Solving The 'Spot Meter & Focus' Conflict

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(* Pls ignore the Matrix Metering icon mistake in the overlay. Camera had to be in video mode so that it can be it can be recorded in our Atomos Ninja. Sorry everyone.)

Learn from Andrew Boey how you can solve the 'Spot Meter, but Focus on dark eye' over-exposure issue & fully understand why this happens. Oh, and don't miss out on our popular post-credits!

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Model: Emma Alvarez
Director & Camera: Chong Yichong
Editor: Ella Aw & Izzat
Music: YouTube Creator & Kevin McLeod
Trainer & Host: Andrew Boey

[sweetknow]

"Meter where the mid tone is supposed to be" thank you! 👏

[milanhenegamage]

You just solved my biggest problem in portrait photography. Thank you 🙏🏼

[migflowers]

This tip is gold! It’s hard to believe nobody else is talking about this, being that it’s so important to get exposure correct!

[abigaillarson]

Oh thank you so much!!! for years this has bugged me. I have been adjusting my exposure according to my focus point which is usually the eye.

[robertprice]

I have to say I have learn more watching your Andrews videos than any other photographer

[geoffmiller]

Thanks so much Andrew.
I was really confused about how to use the same camera point to get correct exposure and successfully autofocus until watching this excellent video. It has been a real help. Thank you again.

[jeevanb]

Andrews, Nice Short Video Filled With Knowledge. One Observation: While You Metering, Even When You Change Focus On Different Location, How Your Camera 's Exposure Compensation Automatically Changes (shadow-to-midtone)? What Setting Is Required ? In My 700D, I See That It Happens Only When Shutter Release Is Pressed HalfWay Down.

[FierceMaverick]

Great, but why focusing on the eye and not on the nose, since it's closer to the lens on a front portrait?

[patriciasweeting]

I was wondering why my flash and everything else went wrong. Thank you!!!!

[kennyiklei]

Thank you, excellent explanation. But what if I set the mid tone on forehead, focus on her eye, and recompose the picture such that my spot metering is on a bright spot near the window?

[andrewhannam.]

Thank you for another great video. Back button focus and meter than take the shot, back button focus has changed my photography forever!

[scottyeh]

Why when you said avoid readjust Spot Metering EC, but bottom camera setting strip has shown Metric Metering mode?

[jamesrphgoma]

I am a beginner in photography and I find your tutorials to be very simple to understand. Thank you so much for the information.

[WilliamCruzingphotos]

Love your YouTube teaching. Been looking at your beyondphotography website. Amazing. I've learned a great deal from your episodes. Your style of teaching and explanation is great. Keep up the amazing work.

[earavichandran]

Sir... super tutorial video. Clear the doubt of many portrait photographers. Explanations are crystal clear and well explained. Great thanks.

[zngtsuchg]

Back-button focus & set half-shutter to AE lock solves everything

[newkeshsuwal]

Thanks for another helpful think your videos deserve millions of views. I have a problem, whenever I shoot with a lamp or any light source at the background...the antilight spoils my photo. Can You teach us to take pictures in such conditions?

[sanjiwaranjan]

Hii Andrew I am user of SonyA58. I am hobbyist. And I learn a lot from Beyond Photography videos Thanks for such free video. My concern is when to use "White Balance Bracketing".

[hersh]

I love street/photojournalism and concert photography. Starting to get into taking portraits of people and this video was AMAZINGLY Helpful! You have yourself a new subscriber!

[DeepakChauhan-ztkv]

I think that the question was about the non-manual mode because half-pressing the shutter does the function of focus as well as spot metering, and hence if you focus on the eyes, the spot meter will underexpose the entire scene if the eyes are dark. In my view, the only solution in non-manual mode is not to focus on the eyes and focus on the skin instead and use a longer depth of field so that the eyes are also in focus. The other not-so-good option if you essentially need to focus on the eyes is to use exposure compensation to increase the exposure (this is recommended only in the most controlled environment where people have similar eye and skin colors so that you adjust the exposure compensation on one person and hope that it will apply to other people as well.)

In manual mode, there is basically no effective metering linked to pressing the shutter since the camera settings do not change. It is basically the histogram preview of the scene similar to exposure simulation feature that most cameras have nowadays so that you can manually adjust the settings before clicking.