What camera first of all?

Many cameras have the capability of tying the metering to a particular AF point or uncoupling it completely. That can make a difference as to what portion of the scene is being evaluated.

Start with the mode of metering that evaluates the majority of the scene as in an Evaluative (Canon) or Matrix (Nikon) and see how that performs to get a good exposure. The 'middle' settings are often Spot or Weighted and are not always the best for every type of image.

A little more info about what you were using may along with a few photo examples help us to diagnose the situation!

Good luck and Welcome to Photography Review!