true functionality of metering modes?

[iphonemaster93]

Hey guys,

  I got a 6DMKII to rent for the weekend (I'm currently a Sony shooter but used to shoot with a 6D) and i've got a question about the metering modes. I shoot cars, and have been told cameras nowadays are pretty good with correct exposure as far as shooting in evaluative, but some people do shoot in center weighted average metering mode. My question is, when does the camera actually expose? I've read a few sources (even one on here) and I'd take my time but I only have this camera until Monday next week so I need quick answers. Say if I'm shooting in CWA, expose for my subject in the center of the frame, with the focus points in the dead center of the frame, and then recompose while shutter is held halfway down, does the camera re-expose for the center of the frame after I recompose, or is the camera still exposing for the subject I originally put the focus on? Even with the Sony it's difficult because [the earlier] Sony bodies don't have CWA and the focus points are so much larger in comparison with Canon and Nikon's focus points. TIA! 

[iphonemaster93]

I usually leave WB 'as is' in lightroom and color grade with curves because if that's not the case, the photo is super blue afterwards if just bringing down the exposure by 1 1/2 - 2 stops.

[iphonemaster93]

Canon does the same thing. I just shot an entire car show today with the 6DMKII. I'll get through an edit tonight [hopefully] and upload it after. I usually go full on saturation via color channels then level out the vibrance only in the highlights. Then I selectively bring saturation down. 

[Waddizzle]

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@iphonemaster93 wrote:

Canon does the same thing. I just shot an entire car show today with the 6DMKII. I'll get through an edit tonight [hopefully] and upload it after. I usually go full on saturation via color channels then level out the vibrance only in the highlights. Then I selectively bring saturation down. 

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Full saturation, straight out of the gate?  Less is best, is what many people would say.  I think your method is flawed.  Making saturation adjustments is the last step I might make.

How do you determine what is the correct color temperature and color tint?  I think your entire work flow is seriously flawed.  

When I use LR I apply a preset during Import, which applies lens correction.  Barring any major corrections to the entire Import, my first step would be to apply any correction to Dynamic Range, by adjusting the Whites and Blacks sliders.  I do this while I hold down the ALT key.  Try it.

I usually shoot with a fixed color temperature.  I seem to get better exposures compared to one of the automatic settings in the camera.

Next, I adjust the highlights and shadows while observing the histogram, most particularly the indicators in the top left and top right corners.  This exposure needed very little adjustment as it turned.  It is the exception, not the rule.  

[iphonemaster93]

Thing is, I do. I've also asked how some of the best automotive photographers in the world how they edit and have incorporated their editing styles into my own. I have the camera body set at AWB, then when I bring it into Lightroom, I do use apply a lens correction and also set my white and black points. However, I set my white point at 30, anything more would be too harsh but anything less, even playing with the curves adjustment in PS, will not get me the result I want. Also for white balance, if it's too yellow or too blue, I'll still correct it, but in Photoshop. But also sometimes, I'll change the white balance to make the car pop more (for example, warmer tone for a blue colored car). I'm thinking since I'm metering off the car anyways, the rest will adjust by itself, the only problem is difference between leaving the car dead center or composing the car off to the side. If I had it in CWA, it would meter for both the background and the car which isn't what I want. So that's why I asked, does the camera set the exposure at the shutter button half held (I'd put the car in the middle, AE lock at neutral or positive EV for ETTR, then recompose), or will the camera set the exposure regardless if I recompose?

What I did yesterday, was deciding if there was a section of a vehicle that highlights were blown out, I'd put center point somewhere below where the blown highlights were, and then expose that way. However, I did also move the camera around slightly, take a few shots, and didn't notice the histogram moving much.

I'm doing more shooting today, I'll play around some more LOL 

[Waddizzle · Accepted solution]

Personally, I would think pushing all of the color saturation levels to maximum out of rote is something you should abandon.  It is pretty obvious, at least to me, that your issue is more post processing than capturing images.  

You are way over thinking this whole thing, too.  I agree with you, that photographing super shiny cars in bright sunlight presents some unique challenges.  But, I look at it this way.  If my eyes say the reflection off the car is harsh and glaring when I look at it, then I tend to ignore those harsh, over exposed spots and points of light in post. 

You really should try holding down the ALT key when you make certain adjustments, like Whites and Blacks, and Highlights and Shadows.  In fact, the behavior of many control sliders change when you hold down the ALT key.  I guarantee you that you willl have an OMG moment.

[iphonemaster93]

i'll definitely give that a shot, do everything and leave saturation for the very end. Yeah I mean there's really no limit to post processing either. There were a bunch of times where I thought I exposed correctly but ended up going with creating a silhouette photo but overkilling that, even, looking at it again a few hours later. 

Haha that's a nice observation, I actually do overthink a majority of other aspects in my life, I'm known to my friends as the overthinker lolol. That's interesting, why would you ignore the harsh light though? Wouldn't it hurt your eyes? I often times actually bring the whites down because imo, it's overkill. 

Yeah I do hold alt while adjusting the blacks, and I just completely kill the highlights if it doesn't look right to me (sometimes I don't, depending on how harsh the light is). I'll play around with it in post some more. 

[iphonemaster93]

No matter if I shoot Canon or Sony, my results are almost the same, just depending on the metering modes because I use center zone AF on my Sony body and I used center point AF on the 6DMKII. Sony's CWA I believe covers a much smaller area compared to Canon's CWA, the AF points are also different in sizes so why I asked does the body expose when the shutter is half held or does the body expose when the shutter is clicked. I shot a whole car event with the Canon body today and here's an example of a red car:

I believe I exposed for the upper portion of the hood (sky was blown out in original image), AE locked it with CWA and no exposure comp, and did selective coloring on the red by playing with the red, magenta, and yellow.