February 2012

Unless you only shoot models in a studio, you’ve no doubt run into a lighting situation your camera just can’t handle. A very common one is a shaded subject in a bright environment. There are two classic ways to deal with the situation. First is flash. Of course, that only works if the subject is close enough and you have the right flash(es) to achieve the desired effect. The second, which I’ve often used at sporting events where the contestants are wearing caps, is to spot meter on the subject. But sometimes, like in the case of this Inthar fisherman in Myanmar, neither of those approaches will work. I’d really like to capture his wonderful facial expressions, but not lose the rendering of the background. If I spot meter for his shadowed face, I’ll blow out the scenery and even much of his fishing gear. Fortunately there is another solution…