Sirius Glass
Subscriber
Let me clarify my post. GREEN grass has about the same light reading as a gray card. There, are you happy.

Let me clarify my post. GREEN grass has about the same light reading as a gray card. There, are you happy.
Do you mean PALM not back ?the back of your hand is abut Zone VI.
What does your cousin's wife's husband say when you use his wife's hand to take a meter reading?Reading from the back of my hand requires about one half extra stop of exposure. A meter reading of my cousin's wife needs two extra stops exposure. She is a milk skinned blond.
What does your cousin's wife's husband say when you use his wife's hand to take a meter reading?![]()
We learned of the exposure compensation when I was teaching him how to use a 4x5 with a hand held meter, she was his willing subject. Test shots were immediately processed and proofed for results.What does your cousin's wife's husband say when you use his wife's hand to take a meter reading?![]()
hi Brian,Didn’t we have this same discussion recently? Have you taken any pictures yet to experience the effects of these metering schemes? Especially answer the following: why do you feel the need to COMPENSATE from a “normal” metering. You may be complicating metering too much.
If you shoot negative then you expose for the best details and if the subject is overall a dark tone you may not need to underexpose. You simply make the print darker during the printing phase. The result is actually better.hi Brian,
All the cameras give a 18% grey exposure to the area or object you shoot. If you compose for a dark area you don't want it to turn grey 18%. So that's why i underexpose 2 stops. I learned this from A. Adams..
Hello to you!hi Brian,
All the cameras give a 18% grey exposure to the area or object you shoot. If you compose for a dark area you don't want it to turn grey 18%. So that's why i underexpose 2 stops. I learned this from A. Adams..
For clarity, just a comment about the use of certain terms.So that's why i underexpose 2 stops.
Hello to you!
Yes, on the average across the entire scene… unless the meter is weighted. Ansel and his technique is best applied to meter reading with a spot meter, rather than a TTL in-camera meter.
At the risk of being rude, may I ask if you have exposed film with your A1? I think you’ll find that camera will produce fine negs 9 times out of 10 with “normal” metering.
Remember a couple of things: There have been millions of photographers who aren’t Ansel and have been successful; Pro grade cameras were made for pros who needed success without too much fiddling. Don’t complicate your photography if it’s not absolutely necessary.
If you shoot negative then you expose for the best details and if the subject is overall a dark tone you may not need to underexpose. You simply make the print darker during the printing phase. The result is actually better.
That will be a fantastic trip!Hi Brian ,
I have exposed film with the A1 with succes. But sometimes with no succes.
Not trying to complicate things. I go to India soon and don't want to ruin the trip and photos because of lack of knowledge.
That will be a fantastic trip!
So, what film were you using, how were you determining exposure, and what kind of images failed to meet your expectations? We’re you evaluating negatives (or transparencies) or prints?
Knowing more about your successes and challenges will make it easier to give good guidance.
To answer your questions to @chan,,, the mix of light and dark should average to be appropriately a normal exposure. The all dark environment (or all light) is where you’d want to compensate. Those are where the meters “average of 18% gray/grey” will yield less than optimal results. But that would be black cat in a deep shadow, or white cat in snow situations.
That’s not necessarily a problem unless you are pointing at something dark then something light and swing no metering difference. That might indicate that your meter is malfunctioning.I use often 400 ISO. The problem is I have no good memory , nor did i write things down about Aperture and Shutter speeds the times i made a picture.
Also a problem is , I often get a 'general' metering about an image ,by using my in camera metering system.
Even if i change position of the camera, the reading remains often the same.
hi Brian,
All the cameras give a 18% grey exposure to the area or object you shoot. If you compose for a dark area you don't want it to turn grey 18%. So that's why i underexpose 2 stops. I learned this from A. Adams..
Thank you so much Paul. As a matter a fact i have that book in pdf. Will read it too..Don't know if you have time to find a copy, read it, and follow the process before you leave for India, I recommend The Zone System for 35mm Photographers by Carson Graves. In a nut shell he explains how to find your personal E.I for your film, developer and camera combo. Unlike the true ZS or BTZS he exposes for the highlight and lets the shadows fall where they may. Some may find the shadows too dark, it seems a fair trade off with roll film where all the frames are going to be developerd to a standard time for a given developer.
Don't know if you have time to find a copy, read it, and follow the process before you leave for India, I recommend The Zone System for 35mm Photographers by Carson Graves. In a nut shell he explains how to find your personal E.I for your film, developer and camera combo. Unlike the true ZS or BTZS he exposes for the highlight and lets the shadows fall where they may. Some may find the shadows too dark, it seems a fair trade off with roll film where all the frames are going to be developerd to a standard time for a given developer.
As you have not read The Zone System for 35mm Photographers do you even know how much testing is required? I don't see how you can criticize what you have not read? As a matter of fact Graves procedure only require a roll, he uses a ring around, he does not advocate use of a densitometer and endless testing. The reason not to start with box ISO is that OP uses an older camera, his in camera meter and shutter may or may not be accurate. What Graves bring to the 35mm photographer is the concept of visualization, how to see the scene in black and white and adjusting the exposure to match his/her vision.
It is true that my newer cameras with matrix metering I usually wind up shooting at box speed, at least with Tmax, with Foma, Bergger, Ultrafine, and Kentmere I do shoot off box speed.
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