Metering: The process of taking a light reading from a given area to determine what your camera settings should be for proper exposure of that area.

I remember my "Ah Ha!" moment very distinctly. It hit me one sunny afternoon while I was sitting on my couch, doing nothing in particular. I was several months into taking photography seriously and had spent countless hours pouring over every tutorial I could find. Suddenly everything I had been reading came crashing together in my mind, and from it a VERY useful piece of information floated to the top.

Getting my dial to center on my meter did NOT equal perfect exposure. Say What?!