From: Walter Gilbert
Thanks, David/Collin/Paul.I think I understand, now. I was thinking that since the snow was so glaringly bright that it would throw the meter off irrespective of the actual subject -- assuming the subject isn't the snow itself. But, as I understand you all now, as long as there's a dark enough counterpoint to the snow within the frame, the metering will average out. My question in that case is, does the ratio of dark to light matter? Say, if you have a snowy field and a small black dog in that field, taking a photo of a distant grey object, is that enough to get the correct averaging? Or do I need to compensate for the dominance of the snowy field within the frame? In other words, does the meter average the difference between the darkest and the brightest objects in the frame, or the total amount of darkness and brightness in the frame? Thanks again, y'all. I do appreciate your patience.
If I remember correctly, you started this thread that you're shooting with a K1000?
The K1000 meter averages the entire frame. No additional weight is given to the center.
If the scene is mostly brighter than 18% gray, the meter recommendation will be under-exposed, you have to "over-expose" to compensate and get the correct exposure.
If the scene is mostly darker, the meter recommendation is over-exposed, and you have to "under-expose" to compensate.
Blue skies opposite the sun, sunlit grass and weathered asphalt paving are all reasonable approximations of 18% gray. If nothing else, fill the viewfinder with one of these and set your exposure, then re-frame the scene.
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