We’re now moving towards the end of the technical bits — thank goodness I hear you cry. But this stuff is still important.

Your Camera’s Exposure Modes

Most digital SLRs have three exposure modes. This is to day that your camera has three different ways of calculating the exposure it needs for the scene. Each different exposure method will give very different results, so it is important to understand how they work.

Dynamic Metering

You can see this as an everyday kind of metering system. Different manufacturers call this different things but luckily the other two methods are always called the same! Dynamic metering is where the camera takes a number of different exposure ’snapshots’ at different points of the picture. Some may take 12 or 15 (or more) individual exposure measurements across the image; this is sometimes referred to as a metering pattern. Once the camera has captured the measurements it uses some clever mathematics to calculate the ‘right’ exposure.

These systems are very clever and quite flexible, but they are not foolproof.

In days when sunlight is reasonably constant you can rely on this method of exposure, more often than not coupling it with an automatic mode. But you do need to know your way around the alternatives. We’ll look at this and consider their potential for use in landscape photography.

Centre Weighted Metering

This is second mode. The camera takes light readings from across the range of the scene (as in dynamic metering) but it gives a greater ‘weighting’ to the area in the middle of the shot. This can be very useful in more awkward conditions, for example, when there is a lot of contrast between shade and brightness.

Spot Metering

The third mode. This usually only measures the light within a small circle at the centre of the viewfinder — the spot.

Spot metering can be. Remember those arty black and white shots with most of the print in darkness and only one little bit of it highlighted? Well, those kind of shots can be taken using a spot measurement in the small part of the photograph that needs full exposure. But this mode can be useful in landscape photography too.

Using the Different Exposure Modes

Dynamic Mode

A good standard that can be relied on in many light conditions. When you are shooting under a grey-ish sky the camera will calculate the light reasonably accurately. Sunshine can make a difference though. Framing the scene can also have an effect. Too much sky and to much sea —especially in sunshine — can fool the meter in the camera.

If in doubt use this simple method of bracketing. Shoot the scene as you see it and with the camera’s choses exposure. The adjust the camera down to the ground so that most of the land is in the frame. Measure the light and adjust exposure (in manual) and then return to the full scene. Note how the camera’s suggested exposure changes as it moves from mainly land to land and sky. The land-dominated shot may well be the staring point for bracketing – one shot 1 stop over exposed and one shot under exposed.

Centre Weighted

I find this very useful when taking landscape shots. Often I use this to feature on the part of the scene that I want to be the real focus of the shot, a hill or a mountain perhaps. This will give you a shot that is exposed for the middle of the viewfinder and will, for example, play down the importance of sky.

On a reasonably grey day the green of grass will be converted by the camera to a perfect grey scale and will expose quite well.

Grey scale is important as well. The camera takes a scene and calculates its light against a grey scale (about 15% grey I think). As well as looking at grass also consider areas of grey wall or grey stone buildings. If these are reasonably well lit by the sun then they might be a good place to take a very accurate light reading from.

Spot Metering

The best metering system I ever used was on an old Olympus OM4. This allowed you to take up to 8 spot measurements and the camera would average them out for you. This really helped creativity. Suppose your shot had a dramatic variance between half the shot in shade and the other half in sun. You could simply take one spot measurement in the shade and one in the sun and the camera would average it out. But suppose you wanted to expose more for the sun that the dark. Well you could take two measurements in the sun and one in the dark, and the camera would average these out and give a weighted reading.

You can do the dame thing manually. If you’re not sure about the scene then take a spot (or centre weighted) measurement in one part and then one in another. Look at the different exposure readings and then selection that is between the two, or somewhere on that scale that seems reasonable. Use this as the staring point to bracket, in other words don’t just rely on the one shot.

Get out and Shoot!!!

Centre weighted and spot metering can really help the landscape photographer. Professionals will use professional light meters but most of us will rely on the in camera exposure calculator — these two modes will help you make the most of it.

When you are next on the hills take time to experiment. Find a nice scene and try different ways of calculating the exposure. Bracket well. The compare the results when you are back at the computer. You will get shots that are well out, but the beauty of digital is that you just delete them. Over time you will begin to get a feel for which scenes are likely to be problematic and which are straightforward.

So, don’t just rely on the dynamic area modes. Try the others as well. And remember, the more shots you take the more you will begin to get a feel for what is going on. And the more shots you take the more guaranteed you are of getting a decent base exposure with which to work on.

Next, we’ll move on to the photos themselves. What kind of weather gives really great, dramatic photos? What are some of the tricks of composition? And so on.

Don’t forget to mail if you’re confused and I’ve not explained myself properly. ANd feel free to add comments with any other tips or criticisms.