How to correctly expose bird photography?

When shooting birds, it is recommended to use the center focus average photometry, because this will form a more accurate exposure than the full view measurement. In addition, it is necessary to use the exposure compensation function occasionally, which is more convenient than the matrix metering mode for overexposure and underexposure. In some extremely special lighting conditions, the illumination of the subject and the background is very different, so spot metering is the most suitable. However, it is best to use the evaluation/matrix measurement mode. This is the easiest mode to learn, which accords with people's basic experience and can teach you to judge whether the exposure data given by the camera is correct according to various situations. If you want to change the mode temporarily in a shooting scene, you must change it back after use, otherwise you may encounter problems in the next shooting. You can check the LCD or brightness histogram immediately after shooting to confirm whether the exposure is normal. This is very important. In the best case, the high point of the zigzag line in the histogram is close to the right side of the picture, which indicates that the tone value in the image has reached the maximum, which is called right exposure (ETTR).

Most cameras have a setting to flash overexposed areas on the LCD screen and mark them with different colors in the preview. A high-tech camera can accommodate a certain degree of overexposure without losing data, but its histogram will be seriously deformed and the sawtooth line will be seriously close to the right edge. If the histogram is used properly, you can often use moderate overexposure, because it allows the sensor to capture the maximum amount of information, especially in the case of high ISO value, which may give you the best results.

Second, exposure compensation

No matter which metering mode or exposure mode, it is necessary to decide whether to take overexposed or underexposed shots according to the results of camera measurement. A typical example of overexposure is shooting birds in the air. Facing the bright sky, you are easily overexposed. If you photograph snow, you usually need more light to project on the image sensor than the exposure recommended by the camera.

Light-colored birds need to reduce exposure compensation in front of a very dark background to reduce exposure, and sometimes they need to reduce many pieces. Otherwise, your subject is likely to be overexposed.

Some cameras can be set to automatic ISO mode, which means that under your exposure settings, if the light is insufficient, the camera will automatically increase the ISO sensitivity to adapt. This is a new feature of the new camera image sensor, which can withstand very high ISO value. Safety offset is an intelligent automatic protection setting, which can achieve accurate exposure by adjusting exposure time or aperture. Suitable for situations where the aperture or shutter speed reaches the limit, but there is not enough light to achieve accurate exposure.

Third, surround exposure.

Your camera may have an automatic bracketing exposure option, which means that it can automatically take multiple photos with multiple exposure combinations, and the difference between them is 1/3. For example, I need to expose it as accurately as possible. Recently, I tried to use bracketing exposure. If combined with high dynamic range (HDR) technology, it can open up a new field of bird photography and fuse images with different exposures.

It is important that you don't have to move your eyes away from the viewfinder at a specific time to adjust a series of camera settings, such as aperture, shutter speed or ISO value. You just need to make the necessary adjustments to avoid missing a huge opportunity.