EXPOSING WITHOUT A METER FOR MENTAL SOLACE

[removed account4]

David
I gave up on ALL of it a few years ago. NOW I expose everything exactly the same 1/14thS** ( mean 1/15thS ) wide open nomatter the ISO or film, it ALL gets processed together too, 5 minutes Ansco 130 1:10, 5minutes caffenol C. IF its paper, I just uncover the shutter and count to 5 unless I've had too much coffee then its 7 or 8. Developed in 1:2 Ansco130 until tones peek through, then coffee for the rest. I'm kind of getting bored though, I might start metering and using D76 or its kinfolk sometime soon.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

...
I gave up on ALL of it a few years ago. NOW I expose everything exactly the same 1/14thS wide open nomatter the ISO or film, ...

No long moody night exposures then?

 

[MattKing]

I do this as a mental exercise quite frequently.
I then compare the results with my meter reading.
It helps me evaluate the meter reading and the scene, and helps inform any adjustments that may be prudent.
Having a good, overall instinctive sense of the light is really handy, no matter how good your meter is.

 

[David Lyga]

OK, I partially concede, but by the same token, I do hope that all of you know that sometimes that reflectance meter can give a profoundly incorrect response in its singular, unmitigated attempt to construct a medium gray outcome. Know that and you will always succeed. - David Lyga

 

[removed account4]

No long moody night exposures then?

badges?! we don't need no stinkin' badges !

 

[David Lyga]

I do have one question that deserves feedback: When I posted this I chose 'hybrid' for its designation. Was I correct in this, because the reason I chose that was because I wanted to welcome even digital users to this exposure possibility? Was I wrong to do this? Maybe I am a bit naive about such matters; correct me or affirm me. Thanks. - David Lyga

 

[BrianShaw]

Could have been any of the three designations, or all.

Your not naive; I affirm you.

 

[BrianShaw]

OK, I partially concede, but by the same token, I do hope that all of you know that sometimes that reflectance meter can give a profoundly incorrect response in its singular, unmitigated attempt to construct a medium gray outcome. Know that and you will always succeed. - David Lyga

A bad reading isn’t unique to reflectance meters... if you don’t understand the craft of exposure determination then any meter type can give s bad reading. There are a lot of variables and meter readings are only part of the equation.

 

[Peltigera]

I frequently use my eye to judge exposure - mainly because I am very prone to leaving stuff at home. Just leaving the meter is no problem, but leaving the camera is.

I am pretty good at judging exposures in Lincoln (UK) but if I went way down south to Philadelphia I doubt I would judge usefully (I am assuming the light there is similar to southern Spain).

 

[Sirius Glass]

OK, I partially concede, but by the same token, I do hope that all of you know that sometimes that reflectance meter can give a profoundly incorrect response in its singular, unmitigated attempt to construct a medium gray outcome. Know that and you will always succeed. - David Lyga

That is why I also use incidence meters and spot meters, but I use Sunny 16 as a quick sanity check.

 

[GRHazelton]

I recall my Father (when I was a small child) shooting Kodachrome with the assistance of the exposure guide that The Great Yellow Father furnished in each box of film. This would have been film with an ASA of 10! He later told me when I began shooting that he'd tried an extinction meter and some sort of early GE meter, but found that in general neither surpassed the exposure guide and his experience. Now later, when had access to good meters and was shooting macro with his AsahiFlex IIa with extension tubes, bellows, etc, he relied on a meter, a grey card, and a slide rule for computing exposure factors because of the tubes, etc. I've seen his early efforts before he had a good meter and they are generally good.

 

[AgX]

Aside "one's accumulated knowledge and experiences" one might use others' experiences and use a table.
For instance the old Agfa ruler disc is higly spoken of here, though I never came across a sample.

 

[Dali]

The eye is adaptive to ambiant light level so I don't consider it as a reliable tool to assess the exposure. When light circumstances are steady, I use a light meter once and I am done. Apart from that, I always use a meter, being the camera one or hand held.

 

[Chan Tran]

The eye is adaptive to ambiant light level so I don't consider it as a reliable tool to assess the exposure. When light circumstances are steady, I use a light meter once and I am done. Apart from that, I always use a meter, being the camera one or hand held.

Although some people like my brother claims to be able to judge exposure with his eyes most people who determine exposure without a meter do it not using their eyes. They judge the lighting condition to previously known ones or reffering to a chart. For example the sunny 16, one doesn't look at the sun and see how bright it is but rather relying on the fact the sun is the same brightness and if not covered by cloud the scene brightness is the same.

 

[Dali]

Although some people like my brother claims to be able to judge exposure with his eyes most people who determine exposure without a meter do it not using their eyes. They judge the lighting condition to previously known ones or reffering to a chart. For example the sunny 16, one doesn't look at the sun and see how bright it is but rather relying on the fact the sun is the same brightness and if not covered by cloud the scene brightness is the same.

This is why I speak of steady circumstances. In your case, you can rely on Sunny16 (or Sunny11, depending on where you live), the easiest situation. Now, try a concert stage or ealier a restaurant and tell me if you don't need a meter to give you at least a ballpark estimate.... I recently did some shots for a high school theatre play and light and shadows were all over the stage (not to mention the light change depending on the scene): Good luck to get 10% well exposed pictures without a meter unless you bracket like crazy!

 

[Chan Tran]

This is why I speak of steady circumstances. In your case, you can rely on Sunny16 (or Sunny11, depending on where you live), the easiest situation. Now, try a concert stage or ealier a restaurant and tell me if you don't need a meter to give you at least a ballpark estimate.... I recently did some shots for a high school theatre play and light and shadows were all over the stage (not to mention the light change depending on the scene): Good luck to get 10% well exposed pictures without a meter unless you bracket like crazy!

Those situations can be done too.

 

[Dali]

Those situations can be done too.

Of course it can be done too but for me, I prefer to maximize the chance to get usable negatives and use a meter instead of being sometimes lucky in a ramdom situation.