When should I use use matrix, center-weighted or spot metering.
Camera light meters measure the brightness of the light reaching the camera from the subject. Originally all cameras used what was referred to as average light metering. This looked at all the areas of light and shade in the whole scene and gave an average reading of the light levels. The downside of this method was the reading could be influenced by large area of light, such as the sky, which resulted in under exposure ( picture too dark).
Matrix metering works by splitting the scene into segments and analyzes all the different segment readings to give a correct exposure. This method tends to be the accurate as it is less influenced by very light or dark patches in one area. It is usually the standard option and best one to use.
Centre weight metering, as it's name suggests, looks at the whole scene but give emphasis to the central area of the picture. This can work well on landscapes as it avoids large area of sky.
Spot metering looks at a very small area of the picture often indicated by a small circle in the viewfinder. This method is excellent for bright subjects against a dark background such as a singer in the spotlight on a stage. Spot metering is not recommended for general photography and if you ever find your your exposures totally erratic check this setting.
What happens if it rains on the day of the course?
Bring a brolly! The vagaries of the British weather is something I have no control over. These courses are designed to be flexible and will run as usual. We will try to dodge the showers and concentrate on wet weather pictures outside or in the unlikely event that it rains continually we have a very good indoor photography session contingency plan.
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