How to measure light with an indoor portrait camera

There are two kinds of indoor portraits, one is on-site light photography, which is to use the light of the scene as the only light source to shoot images, such as: the light projected by the window, candlelight, fireplace firelight, etc., this kind of photography is generally that you arrange the subject in the brightest light, you measure the brightest light, and the details of the dark part are left alone, this kind of photography can show a sense of realism.

There is also a kind of indoor portrait with artificial light, that is to say, with photographic lights for lighting, he generally needs a main light, an auxiliary light, a background light composed of (of course, you can also add other lights, such as contour light, hair light, eye light, etc.) The main light is generally set at the angle of the subject at 45°, and the auxiliary light is set up at the position closest to the camera, which can soften the shadow caused by the main light. There is a problem of light ratio here, the light ratio of digital cameras is generally set to 1:2, as long as this light ratio is set, it can be carried out according to the strong light area**, that is to say, the main light is twice as bright as the auxiliary light.

The background light is set behind the subject to illuminate the background, and the subject stands out in the background.

Hope it helps the landlord.

When shooting portraits outdoors, the metering modes are usually average metering, ** focus and spot metering, which in principle depends on the location of the scene and the light source.

1. In a light-forward scene where the light evenly brightens the characters, you can use the average metering with confidence;

2. For backlight or scenes with large contrast between light and dark, it is recommended to choose key or spot metering.

3. When using artificial light sources such as flash lamps and outdoor studio lights for lighting, it is important to take these important factors that affect the metering value into account.

It is not easy to shoot portraits indoors, especially when using natural light, the contrast between light and dark on a sunny day is great, and it is difficult to grasp the brightness of the subject.

The most common metering mode used for portraits is center-area metering.

There are four metering modes: evaluative metering, spot metering, partial metering, and key average metering. Under what circumstances and which metering mode to choose? Let's break them down one by one. Volta.

1. Evaluation metering.

It is metering the whole frame. To put it simply, the picture is divided into many small areas, and the camera calculates and evaluates the brightness and darkness of each small area, and then obtains an average lack of filial piety value of light and dark.

This is how we metered the entire picture. The benefit is that it equalizes the image** without overexposing the highlights.

2. Spot metering.

Refers to metering a point in the captured frame. It takes the middle area of the camera, which is roughly the value. Therefore, when you want to accurately capture details, spot metering is ideal.

3. Local metering.

Its metering method is cautious and similar to spot metering, but its metering area is larger than spot metering, and the approximate value is about the same. This metering mode is the best choice for backlit scenes and backlit portraits.

Fourth, ** focus on average metering.

It also meters the whole world, but its metering weight is heavier in the center. Focus on the ** area to get average brightness. Therefore, when shooting, the subject is more suitable for the middle position.

The above introduces the four metering modes in the camera, its metering range, and which metering mode to choose in different shooting scenarios, which we have described in detail above. In future shooting, we need to practice a lot to become proficient in the metering mode.

The camera metering steps are as follows:

1. Evaluative metering, also known as average metering, is to intelligently analyze the brightness of the entire picture, and finally obtain the average brightness value for calculation. It is suitable for occasions with relatively small light, wide application, and very easy to use.

2. **Focus on metering, this talk is about 1 3 in the middle area of the picture for metering, because the center composition is commonly used, the subject is in the middle, so it is very suitable for center composition and close-up shooting.

3. Spot metering, spot metering is to measure about 3% of the area of a single point, accurate metering, can ensure that the subject is correct, even if the backlight is shot, there is a good performance of liquid celery touching the ground.

4. Automatic lock, there is an automatic lock "*" button on the camera. Use the middle area to press the shutter metering halfway on the subject of the frame, and press the auto lock "*" button to reframe the focus shot. There is generally no mistake with this metering. First source.