Metering help - Canon 20D.....

[10kman]

I was out with my 20D this weekend, and my mom asked me to snap a few shots of the house. It was around noon, so colors were slightly washed out. I got a few shots for her and we loaded them up on her laptop.

She thought they looked great, I didn't think so.

I grabbed my manual and was reading about the metering options. I usually use center-weighted metering, unless some very specific reason makes me switch.

Then I was wondering if it was a technique thing, and that's why I'm here now.

I chose a f8 for the shot (sorry for no example shot, of course, I left the pics on her computer), just to keep it simple, and when I pointed at the house, I think I remember the shutter flashing up a 1/1000 just before exposing. I was using ISO 400 as well.

The house just looked more washed out than I thought it did with my own eye. Almost overexposed.

What's your metering technique? In "Understanding Exposure", the author makes reference to metering from the sky all the time. When doing this, do you lock the exposure with the lens pointed up at the sky, then frame the subject (house in this case), then expose?

Confused.....

10k

[another view]

I'm a Nikon guy, but that shouldn't matter too much here other than terminology. In a lot of cases, Matrix (evaluative?) metering will do a really good job but it's always best to know some of the theory behind it. Center Weighted (CW) in a lot of cases will need some sort of compensation. With digital, use the histogram tool on the display to make sure you've got what you want.

The most important thing is to make sure the subject is properly exposed. Metering the sky can make a lot of sense with landscape shots, but here it wasn't the subject. If the house is properly exposed but the sky is washed out, you can use a graduated neutral density filter to hold back some brightness in the sky or come back when the light is better (usually best). There's also a way to shoot an exposure for the sky and one for the house and then blend them together in photoshop, but you'll need a tripod to do it to make sure the two line up exactly.

Do you know the sunny 16 rule? It's a good way to double check yourself. At ISO400, you should be at 1/400 sec (OK, 1/500) and f16 on a sunny day. 1/1000 at f8 would be one stop over that, so that's probably why the sky was washed out.

[10kman]

Dang it, I completely forgot about the Sunny 16 rule!! I need to get out and shoot more and stop reading so much.......

I need to make a cheat sheet and keep reading it until I remember the basic stuff. BAGH!!

10k

[another view]

I need to get out and shoot more and stop reading so much.......

Ya know, it's probably the best way to learn! Read about the theory (in books, and here!) and then go out and see how it works in real life.

The best option, if it's possible, and whether digital or film - is to come back when the light is better.