Help with constantly over exposed picutures

i would say 75% of my pictures come out over exposed.
i'm not sure if this is a result of using priority mode?
meter is always centered so i always assume i'm good ... but then it looks like the side walks and streets always refelect so much light.

i took this picture from my car so never mind it not being the greatest picture
this was about 11am, cloudy the sun was not out at all

this was taken with the t4i and a canon 50mm 1.4 @ f2.8 using auto focus
does the t4i have the tendency to over expose even when meter is centered? i keep aiming for dead center assuming the camera knows more than me. and it looks fine in the view finder.. thats the other thing,, when i first started with this camera i used the screen to see pictures , and the pictures came out how i saw them in the screen, but then i started doing alot of reading to learn how to take better pictures(specifically tips on how to do better street photography) and i felt like most advised to use the view finder ,, and so i have and now i'm constantly over exposed

its getting a bit frustrating as i've feel that i've gotten a few good pics only to end up being over exposed ,, any tips would be very much appreciated

perhaps its best to bite the bullet and go thru the growing pains of going Manual mode now rather than later

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO | PHOTOBUCKET ERROR IMAGE

How do you feel that this image is overexposed? You might want to look at a histogram for your images. This image is not technically overexposed at all.

The first question to answer: Is your monitor calibrated?

The average computer monitor is brighter than it should be. Not a problem for most computer uses, but it is for processing photos.

i am new to photography so it could be that i'm not fully understanding how to evealuate my photos..
the sidewalk and street look alot more pale than what i remember seeing..
i'm working on getting a better pc.. but at the moment i'm using a $300 toshiba laptop..so i'm sure its pretty safe to say that i'm not getting the most accurate reflection of what i actually did

The histogram looks pretty good to me:

well then,, perhaps my home work for tonight is learning how to read a histogram:o

thanks for the input guys

rantercsr wrote in post #16766400
well then,, perhaps my home work for tonight is learning how to read a histogram:o

thanks for the input guys

That would be an evening well-spent, and it might even be kind of fun to learn more about histograms!

Monitor calibration,

Nogo wrote in post #16766304
The first question to answer: Is your monitor calibrated?

The average computer monitor is brighter than it should be. Not a problem for most computer uses, but it is for processing photos.

And your browser can make a difference, too. WEB BROWSER CHECK - Test Page - ICC profiles and Photoshop Color Management

<puts monitor calibration on the To Do list>

KristinPalmer wrote in post #16766695
<puts monitor calibration on the To Do list>

But he uses a lappy, so a good monitor is the main priority.

You're using Canon's DPP to view/convert your .CR2 RAW images. DPP uses the picture style you use in the camera as a starting point for processing. In this case it's 'Neutral'.

The 'neutral' style is, according to the camera manual, 'for users who prefer to process images with their computer. For natural colors and subdued images.'

Your image is not over exposed (histogram), but it lacks contrast, like flare, as if it was shot into the light. Bricks can reflect like that. Cloudy days can do that too, with diffused light coming from everywhere and shooting in the general direction of the sun, and coupled with the neutral style it might look a little washed out.

DPP lets you chose a different picture style as starting point for processing .CR2s.
If you shoot .JPG, then the style in your camera is what you get as a starting point.

In DPP, the RAW tab, you'll see a histogram. Grab the vertical line on the left side (on the right of the gray area) and drag it to the right, over the left side of the graph. See the effect of that on the contrast. Just 'setting the black point' a little to the right can work wonders. Experiment. You can Edit/save recipe in file -or- copy recipe to clipboard, and apply the same edit to any other RAW files you want.

Fool around with brightness, contrast, curves, anything you want, that's what processing is for.