Correctly "exposing for the background"?

Common example of taking a picture of a person outside with a sunny/bright background. Seems like a recommended strategy is to expose for the background, and then use fill flash for the subject. A couple of questions about this:

(1) I have a 60D. I shoot 95% of the time in Av or M. When in Av, I just focus in on the background, use AE-Lock, then refocus on my subject and take the picture. When in manual, I focus in the background, adjust the metering for the correct composition, and then just use that exposure while refocusing on the subject. Is this the correct way to do it, or is there another easier way?

(2) When trying to get an exposure for the background, I focus on a point in the background by pressing down the shutter halfway until I get a focus lock. Is there another way to take an exposure reading from the background WITHOUT actually having to focus?

(3) XSi vs 60D: My older camera is an XSi and it did not seem to meter as well as the 60D. For example, if I take the kind of shot I'm describing in this post on evaluating metering, the XSi seemed to have a tendency to UNDERexpose BOTH the background and the subject a bit. On the 60D, I notice better metering. The subject is a bit underexposed (which is to be expected), but the background seems to be consistently properly exposed. Does this sound right? do these cameras have different metering systems? which leads me to this question: If I can leave my 60D on evaluative metering, focus on the subject, and get the result I want/ expect: basically a properly exposed background with a slightly underexposed subject, then do I really need to expose for the background?

I think to some degree you are overthinking this. Using AV and ETTL it should pretty much do this for you automatically as thats what its designed to do. If one or the other elements is out of balance you eithe adjust the exposure compensation to change the background, or the Flash Exposure Compensation to change the flashed part. Keep in mind that having the camera choose either evaluative mode or average metering mode for the flash will make changes in the way it meters the scene.

That said. Its a lot easier to use M mode, and select a pleasing exposure for the background. I say pleasing because accurately metering the background may be a matter of the effect you want to achieve, I tend to like slightly underexposed background. The with the flash in ETTL mode just dial in the amount of FEC to get the results on you desire.

If you have a SUBJECT, why are you concentrating on exposing for the background?

I would think that most of us would be trying to get our SUBJECTS correctly exposed and let the background fall where it may.

DunnoWhen wrote in post #15075110
If you have a SUBJECT, why are you concentrating on exposing for the background?

I would think that most of us would be trying to get our SUBJECTS correctly exposed and let the background fall where it may.

Because a correctly exposed subject with a totally blown-out or underexposed background can look like crap perhaps?

If you want a blue sky to appear blue, you meter on the sky and then use other methods (flash, reflector, etc.) to fill in the subject to the proper exposure.

DunnoWhen wrote in post #15075110
If you have a SUBJECT, why are you concentrating on exposing for the background?

I would think that most of us would be trying to get our SUBJECTS correctly exposed and let the background fall where it may.

The ability to hide, reveal, or balance the background with the flashed subject is the key to portraiture. You can highlight a subject by underexposing the background, you can balance the background to make flash seem like its not even flashed at all.

I shoot Av most of the time and in a situation like this I would usually just expose -2/3 or -1 (for background) and FEC at 0 or +1/3 (with homemade diffuser on 430EX)...usually its a pretty good combination. May require a second shot for fine tuning but this is the approach I take...hope it helps...

DunnoWhen wrote in post #15075110
If you have a SUBJECT, why are you concentrating on exposing for the background?

I would think that most of us would be trying to get our SUBJECTS correctly exposed and let the background fall where it may.

Sorry don't follow that logic. I like to shoot portraits in say the shaded area of a dappled woodland. I want the background to be exposed properly to highlight the beaty of the scene. I then use fill flash to expose the subject as I want them. Best of Both world. In my scenario it would be dead simple to meter the flash on the subject get that smack on and end up with an extremely dark background.
Might as well stay at home, sling up a black sheet and pound the Bowens!

You are over complicating this. Canon are different to Nikon in the way they set up the flash system by all accounts and with a Canon the hard work is done for you. The flash will default to a "fill-flash" mode automatically.

Simply meter the whole scene and use the suggested setting in M. Then plonk the flashgun onto the camera, turn it on and shoot. If you believe the main subject will affect the overall exposure so much, then maybe try spot metering a representative sample section of the rest of the scene.

Submariner has obviously never read this particular piece of advice before, but all I can tell him is it is a legitimate technique.

Lowner wrote in post #15075378
You are over complicating this. Canon are different to Nikon in the way they set up the flash system by all accounts and with a Canon the hard work is done for you. The flash will default to a "fill-flash" mode automatically.

Simply meter the whole scene and use the suggested setting in M. Then plonk the flashgun onto the camera, turn it on and shoot. If you believe the main subject will affect the overall exposure so much, then maybe try spot metering a representative sample section of the rest of the scene.

Submariner has obviously never read this particular piece of advice before, but all I can tell him is it is a legitimate technique.

Sure...legitimate if you want flash exposures that jump all over the place and really don't balance well with scene. E-TTL II is not all it's cut out to be - it often will do a horrible job.

Numenorean wrote in post #15075386
Sure...legitimate if you want flash exposures that jump all over the place and really don't balance well with scene. E-TTL II is not all it's cut out to be - it often will do a horrible job.

I have used it successfully, don't know what else to say.

Lowner wrote in post #15075407
I have used it successfully, don't know what else to say.

I can use it successfully as well, though it's not trustworthy enough for me to use. I typically shoot my flash in manual and then I know it's right.

While we all may not care about the background- the OP apparently does- or he would not have asked the question.

To me, it seems that if he can get it close- it'll probably be good enough. In certain circumstances, he might need to use fill flash.. In the situations that properly exposing the background and the subject is overly exposed- because of conditions- well, it seems that he might be able to use a ND filter ( or maybe a CPL ) and then fill flash.. Just thinking out loud. In the end, every situation will be a little different....

I actually shoot to underexpose the background slightly to de-emphasize it. Then I determine the flash level necessary to get the subject properly exposed and shoot it on manual so the flash exposure doesn't hop around.