Metering for Outdoor Portrait

Coleman PhotographyColeman Photography Registered Users Posts: 351 Major grins
edited September 15, 2009 in Cameras
What is the best way to go about metering correctly for outdoor portraits?
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Comments

  • QarikQarik Registered Users Posts: 4,959 Major grins
    edited September 14, 2009
    Coleman Photography wrote:
    What is the best way to go about metering correctly for outdoor portraits?

    can you be more specific? aperture mode? Full manual? It's not all that different then indoors. Depends a bit on the subject and background of course...
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  • Coleman PhotographyColeman Photography Registered Users Posts: 351 Major grins
    edited September 14, 2009
    sorry shooting full manuel
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  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,079 moderator
    edited September 14, 2009
    Ideally I suggest using an 18 percent gray card to determine where to expose for middle tones and then build your support lighting/reflectors around that exposure setting. Modify somewhat depending upon the actual skin tones.

    When you say "outdoors", what exactly are the conditions you expect?

    Shoot in Bright sunlight?
    Shoot under diffuser?
    Shoot in the open shade?
    Shoot in deep shade?

    What will you be using for supplemental lighting and lighting control?
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited September 14, 2009
    Unless you're using a mixed lighting (ambient + flush) just expose for the face. Use Av mode, and the camera will do the rest.
    There are complications (as always): bright/dark background, super dark/pale skin, etc. Adjust then: that's what the histogram is for.
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • Manfr3dManfr3d Registered Users Posts: 2,008 Major grins
    edited September 15, 2009
    Full manual or expose for the face with spot metering in AV.
    “To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
    ― Edward Weston
  • Scott_QuierScott_Quier Registered Users Posts: 6,524 Major grins
    edited September 15, 2009
    One thing that catches a lot of folks shooting against a bright background: metering the subject and then blowing the background sky. If you have suppliemental lighting one technique is to determine the exposure needed to keep the sky. Once you have that, you can (optionally) underexpose the background (faster shutter). You now have your aperture - set your supplimental lighting to that value and you're going to be close. Take a test shot, chimp, and adjust as necessary.

    Of course, it's a whole lot easier if your background is a bit darker than your subject, then all you have to do is meter off the face(s) of your subject(s) and fire away. Everything else will fall into place. If you don't have an incident meter, then you can zoom in on your subject's face take a reading, set your exposure to correspond, and re-compose.
    Scott
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