No worries, all of us have to start somewhere. Props to you to venture into manual mode. You will learn much faster there. The metering gauge indicates exposure based on what the camera see. This depends on the focus mode: which can be matrix, variable center weight, and spot. Default focus is matrix, which will take the whole scene exposure. Spot metering will be very bias on your focus point, and variable center is somewhere in between. If you have super bright sky and dark small car, using matrix focus will underexpose your car, while using spot will overexpose your sky (lots of blinkies). Blinkies is a function of a camera. Its also called highlight and is available from your preview menu.

If you recompose your camera, your metering will change. To ensure metering does not change, you can lock your exposure (in Nikon using AE-lock). I usually use AE lock in Aperture mode, then focus and shoot.

 

I have a canon XTi, but I understand the matrix and spot (not sure about variable center weight) I tried to focus the car and the background behind (though I'm not very comfortable changing the metering mode multiple times during a single shoot, I will try and do this next time). Let me grab my camera and look at the highlight feature. I will repost all the pics in OP with the originals of some others that look better exposed.

 

Sounds good then. Check your manual mode vs aperture mode setting, and see if they match up or not. I usually just use aperture and do a +/- EV to change the exposure. Make sure your EV starts at 0 at first.

 

^ will do.. updated first post!

 

Lol, why don't you just ask me for a vignetting lesson?

 

^ ur always busy I was going to ask you on sunday actually but you weren't online haha

 

BS/LP ftw

I like the car man, good work.
I was thinking of getting those enkei's for a while, but decided on my ro_ja's.

You cali guys have so much better places to shoot than us Chicagoans.

 

Thanks Tofu. My transgo kit is on its way so I can be your twin jk. These places aren't that good haha just random ones I drove by and decided to do some shots.

 

hey nice car whered u get the grill from?

 

Thanks. It's the OEM grille and I actually fiberglassed the middle bumps with the help of my friend. Ionic sells them without bumps but I made this before they started selling those and I like the bump look

 

Im in subscribed for nice pics

 

Man that G is awesome looking. Love the simpleness of it.

 

Still waiting on my rolling shots to be edited.. they are almost done (according to sephiroth)

Thanks. I like the clean and simple look, though I really want a k2 front bumper and bbk, so it may change as times goes on. I don't want anything too flashy though =]