Exposure is one of the fundamental tasks of a photographer and cinematographer. There’s a lot of subjectivity in how you can expose a scene, but we all need a reference point. For many, this is the in-camera meter that comes with your camera.
Here’s how to use it correctly:
Notes
- I always prefer and recommend the spot meter, unless you’re shooting stills that don’t have to match each other.
- You can use an 18% middle grey chart as reference, though by no means assume that it is a gold standard. You are free to deviate from it as much as you want. The key is, use it as a reference point, not as an absolute tool.
FAQs
Q. What if I can’t afford or don’t want to use a grey card?
You’ll encounter many scenes and situations where a grey card is not practical. In this case, it is up to you to decide which part of the scene should be ‘middle grey’. This harks back to the zone system of exposure, something you would do well to study.
I’ll be blunt. If you’re too lazy to carry a grey card and too lazy to learn the zone system, just use the multi-meter and let the camera decide for you. Live with the consequences!
