Exposing for the Sky

Bright Clouds Over Spruce Knob

As I looked through the viewfinder, I saw the trees and sky darken as the lens faced this portion of sky where the sun shone behind the clouds. I decided to shoot the picture with the sky slightly darkened. If I had framed the picture the way you see (above) using automatic settings, the sky would have been much darker than I wanted, since my built-in light meter is heavily influenced by the center of the picture.

Rather than switch from automatic to manual, I fooled the sensor by moving the lens to the right. With gray clouds taking up most of the frame, I depressed the button part-way down without clicking the shutter until I moved the camera back to get the image you see. Then I pressed the button down the rest of the way.

The trick of holding the button part-way down is an old one that predates digital cameras. It takes advantage of auto-exposure and auto-focus features but allows you to shoot without the subject in the center of the image. With digital, you don't have to worry about the cost of film so you can experiment with this until you get an image you like. Also, digital images can easily be adjusted using software on the computer so you get a chance to refine the results.

I like using a camera that has a viewfinder as well as a screen. I can easily see what's in the center of the image and judge the light more accurately than I can on a screen (which usually has reflections on it). Also, with my eye near the viewfinder, I can steady the camera using my face as well as my hands.