Best metering mode for dusky blue skies

[batmura]

What is the most effective mode for metering the dusky blue sky? Say I am shooting a landscape well adter sunset and the foreground is qute dark but there is still some dusky blue sky. Therefore, would I have to switch to spot metering rather than matrix and then recompose and shoot?

what is your prefered method for this type of shot?

 

[bratkinson]

Bottom line...whatever works. Or, whatever is best for the situation.

Your post didn't indicate if there are any subjects, lit, unlit, back lit, front lit, internally lit (houses, for example), etc, that you wish to capture in the photograph. If there's a particular person, for example, back to the dusky blue sky that is reasonably lit, then use spot metering. If you are trying to capture the blueness of the sky and everything else in silhouette, then matrix.

But, metering or not, it really doesn't matter. It all comes down to determining the appropriate exposure for the situation. I'd definitely start with Av mode (or whatever Nikon calls aperture priority) to establish what I wanted for depth of field considerations. Given a couple of test shots, then it may be necessary to crank up the ISO speed to get what you want. Lastly, figure out what shutter speed is needed to get your shot. Assuming you are photographing something more or less stationary, a shutter speed of 1/30 or even slower may be called for...if the camera is on a tripod (recommended for low light shots!). Hand held, 1/<focal length> is a good starting point, but may result in a too-fast shutter speed to get a good enough exposure. It's trial and error, several cycles, before you'll arrive at the settings you want. But then, a minute earlier or a minute later, it's all changed...

 

[table1349]

Exploring Metering Modes
Metering Modes Explained
Understanding Camera Metering and Exposure
Metering mode cheat sheet: how they work and when to use them | Digital Camera World

 

[cynicaster]

I wouldn't overthink your choice of metering mode when you're trying to get a nice photo in such a situation. Pick one, shoot, chimp the histogram, adjust (if necessary), repeat. You should be able to get the "ideal" exposure in 2-3 tries.

 

[Tailgunner]

I generally leave mine set to Spot when shooting cityscapes and Landscapes. My main concern is like stated above which is deciding the correct exposure. I really try to focus on my shutter time, making sure I have it set right for the conditions...low light hand held or low light tripod. I generally don't sweat it much if using a tripod but I try to get maximum shutter time when shooting hand held...generally have to increase ISO at this point.

 

[TCampbell]

You might be getting this from the Bryan Peterson book. When he talks about metering for the "dusky blue sky" he's also talking about shooting cityscapes and shooting them at around 20 minutes after sunset. At that point, an exposure on the sky will make sure the sky is correctly exposed. The buildings will be underexposed... but the city lights will NOT be underexposed... anything lit will have a nice glow to it. So the overall result looks pretty good -- but this isn't for shooting portraiture.

If you're shooting a landscape (not the same as a cityscape) it's different. Landscapes aren't necessarily filled with lots of glowing lights like cityscapes at dusk. That means an exposure for the sky might end up rendering the foreground too dark. Depending on the scene (so there's no getting around have to think through why you should use a given exposure... "rules" and "guidelines" are good as a base way to get started... but you'll always need to be prepared to adjust based on YOUR shooting circumstances.) you may end up with a foreground that's much too dark. The trick to get around that is to use a gradient neutral density filter -- a rectangular slide-in filter that's dark only on half of the rectangle and the rest is clear. By putting the dark part of the filter over the light part of your image (the sky) you get to increase the entire exposure... this makes the foreground brighter without making the sky any brighter.