Why are my nigh time photos, with t3i. any lens, all overexposed?

[jimmyoceans]

Tried shotting a night time, dark out, photo of a church and its reflection off a still lake.  Keeps coming out too exposed and unnatural.  What am I doing wrong?

[ScottyP]

That is a tricky job for the camera's metering system. A pitch black scene with a bright element, plus a water reflection of the bright element.

You can help the camera out by either : 1.). Switching to SPOT metering mode and making sure the bright church is in the center or 2.). Leave the shot as it is and just apply + or - exposure compensation to get the look you want.

A third option would be using full manual mode and fiddling with shutter or aperture to get the exposure you want.

[jimmyoceans]

Thank you for your suggestions.  I have tried spot metering but was very disapointed that the photo was still overexposed.  I also tried reducing the exposure level, but this too yeilded the same results.  I will try reducing it a few more clicks to see it it helps.  So far I have tried Flash Off mode, and Speed mode, is there anything else you think might work?  Thanks again.

[TCampbell]

Can you post an example and include the settings you are using.

This is a situation where shooting in the Manual mode is going to work best.  The built-in light meter isn't going to deal with extreme dark very well.  For "spot" metering, you'd really need to point the camera so that the center of frame is on something you want exposed correctly (e.g. the building) and then hit the exposure-lock button (the asterisk on the back of the camera), then re-compose the shot before shooting.  

I would shoot manual and bracket.

[jimmyoceans]

Thanks, I try it this weekend on the same church and see what develops.  😉

[ebiggs1]

Two words for you, manual and bracketing.