There is no greater educator in photography than Steve. Deep understanding with an ability to explain simply is a gift. Keep up the awesome work please Steve.
Love your content Steve. TH-cam photography seems to be getting more and more click bait. Your channel is the exception. You've taught me a lot and I appreciate the hard work you put in. Thank you.
I really had to laugh, I just got back from an all-day shooting at a castle with lots of lights and darks. When I got home I was so upset that the pictures did not turn out the way I wanted. You just explained every scenario that I faced and what I had done wrong!!! YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION!!! And just to prove the commitment I bought all your ebooks and will get involved with your group. I am a Nikon shooter D5600 and been at it for about two years. Most things I have had good success with but this last go-round was a disaster! I shoot in Raw and JPEG so I did manage to fix some of it in post. I am much better in post than I am in photography. Thank you much for your videos and help, you are very well respected in the photographic industry. I need to get on your star and figure out all I can!!! Thank you, Steve Moonpie
Between you and Chas Goatzer videos I have learned so much more than the attended workshops with " professional photographers". Thank you so much, the frustration just melts away as the " ah-ha" clicks in.
Love this channel it’s been helping me a lot since my mentor passed away a few years ago . He got me started in photography. Today I will try portraits since I usually do birds . Rip William P Bergen
Hi Steve, so glad you are telling people about this, especially about placing the meter in the right place in manual mode rather than just in the middle as most other videos do! A quick tip for your followers to get their eye in for estimating tone value is to put it in manual mode, point at a known value area ( grass at midtone) move settings until the meter is in the middle THEN move the camera to different areas & watch the meter. The meter will tell you the tone value of the new area.👍
I can't thank you enough Steve, never has any tutorial been so clear. I just bought two of your books to better understand my D850 as I venture into wedding photography. Thank you, thank you, thank you
This video opened my eyes on how important it is to spot meter before you take a shot. It helps achive best colors and contrast correctly. I think this is one of the main reasons my images were always off and I wasnt happy with colors and contrast. Grey card or an expodisc is a must have to get perfect exposure and colors.
This was a great education on tricking the meter. you are correct Steve, many people depend on the camera and know nothing about tricking or overriding the meter. Thanks for your time and work. Best teacher out there.
Excellent piece of teaching Steeve! The video explains the content right to the points without making too much unwanted lecturers as often seen in other you tube videos. Thank you so very much for the wonderful presentation...
Cheers Steve, being a motorsports photographer, I find spot metering to come in handy at times, but also messes up a shot when the subject is either white or black. I will try locking the metering on a "grey" area next time. My function button is set to spot metering on both cameras (D4 / D4s) , its nice to see someone else using that shortcut.
First video from Steve I have watched in a while (have not been feeling really creative) - FIRST TIME you have not cost me money by showing me something I just cannot live without! Thanks for all you do for the photography community - please keep it up!
Steven this was just the best piece on metering. Also I think by you shooting multiple camera brands now you have opened up a whole new area of field tested comparison content which would be so helpful as well to those selecting gear. Much appreciated and thank you.
Many photographers especially those new to photography don't realise that the cameras meter is trying to make images middle grey, herein lies the problem! Underexposing when shooting a white subject gives huge amounts of noise if you think you can just up the exposure in processing !!! Great video Steve! Cheers
And the problem is that it's counter-intuitive too. When people are faced with a bright lighter-than-middle-tone scene (like a snow scene), they think they need less exposure because it's so bright. So, they're often REALLY confused when it's 2 stops under!
@@backcountrygallery Aah the thing is I've been a photographer for over 30 years and I have the hindsight of reading your books which explain so many aspects of photography wonderfully well! Cheers and thanks for the response Steve.
Most of the time, I use the A mode and matrix metering on my D750 (and compensate if needed), but in more difficult situations I switch to the manual mode and spot metering. And now, after watching your video, I checked that my palm gives exactly the same reading as the middle grey square on the Xrite Colorchecker (the one under the yellow square). :) Thank you a million!!!
Brilliant Steve , every video of your is an educational content. Full of information.Totally absorbing and with clarity I come out with every video. Thank you again.👍
Thanks, Steve! Most of my progress the past two years can be attributed to your books and videos. No other single source has contributed so much to my knowledge base.
Very good. Just about everyone does not know what the meter does. I first learned about metering from studying books about Ansel Adams. He used a spot meter and meters off middle gray. When I started, the general rule was to meter off grass in the same light as your subject.
very good lesson even for an experienced photographers to remind all about spot metering . I use Pentax K20 with prism not mirrors viewfinder system so Pentax spot metering is same like professional hand light meter . it is good to have support classic hend light matter
I had to replay the section where you cropped the target area from the three photos to convince myself you had not just pulled a trick on us. The targets look very different from each other in the original photos, but i guess that's just an optical illusion. That was a great demonstration!
I actually thought about just putting the pics side by side, but like you say, optically it doesn't look like they are the same. I was even questing it myself when looking at the pics!! That's why I popped them and did it the way I did :)
@@backcountrygallery yeah i figured you went thru that process. I would have liked to see both approaches, but certainly understand and respect your editorial choices. Can't include everything!
Very good explanation. In the film days I used spot metering and interpreted the reading and compensated my settings according to subject reflectance. It was accurate once I learn how much compensation to give the item I took the reading off. Like so many things photographic experience goes a long way. What is important is to recognize when we make a mistake and what we need to do so we don't repeat the mistake.
Thanks for this easy understanding of of potentially difficult to understand subject It shows the great advantage of cameras using an EVF have, by being able to see and correct the exposure issues before taking the shot
One of the challenges that I face is to deal with contrasty birds in strong sun, their tonal range. There's a surprising number of pied species in my country and avoiding blowing out the whites is essential. My rule of thumb is +2 EV on the D500 and +1.5 on the A1 but often that has to be increased. Then of course what you can do in post with the tone curve will make or break the image, trying to get plumage texture in both the whites and the blacks.
Hi Steve, good content I enjoy your videos. This is something I've known for 30 years because I took pictures before spot metering existed when you actually had to know what exposure meant and before post processing could save you. In fact, Birds As Art photographer Arthur Morris created a pocket guide showing how to adjust exposure base on various scenes.
The Fuji systems (newer X-series and GFX cameras), when set to face-detect, always use the spot-metering of the skin tone as the middle grey… exposure compensation from that point solves any issues… so face-detect on Fuji, is like instant-spot-metering, while any other subject will respect the metering mode you’ve selected.
Steve, with your complexion (not too pale white), spot meter your skin and compare with your grey card. Also spot meter the inside of your hand. If you want to use the TTL spot meter as a surrogate lightmeter then this works very well.
This is just what I needed..very informative! And just what I need as I am photographing some black and white rabbits in a low light room 😁I will be trying all your tips ..thank you Steve 😎
hi, perfect, creates awareness. needs to be studied again and again. Absolutely you are a good teacher. I wiss you could analyze the Panasonic system. I am using a G9. best.
yes, this is absolutely incredible, thank you so much p.s. my goal was to try and make my onboard meter follow my focus point, but I learned so much more that I didn't even know I needed to learn
thanks , explained well today when i used the spot metering on a landscape the background sun got over exposed almost to white, but matrix got it right .
That was the BEST spot metering tutorial I have ever seen. Outstanding!!
There is no greater educator in photography than Steve. Deep understanding with an ability to explain simply is a gift. Keep up the awesome work please Steve.
This has to be the easiest way to understand metering. Perfect video.
Love your content Steve. TH-cam photography seems to be getting more and more click bait. Your channel is the exception.
You've taught me a lot and I appreciate the hard work you put in. Thank you.
And also more and more about comparing equipment. I have unsubscribed from more than one "photography" channel as a result of all the gear obsessing.
I really had to laugh, I just got back from an all-day shooting at a castle with lots of lights and darks. When I got home I was so upset that the pictures did not turn out the way I wanted. You just explained every scenario that I faced and what I had done wrong!!! YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION!!! And just to prove the commitment I bought all your ebooks and will get involved with your group. I am a Nikon shooter D5600 and been at it for about two years. Most things I have had good success with but this last go-round was a disaster! I shoot in Raw and JPEG so I did manage to fix some of it in post. I am much better in post than I am in photography. Thank you much for your videos and help, you are very well respected in the photographic industry. I need to get on your star and figure out all I can!!!
Thank you, Steve
Moonpie
The garden is the dojo for learning how my camera functions before i take it to the streets!
Between you and Chas Goatzer videos I have learned so much more than the attended workshops with " professional photographers". Thank you so much, the frustration just melts away as the " ah-ha" clicks in.
Now I understand what my problem was that my subjects were either over exposed or underexposed! Thanks
Steve, I just went through my d500 menu to play with the AE mode, but I could not find it! Is d500 including that option at all?
Good instruction. When I did film photography I used spot metering almost exclusively. I rarely use it with digital but your content was right on.
I'm so glad I found your videos. I'm about 6 months in with my first ever camera, and have learned very much from you already, Thank you!!!
Love this channel it’s been helping me a lot since my mentor passed away a few years ago . He got me started in photography. Today I will try portraits since I usually do birds . Rip William P Bergen
Yes. Outstanding. Ive used it (with Zone Metering) for decades and always struggled to explain it simply. This totally nails it.
Hi Steve, so glad you are telling people about this, especially about placing the meter in the right place in manual mode rather than just in the middle as most other videos do! A quick tip for your followers to get their eye in for estimating tone value is to put it in manual mode, point at a known value area ( grass at midtone) move settings until the meter is in the middle THEN move the camera to different areas & watch the meter. The meter will tell you the tone value of the new area.👍
Basic knowledge told and shown in the best way i´ve seen so far on the tube! I will link to this for my students and friends. Thanks Steve!
I can't thank you enough Steve, never has any tutorial been so clear. I just bought two of your books to better understand my D850 as I venture into wedding photography. Thank you, thank you, thank you
Wow, thank you so much!
This video opened my eyes on how important it is to spot meter before you take a shot. It helps achive best colors and contrast correctly.
I think this is one of the main reasons my images were always off and I wasnt happy with colors and contrast.
Grey card or an expodisc is a must have to get perfect exposure and colors.
I totally agree with the last comment. Clear, concise presentation, built on practical knowledge. Thank you!
This was a great education on tricking the meter. you are correct Steve, many people depend on the camera and know nothing about tricking or overriding the meter. Thanks for your time and work. Best teacher out there.
Your version of spot metering is the best and much simpler to understand even for a Filipino like me. LOL. I am your new subscriber. Thank you.
Excellent piece of teaching Steeve! The video explains the content right to the points without making
too much unwanted lecturers as often seen in other you tube videos. Thank you so very much for the wonderful presentation...
Cheers Steve, being a motorsports photographer, I find spot metering to come in handy at times, but also messes up a shot when the subject is either white or black. I will try locking the metering on a "grey" area next time. My function button is set to spot metering on both cameras (D4 / D4s) , its nice to see someone else using that shortcut.
First video from Steve I have watched in a while (have not been feeling really creative) - FIRST TIME you have not cost me money by showing me something I just cannot live without! Thanks for all you do for the photography community - please keep it up!
You are a great professional writer
Steven this was just the best piece on metering. Also I think by you shooting multiple camera brands now you have opened up a whole new area of field tested comparison content which would be so helpful as well to those selecting gear. Much appreciated and thank you.
Many photographers especially those new to photography don't realise that the cameras meter is trying to make images middle grey, herein lies the problem! Underexposing when shooting a white subject gives huge amounts of noise if you think you can just up the exposure in processing !!! Great video Steve! Cheers
And the problem is that it's counter-intuitive too. When people are faced with a bright lighter-than-middle-tone scene (like a snow scene), they think they need less exposure because it's so bright. So, they're often REALLY confused when it's 2 stops under!
@@backcountrygallery Aah the thing is I've been a photographer for over 30 years and I have the hindsight of reading your books which explain so many aspects of photography wonderfully well! Cheers and thanks for the response Steve.
Most of the time, I use the A mode and matrix metering on my D750 (and compensate if needed), but in more difficult situations I switch to the manual mode and spot metering. And now, after watching your video, I checked that my palm gives exactly the same reading as the middle grey square on the Xrite Colorchecker (the one under the yellow square). :) Thank you a million!!!
This tip is absolutely a treasure for the photographers. I thank you Steve for explaining the Spot metering so nicely. 🙏
Cheers
great video Steve
Brilliant Steve , every video of your is an educational content. Full of information.Totally absorbing and with clarity I come out with every video. Thank you again.👍
Exceptionally clear and sensible advice - your experience shows in every suggestion
Thanks, Steve! Most of my progress the past two years can be attributed to your books and videos. No other single source has contributed so much to my knowledge base.
Melinda Adams me too. His videos and books are irreplaceable.
Finally my exposure compensation button on my d750 got some meaning. Very well explained. Thank You.
Great video. Years ago, I had a 5x7 field camera and a 1 degree spot meter. Slowing down helped me learn so much.
Wow, this guide is amazing. Found your channel yesterday and this is the first thing that I get today? Yes please
You never cease to amaze me. You make me so damn jealous with your pics. Keep up the great work.
This is the million-dollar answer you have given..thx a lot sir
Very good. Just about everyone does not know what the meter does. I first learned about metering from studying books about Ansel Adams. He used a spot meter and meters off middle gray. When I started, the general rule was to meter off grass in the same light as your subject.
Thanks Steve, great explanation of metering using the mid tone examples👌
Very clear explanation. Even I understood it straight away. Awesome.
This is brilliant so easy to follow and understand and yes I have been thinking wrong on spot metering .. many thanks Steve
Spot on ! Great explanation, clarified a lot of confusion, well done
Wonderful tutorial.
Once again another great video and I am going to have to review it with camera in hand during daylight (4:00 a.m. now!) Thank you!
Just watched this a second time and learned even more. Great video, wish I could like again. 8)
If you have nothing to meter off you can use your hand then adjust from there 😊
As usual, Steve clears things up! Perfect explanation and clear as always. Thanks for demystifying this!
Great Video Steve!
Blinkies can help too of course. As per your video on that feature.
Good info thanks
Nixon coolpix p510. Oldie but goodie.
Absolutely love your explanation of finer aspects of spot metering, with great examples. Learnt a lot.
It's already been said, but...best metering video ever
amazing video, thanks a lot Steve
Great instruction!
Very clear explanation. Extremely pretty photos 🙋🏻♂️
very good lesson even for an experienced photographers to remind all about spot metering . I use Pentax K20 with prism not mirrors viewfinder system so Pentax spot metering is same like professional hand light meter . it is good to have support classic hend light matter
Thanks for the info on spot metering. Now I know how it works.
Finally i'm getting it
Slowly but surely
im getting it
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
I had to replay the section where you cropped the target area from the three photos to convince myself you had not just pulled a trick on us. The targets look very different from each other in the original photos, but i guess that's just an optical illusion. That was a great demonstration!
I actually thought about just putting the pics side by side, but like you say, optically it doesn't look like they are the same. I was even questing it myself when looking at the pics!! That's why I popped them and did it the way I did :)
@@backcountrygallery yeah i figured you went thru that process. I would have liked to see both approaches, but certainly understand and respect your editorial choices. Can't include everything!
Was watching another camera topic and this popped up... I said hmmm always wondered about spot metering... wow now I know! Thanks - great lesson!
Excellent explanation👏👏
Very good explanation. In the film days I used spot metering and interpreted the reading and compensated my settings according to subject reflectance. It was accurate once I learn how much compensation to give the item I took the reading off. Like so many things photographic experience goes a long way. What is important is to recognize when we make a mistake and what we need to do so we don't repeat the mistake.
Great video. Thank you.
That was the best explanation I have seen on this subject - thankyou!! :)
Very good explanation. Thanks 👍
Very clearly explained for the beginners
Thank you... Amazing... Easy to understand... best one I watched...
Very useful video, thanks a lot!
So helpful!! Thank you
Excellent, succinct and comprehensive.
Thanks for this easy understanding of of potentially difficult to understand subject
It shows the great advantage of cameras using an EVF have, by being able to see and correct the exposure issues before taking the shot
Very good explanation
Great instruction
Great tutorial
Superb explanation
One of the challenges that I face is to deal with contrasty birds in strong sun, their tonal range. There's a surprising number of pied species in my country and avoiding blowing out the whites is essential. My rule of thumb is +2 EV on the D500 and +1.5 on the A1 but often that has to be increased. Then of course what you can do in post with the tone curve will make or break the image, trying to get plumage texture in both the whites and the blacks.
Hi Steve, good content I enjoy your videos. This is something I've known for 30 years because I took pictures before spot metering existed when you actually had to know what exposure meant and before post processing could save you. In fact, Birds As Art photographer Arthur Morris created a pocket guide showing how to adjust exposure base on various scenes.
Great explanation as always. Thank you.
Best video on this topic. Now I get it. Thank you!
Really helpful. Thanks
thanks Steve
Thanks Steve... heard it all before, but it still is a bit confusing in the field.
It takes practice for sure, but it'll come to you.
Well done!
well done.
A LOT OF photographers need to understand Gray Card.
Most haven't even heard of it.. :)
As always this video is spot on 😉
Enjoyed your metering video and have always appreciated your book on the subject.
The Fuji systems (newer X-series and GFX cameras), when set to face-detect, always use the spot-metering of the skin tone as the middle grey… exposure compensation from that point solves any issues… so face-detect on Fuji, is like instant-spot-metering, while any other subject will respect the metering mode you’ve selected.
Steve, with your complexion (not too pale white), spot meter your skin and compare with your grey card. Also spot meter the inside of your hand. If you want to use the TTL spot meter as a surrogate lightmeter then this works very well.
I actually have a note in about that at one point in the video :)
Very useful information.
hey Steve here, from journey.... out in the field taking nice bird shots! 👍
Excellent comprehensible explanation!
This is just what I needed..very informative! And just what I need as I am photographing some black and white rabbits in a low light room 😁I will be trying all your tips ..thank you Steve 😎
Great video!
hi, perfect, creates awareness. needs to be studied again and again. Absolutely you are a good teacher. I wiss you could analyze the Panasonic system. I am using a G9. best.
yes, this is absolutely incredible, thank you so much p.s. my goal was to try and make my onboard meter follow my focus point, but I learned so much more that I didn't even know I needed to learn
Nice one bud 👍
Spot metering worked best for me. My first camera was a Canon FT, that used spot metering.
thanks , explained well today when i used the spot metering on a landscape the background sun got over exposed almost to white, but matrix got it right .
Brilliant stuff Steve!
You’re a great teacher. Thank you!
Thank you, I made notes thoroughly.