step by step Tricks to cope with awkward subjects

There’s no ‘right’ way to use your camera’s exposure system, but here are some strategies we use on N-Photo

Contrasting backgrounds

Dark backgrounds can help your subject stand out but will confuse the meter. Centre-weighted or spot mode is likely to give a more reliable result than matrix metering.

Overexposed skies

Matrix metering can leave skies above landscapes overexposed. If that happens, tilt the camera slightly upwards, lock the exposure, reframe and shoot.

Grey snow and ice

This isn’t the camera’s fault – it doesn’t know snow is meant to be white! The solution is to apply an EV compensation adjustment of +1 to +1.7EV.

Pools of light

The most interesting lighting is often the trickiest for meter readings. But where the illumination is constant, you can take a spot reading in M mode and stick to it.