You’d think having just returned from a photography shoot with the goal of improving my photographic skills, I’d be a bit more attuned to making sure I set my camera up correctly. I forgot I was still set to aperture priority, a setting Moose Peterson almost always shoots in, when I went outside to photograph a pair of finches flitting around the yard, so I was mislead when the camera’s built in meter indicated proper exposure. I normally shoot in Manual mode and make exposure adjustments as I look at the image through the viewfinder. Because I forgot how the camera was set up, and because of the AP setting, the camera’s meter indicated proper exposure. The thing is, not only was I set to Aperture Priority but I also had Exposure Compensation set to minus one and 2/3 stops, settings left over from our last shoot in Utah on Sunday. However the lighting at midday when I took this shot didn’t require exposure compensation. And just now when I checked the capture time, I realized I haven’t returned either camera to its Pacific time settings. As a result of my incorrect settings, I had to increase exposure in Lightroom by slightly more than one full stop. Sigh.
I only got a couple of shots of the male lesser goldfinch before both birds disappeared but I kind of like the tilt of his head and the colorful background. It would be better if that twig weren’t directly in front of him but he flew off when I moved to get a better angle.
