In article <40pgnl$eab@CUBoulder.Colorado.EDU>, keivom@benji.Colorado.EDU says...
>I have a sb-24, 24mm/AIS, and 8008. When taking a picture of someone
>standing in the shade(and still want to get detail in the bright
>background) do I meter for the background and use the SB-24(TTL and -1.5
>exposure compensation)?

Yes, but first (and always, IMHO) press the "M" button to make the
sun-person symbol blink - this defeats the auto-fill function (and
its unpredictable variability - it drops the flash level anywhere
from 0 to 2/3 stop, depending on ambient metering level). Then select
TTL compensation (in 1/3 stop intervals - minus 1 or 1 1/3 stop would
be a good choice for the example above if the shadow area is a relatively small part of the photograph so as not to overlight the
shadow area). If the shadow area occupies most of the photograph,
maybe forget the fill, and underexpose the scene 1/2 stop or so to preserve the look of the shadow, and let the background overexpose.
Fill light should be so subtle that most people would not know it was
used - if the situation requires obvious fill, maybe the composition
should be rethought so that the brightness range is not so great.

>Another problem with fill flash is as follows: if people are standing,
>and i am photographing from a low angle(so that the sky is behind their
>heads), how do i use fill flash so that I can preserve detail in the >sky? Do i meter for the sky, and then set fill flash at TTL -1? Or do
>I meter for their faces and still set fill flash(TTL -1)?

Here, I would move around (if possible) to light the faces with the most ambient light available (the same angle will probably put the darkest part of the sky behind the people), meter for the general scene, and
(maybe) add minus 1 to 1 1/3 stop fill flash (different amounts are
appropriate for slides, neg. color, neg. B & W). Be sure to make that
sun symbol on the flash blink, or you have lost control of the fill
amount. (Remember, when taking ambient light meter readings, that the
meter will only tell you how to set the camera controls for medium
grey on the film - most things, like skin tone, grass, etc. are NOT
medium grey. To me, more useful than a bunch of spot readings is
learning to put a good selection of subject tones in the meter area
to produce a good average reading[in the 8008, almost completely within the large circle in the finder].)

>When you use matrix-balanced fill flash does the camera meter for the
>brightest part of the scene and then fill in the darker parts?

No, the ambient meter works normally, and the fill (unless you defeat it)
adds anywhere from full flash to minus 2/3 stop flash (all too much, IMHO), depending on how close the ambient metering is to the actual exposure. In other words, in manual or auto, if you give full exposure
to the scene as recommended by the camera, the flash will underexpose
by 2/3 stop. As you reduce the ambient exposure from the camera recomendation, the flash will increase in level to compensate. Better,
IMHO, is to control that flash TTL fill level manually. Being able to
do this is why I bought 3 pairs of 8008's and SB-24's for my work.
Hope this helps.