Metering Modes for Bird Photography

^{Note: This tip comes from page 10-11 in Tobie Schalkwyk’s free eBook - Starting Bird Photography: Camera Settings}

METERING MODE

The metering mode determines what area of your scene the camera uses to determine your current exposure, which is visible in the viewfinder.

Underexposure and overexposure of your scene are indicated by various means dependent upon your camera model. Watching for over and under exposure is critical in bird photography and that is tied to the meter mode setting.

The metering mode is one of the settings you adjust by pushing and holding down the Metering Mode button on your camera while turning the Main dial. Find out where this button is on your particular camera and change the modes to see the different symbols for each. Your selection should reflect on your small top LCD screen for quick viewing and, if your camera allows it, inside your viewfinder.

In general, this is how you might use the metering modes:

• Matrix (Canon: Evaluative) metering mode: All of the scene is used to establish an exposure setting. Some camera models allow for an area of the frame to be given a great influence on the outcome.

• Center-weighted metering mode: When shooting a bird with a mixture of contrasting levels of brightness (for example, black and white) when the bird fills most of the central part of the frame.

• Spot metering mode: When shooting a bird of even colors or there’s much contrast between the bird and background. This mode ignores the background when the reading spot is placed upon the bird, making sure that the bird is correctly exposed. This can sometimes create a kind of high-key feel if the background around a bird is much brighter than the bird itself.

• Center-weighted average metering mode (Canon only): When you’d like the metering to be weighted at the center and then averaged out on the remainder of the scene. This mode is useful for scenes where the bird or birds are centralized in the frame but you also want the camera to take into account the background as well.

Cameras usually allow three or four metering modes to manipulate the reading area in your viewfinder. Some models also allow you to change the number of points that are used to read the exposure as well as move those points around the frame.

In general, spot metering is your best option to ensure that your bird is exposed perfectly (or very close to perfect) regardless of what is happening in the background.

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