Field Exposure Tips

• Neutral-Point Method - Find a medium-toned object in the same light as the subject, frame it in the viewfinder and take a light reading to lock the exposure


• Constant-Tones Method - If there is no neutral point, twist the len focus to infinity or its closest focal point. This renders the viewfinder image completely blurred out, which usually removes the distracting extremes of color and helps the meter make a better choice for the exposure


• The F16 Rule - On a sunny day with the sun directly over your shoulder, the exposure will be 1/125 at f16 on ISO 100. Using exposure ratios, this equates to 1/250 at f11, 1/500 at f8 etc. Use this as a starting point and underexpose slightly.


• The Rouse Method - Set the exposure compensation to -2/3 stop underexposed. Generally the DSLR tends to overexpose, so this ensures you will always have slightly underexposed images in RAW. You can then edit them post-processing.


• Flash Exposure - To use flash in daylight to brighten the shadows, set flash unit compensation to -2 stops. At night, reduce to -1 stop.