Grey Card Metering Help...Please

[hauff]

Hi folks. I'm in the information overload mode trying to get a handle on my new 20D and am a little confused with some of the camera functions. I want to shoot some pictures at my daughters graduation and would like to meter indoors before hand using a grey card. Could someone walk me through the process using the 20D. Thanks in advance for your help.

[PhotosGuy]

What don't you understand? Metering on "M"? 20D functions?
Indoors, you'll find it easier to meter a white card & chimp to the right. Some general info here:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=54281
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=58677

[scottbergerphoto]

The Grey card will only work if the lighting is uniform for all your pictures. You need to take a new reading for each different lighting siuation. That said:
1. Put your camera in Manual Mode.
2. Place the greycard in the lighting your subjects wil be in.
3. Fill the viewfinder with the grey card.
4. Set your Aperture and Shutter so the you have the meter needle in the center.
5. That's it. You have the settings for that lighting situation. You can use any equivalent combination of aperture and shutter speed.
If you don't have a grey card and are caucasian, you can use the palm of your hand and add 1 f stop in speed or aperture.

[Digital Prophet]

I think that it is important to remember that his meter reading is going to be off. If your daughter's graduation is anything like that ones I have been to then you will be in a hall/arena/stadium in the seats. The lighting there is going to be significantly different than the lighting IN the center/field/whatever. If I were you I would skip the grey card and manually meter aiming at the stage.

If you are, and I am sure you will, going to take the "sitting in the crowd of students" "standing in line" and "walking to the stage" shots then I think that you are just going to have to watch your meter reading and adjust it on the fly. It isn't the easiest solution but I think it is the one that is going to work.

Event photography means that you have to deal with a whole range of changing light situations that you really just can't plan for in most cases.

- Digital Prophet -

[scottbergerphoto]

You can take readings off a grey card in all those areas before the graduation begins and write the readings down on an index card or a piece of tape on the back of the camera. Then with the camera on Manual, use the setting you determined. It's not as fast as in camera metering but it works.

[hauff]

Thanks for all the help guys. The lighting as I suspected was horrible and very hard to shoot them in black robes with mainly black background but I did the best I could from about 20 rows back with the 70-200mm F/2.8L IS @ 1/250 sec., F/2,8, ISO 800 and my 580EX flash. I can live with what I got all things considered. I did get some very good shots away from the stage where I had more control of the conditions. Thank goodness for Photoshop CS.

http://www3.telus.net/public/g0a00489/Ali.jpg

http://www3.telus.net/public/g0a00489/Bailey.jpg

http://www3.telus.net/public/g0a00489/Bailey1.jpg

[Digital Prophet]

That is a good point. But it's been my experience that very often the spots that you want to take action shots of are inaccessible. For instance, the stage of a graduation. Or in my case, a bull shoot or some other place where a large crazed animal is or will soon be.

You know the more I think about it, I could handle a wedding.

- Digital Prophet -

[PhotosGuy]

Those look pretty nice, Bryan! Good job!
DP: You know the more I think about it, I could handle a wedding. Bulls don't have MOBs! ;-)

[KurtKuhn]

Bryan-

Nicely done.

20 rows back? That 580EX can really throw some light.

-KK