When to Use Spot Metering for Bird Photography (And When Not To)

Getting the exposure right in bird photography can be tricky - especially when your subject is dark against a bright sky, or pale against a shadowy background. This is where spot metering becomes one of the most useful tools in your camera. But when should you actually use it?

Let’s break it down in simple terms!

What Is Spot Metering?

Your camera’s metering system measures light to determine the correct exposure. In evaluative/matrix metering - or Digital ESP as it's called in my OM-1: the camera analyses the whole scene and tries to find a balanced exposure - which is great for evenly lit situations.

Spot metering, on the other hand, tells the camera to read light from just a very small area, usually 1–5% of the frame, and ignore everything else. In bird photography, this means you can meter directly from the bird rather than the background, prioritising exposing the bird and potentially 'sacrificing' the background.

When Spot Metering Is Most Useful

When the Bird Is Against a Bright Background

Think of a dark bird flying across a bright sky. If you leave your camera on evaluative metering, it will expose for the sky and turn the bird into a silhouette. By switching to spot metering and placing your focus point on the bird, the camera exposes for the bird’s plumage instead of the sky.

A word of caution for spot metering and birds in flight: * see below

When Photographing Birds in Strong Contrast

Bird sitting in deep shade with sunlit background? Or a white bird standing in dark reeds? High-contrast scenes confuse your camera — so telling it exactly where to meter ensures you don’t lose detail in the bird. Perfect for taking low or high key shots (see the tutorials on my YouTube Channel if you'd like to try these techniques).

For Birds With Very Light or Very Dark Plumage

Spot metering is perfect for White cockatoos, Spoonbills, Egrets and other light-toned birds that blow out easily. Likewise, all those black beauties like Sooty Oystercatchers and Black Cockatoos can become 'muddy' if the camera meters the background instead of their feathers.

When Not to Use Spot Metering

Spot metering isn’t ideal when:

• The bird is really small in the frame - your meter might struggle to lock onto the subject and could accidentally read the background.

• The lighting is even and consistent - evaluative/matrix metering works fine and is faster.

• You’re photographing flocks or busy scenes - exposing for the whole group may be easier and give you a better result

• *Birds in flight - I find using spot metering with fast-moving birds can cause a slight lag with your camera's auto-focus function. Unless you are reasonably accurate with locking focus onto flying birds, I would stick with using it just for slower moving birds, such as Egrets.

In these cases, I switch to Evaluative/Matrix/Digital ESP or centre-weighted metering.

Pro Tip: Combine Spot Metering with Exposure Compensation

Even when using spot metering, some birds still need fine-tuning. As a general rule:

• White birds: Start with –1 EV exposure compensation to protect highlights.

• Dark birds: Try +1 EV to lift shadowy feathers.

Final Thoughts

Spot metering isn’t a setting you leave on all the time - but when used intentionally, it’s a game-changer. Think of it as your “precision mode” for difficult lighting. When your camera is being tricked by bright skies, harsh sun, or deep shadow, switch to spot metering and take back control.

Master this one tool, and you’ll instantly see better tones, more feather detail - and fewer throwaway shots.

🦜 Want to learn more practical bird photography techniques like this? Subscribe to my blog, visit my YouTube channel or join me on a workshop!

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