metering landscapes

[simmonsrandal]

how do you all meter with landscape shots. I just came back from shooting some waterfalls and is seems like my metering was off as the landscapes where underexposed.

what meter mode do you all use for landscapes?
where in the scene do you meter?

[blackcap]

I just shoot in Av mode with Evaluative metering. Check your histogram and make adjustments where necessary, either using exposure compensation or by switching to manual mode and varying your exposure that way.

If your scene contains too much dynamic range to capture in one shot (e.g. bright sky, darker foreground), then you'll need to bracket your exposures and then blend them during post. Grad ND filters can help with that, if you have a straight horizon.

[afviper]

Keep in mind that when there is a lot of white in the scene the photo will come out underexposed. When shooting scenes with a lot of snow, or in your case white water from the waterfall try bumping up the exposure by a stop. Like the previous poster said checking your histogram also helps.

[jrader]

I just shoot in Av mode with Evaluative metering. Check your histogram and make adjustments where necessary, either using exposure compensation or by switching to manual mode and varying your exposure that way.

If your scene contains too much dynamic range to capture in one shot (e.g. bright sky, darker foreground), then you'll need to bracket your exposures and then blend them during post. Grad ND filters can help with that, if you have a straight horizon.

This is almost exactly what I do. What you can do is spot meter the darkest shadow and the brightest highlight of the scene, and then go right in the middle (as long as the difference in stops is less than or equal to the dynamic range of the sensor). Always check your histogram though. It will be the final word.

John

[jcothron]

I shoot a lot of waterfalls.. In almost every instance the limiting factor to exposure will be the lightest area of the water (assuming you don't have sky in the shot). I spot meter on the lightest area and over-expose that by 1.5 stops or so. Why? to preserve as much shadow detail as I can in other areas. You might be able to push it to 2 stops at times but check the histogram and make sure you didn't blow out any highlights.

Even then, more often than not you'll need a little PP work in the surrounding scene to get it looking "real".

If the occasion calls for it, I'll use a soft-edge GND to balance the scene some. This really only applies if you have a piece of the scene that is lit distinctly better. Most of the times these areas tend to be "spots" due to foliage cover, etc.