what you might expect.

General camera reflective metering can be noticeably affected by the

varying reflectivity of the subject's colors.

Exposure methods that are independent of variable subject color

reflection:

Incident metering - directly measures the actual light at the subject,

independent of subject colors reflections.
Reflective metering on a 18% gray card in the same light. Ballpark for
many average/typical scenes.
Sunny 16 Rule - Judged by approximation of outdoor shadows, Not
metered, Not precise. Popular before 1960 (before camera meters).
Flash Guide Numbers - Handles Inverse Square Law for direct flash, if
Guide Number is accurately known.

If not yet a believer, then two more cases of additional obvious proof.
These are closeups, as shown. You can and should repeat these simple
tests yourself, to understand how the meter works. This IS the basic
principle.

A Gray card, a Black card, and a White card

photographed
with automatic TTL flash (reflective metering in
camera)
https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 9/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 10/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

These three cards (two are fun foamies) really

are black and white and gray, here propped up
on a couch background. This combined overall
scene more nearly averages out to actually be
middle gray (averaging a middle tone) - more
what light meters expect to see, so its exposure
is relatively correct. Reflective light meters
simply try to make every scene average out to
middle tone. The overall average tone is not too
dark, not too light.

Black card with TTL flash (result is not black).

The metering used much more flash power

(exposure) to make the black card be middle
gray (tone). It makes couch and pink paper be
white.
In extreme lopsided cases like this, we must
know to manually apply a couple of stops
underexposure (-EV compensation) to make
black appear black.

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 11/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

White card with TTL flash (result is not white).

The metering used much less flash power

(exposure) to make the white card be middle
gray (tone). Makes couch black, and pink paper
dark.
In extreme total cases like this, we must know to
manually apply a couple of stops overexposure
(+EV compensation) to make white appear
white.

Gray card with TTL flash

Approximately correct. The small paper was in

fact pink, and the couch looks normal. Middle
gray is made to be middle gray (tone), which is
merely coincidence here. All images are always
made to be middle tone average - that is all a
reflective meter can do.

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 12/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

See?

Get some black and white paper (from craft store), or any dark and light
objects - items around the house - white walls, or bed sheets, or
refrigerators. Maybe a black suit jacket and other dark stuff. Try this
yourself, to see it, to believe it, and to understand and expect it.
This is simply what reflected light meters do. It is very good to know
and expect this.

Same Three Cards, Repeated In Bright Sun

That was flash above, but now here are the same cards, repeated
outdoors in bright sun (ambient, no flash), same thing. It works the
same way. This subject is not just about flash, it is about reflective light
meters (like in cameras). This set is all automatically metered (without
adjustment) by D300 camera in A mode (aperture preferred), f/8 ISO 320
(full frame shown, not cropped). The first scene, of the three cards, does
actually average middle gray overall, so it comes out correct. All four come
out middle gray, which is what reflected light meters do.

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 13/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

Three cards, f/8, 1/1250 second, ISO 320. It is

Sunny 16.
(-2 stops 1/320 to 1/1250 second, +2 stops f/16
to f/8)

Black card, f/8 1/200 second (result is not black)

Result is 2 2/3 stops overexposed, from first one.

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 14/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

White card, f/8 1/5000 second (result is not

white)
Result is two stops underexposed, from first one.

18% gray card, f/8 1/800 second

Result is 2/3 stop over first one.

See?

Any and all scenes will be metered to come out middle tone (average
value of the metered area, not too dark, not too light). This is simply
what reflected light meters do. The results may not match your goal,
but these are "correct" results, doing exactly what the reflective meter is
designed to do. It is very good thing to know and expect this, and then
you will know how to achieve your goal.

The exaggerated plain card scene is used here to simply make it trivially
easy to see this. These cards are not typical scenes. Any real scene will
have mixed brightness areas (sky and trees and shadows, etc), so that
even unusually light or dark real subjects will rarely need as much as the
two stops compensation these two "unreal" all white and all black subjects
need (to actually be white or black). But it is routinely true that using
reflective meters, light colored subjects (higher reflectivity) likely will need
1/2 stop or 1 stop more exposure to make them be light. Dark colored
https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 15/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

subjects (less reflective) likely will need 1/2 stop or 1 stop less exposure
to make them be dark. The closer to middle gray the subject averages, the
more accurate the reflected meter reading.

Newbies seem to imagine the camera ought to always be correct

(imagining that our attention is not required). And maybe the meter is
"correct" on all of them, but the meter may be doing something different
than you expect. It only does what it can do. The meter has absolutely no
clue what any of this scene is, no human recognition of what it is or
means, and certainly no comprehension how it ought to be. The meter
cannot distinguish a rose from your Aunt Martha. Our human brain does
have smarts and experience to know immediately, what it is, and how it
ought to be, so that is our natural expectation. But the reflective meter
only sees a blob of light, which it can measure, but without any
understanding about what it is, or what it means, or how it should be. So
necessarily, what the result will be is a middle tone average, not too dark,
not too light.

A reflective meter is aimed at the subject, and only sees the light reflected
from and affected by the subjects colors. In contrast, an incident meter is
aimed away from the subject towards the camera, and it can measure the
actual direct light level, at the subject, but unaffected by the subject or its
colors. That's a big advantage to accuracy (next page), but is necessarily
more awkward and inconvenient to use.

The meter is an excellent guide and aid, but those who imagine their
camera meter is recognizing and evaluating details in our picture, and
should always give the correct exposure, are simply in for big
disappointments. Instead, the trick is in learning what the meter actually
does, so we can use it as a good guide. The meter just gets it into the
ballpark, often about correct, but from which we make relative
adjustments, as we see needed. We humans can see the scene too, and in
many cases, learn to recognize how it will come out, and can compensate
in advance. That was a required skill with film, and is very handy with
digital too, but digital shows us the result that we get, giving us another
chance to fix it. Now is the time to realize that the one in charge of your
camera's exposures is YOU.

Said again, the exposure you get (underexposure or overexposure) will

depend on what you aim the camera at. I am trying real hard to get your
attention. If you want to resist, then imagine me shaking you by your
shoulders shouting "wake up". :) We really ought to know how the light
meter works (and this is how it works). This is all also true in sunlight too,
but flash differences seem more pronounced (due to inverse square law
falloff). The trick to know is that Flash Compensation is how we control
TTL flash. Flash Compensation will greatly improve your TTL flash pictures.
Simply watch, and do what you see you need to do.

Again, if any doubts, then it is absolutely necessary that you repeat this,
do and see this kind of test in your own situation. It is real. It is the big
overall view of how things actually work. All you need to repeat this is a
sheet of black paper and a sheet of white paper, and your camera as a
https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 16/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

light meter. Then you can see, and believe, and will understand how it
must influence your procedures.

We hear novices complain about exposure, thinking that their meter is

misbehaving, when they simply don't understand how reflective light
meters work. They may have a little more to learn, but it is easy when we
know. The meter's goal in life is NOT to give "correct" exposure. The dumb
meter has absolutely no clue how to do that. It has no clue even what the
scene is, and certainly not how it ought to be, so there is never any
concept of a "correct" reflective meter reading. The meter's goal in life is
simply to expose all scenes to create a middle tone average, however
much that takes, for whatever it is, regardless if we will agree that middle
tone is "correct" or not. The five rose scenes above have five different
contents, with five different average values. The reflective meter's goal in
life is to make all pictures average out to be a middle tone (speaking of
the central metered area). Therefore, the TTL automation exposes each
picture of a different scene differently, to make that middle tone result be
true (the average of the metered area). So dark scenes are exposed more,
and light scenes are exposed less, to achieve the same middle tone every
time.

This is simply how reflective meters work (and it is a good thing to

understand and expect this). Note that the photographer's job is to see
and realize if this current scene is darker or lighter colors than normal,
i.e., if this exposure is going to need our help to come out darker or lighter
as it should. This is easy today, the digital camera shows the result to us,
then and there, while we can still correct it. When you know why, you also
know how, so this is easy, no big deal at all. You will soon already "just
know" before you take the picture, what to expect, and what to do about
it... it quickly becomes second nature. It does involve looking and
thinking.

NOTE: When I often mention result is middle gray here, I merely mean
middle tone... as in B&W, but if color, it might have a red or green or blue
tint sometimes. Middle tone has been called middle gray for decades, B&W
film habit I guess, please forgive my quirk. In these cases, I don't
necessarily mean the color "gray". And I don't mean center of the
histogram either (another story). I just mean for any scene, the meter's
goal is to create a middle tone (average of its metered area), not too dark,
and not too light. Which is often reasonable, about right. But the problem
comes when the subject ought to instead be dark or light - it won't be. It
will always be more middle.

The point is, assuming the common reflective meter, in the same light,
what your meter reads depends on what you are metering. The reflective
light meter will try to give an exposure that will make everything average
out to about middle gray. "Average" or "typical" scenes/subjects generally
do have wide tonal ranges which do in fact average out to about middle
gray, but which is not true in all cases. But this is the basis of the system,
and you, as the photographer, can see the subject, and are supposed to
realize this.
If your subject is a more typical one, with typical wide range, and it
https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 17/18
8/23/2018 How Camera Light Meters Work

actually does average out about middle gray, then great, easy as pie.
If not an "average" subject, then you better pay attention, and stand
ready to help with Flash Compensation or Exposure Compensation.

In contrast, handheld "incident" meters also exist, which stand at the

subject's position, and aim back at the camera, and directly read the
incident light falling on the subject, totally independent of the color of the
subject (page after next). Again, incident meters read the light directly
from the subjects position, so cannot be built into the camera. This may be
less convenient to use (except is wonderful for studio flash), but are
greatly more accurate and consistent.

Bottom line: When the exposure does not come out right, it cannot help
to cuss the meter or bemoan your fate. This is simply how meters work,
and have always worked. The way we learn to use them is to study the
picture, and figure out what the meter was metering to cause that middle
tone result... why it happened? (usually, dark or light colored subjects or
backgrounds are expected to cause mid-tone results). Then we learn to
recognize those situations, and then we easily just know ahead of time
what to do to prevent it next time we see a similar situation . There is no
other way but to learn.

I say Flash a lot, but do not misunderstand - Metering in daylight or other

continuous light works exactly the same way (middle gray result). But
flash does seem more fussy about it (more on next page). The rapid falloff
with inverse square law emphasizes differences (affecting flash, but not
sunlight). And of course, the TTL preflash creates background shadows,
metered as dark areas, which reduces the bright area that reflects and is
metered. Flash may seem a little different, but the meter merely reads
what it sees.

Continued - Details of Metering Principles

Menu of the other Photo and Flash pages here

Copyright © 2011-2018 by Wayne Fulton - All rights are reserved.

https://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html 18/18