How to meter sunrise with fog landscape?

rayonline_nz · Apr 22, 2017

HI there all, I have a Sekonic 758 with the spot meter function. Blue sky day with greys and greens I am ok but in this situation I am at a lost. Any tips on how to meter for a sunrise foggy morning where the green hills and the sky is still a bit foggy light white grey.

Color slide film. Velvia 50 these days or Provia 100F. Tripod etc.

Cheers.

howardpan · Apr 22, 2017

Can you use incident mode?

I assume you are going to shoot landscape photos. If needed, you can use your body to measure the incident light in the shadows.

Skai King · Apr 22, 2017

Time to read up on the Zone System.

rayonline_nz · Apr 22, 2017

Thanks for that incident meter it also have but I am standing in a different light that than the distant mountain.

Bill Burk · Apr 22, 2017

Assume you are talking about shooting the sun in the frame and in that case the incident reading of the light coming from behind you would be irrelevant. So I would not use incident metering for a sunset.

Use spotmeter mode and work with multi spot and watch the clipping points. Since you're looking at gray, the scene will not exceed the clipping points except the sun itself. I drew lines on the Fuji curve for Velvia, where I believe I would put the clipping points on the L-758DR. (You can adjust them you know). They are about 4/3 stop below... and 4/3 stops above. There's a way to test to place them exactly but I think you could either take my word for it or ask around for a better set of points.

Doremus Scudder · Apr 22, 2017

When I shot transparency film in tricky lighting, I always based my exposure on a highlight. The lightest area that I wanted detail in I metered and then gave two stops more exposure than the meter reading. Skin tones or similar values got one stop over the meter reading. Start there and bracket and keep good notes. Soon you'll know exactly how much exposure to give for the highlight value you want.

In your sunrise/fog case, I'd place the light fog somewhere in the 1-2-stop over range and go from there.

Best,

Doremus

tedr1 · Apr 22, 2017

Bracketing is your friend

howardpan · Apr 22, 2017

rayonline_nz said:
Thanks for that incident meter it also have but I am standing in a different light that than the distant mountain.

If the distant mountain is in the shadow because the sun is rising over the ridge, I think you can just turn your back to the sun and measure in incident mode the light off of your chest.

benjiboy · Apr 22, 2017

I don't know Ray, I try to be in bed with my wife asleep at sunrise because I'm the world's worst landscape photographer

How to meter sunrise with fog landscape?

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