What does a reflective metering method measure?

The reflective metering method primarily measures the amount of light reflected off the subject's surface. This technique involves using a light meter that evaluates how much light the subject is reflecting back to the photographer or the camera. The measurements provide insight into the lighting conditions relative to the specific surfaces being photographed, allowing for appropriate exposure settings to be established.

In practical terms, this means that the camera can effectively adjust its settings based on the tone and color of the surfaces within the scene, capturing images accurately regardless of variances in subject brightness. This is crucial in photography, especially when dealing with subjects that have high contrast or different colors that reflect light differently.

This method is different from simply measuring the overall light entering the camera, evaluating scene brightness, or focusing specifically on shadows, as those are more holistic assessments and do not take into account how individual surfaces respond to light.