No shadows for a spot reading...

[ilfordrapid]

Sometimes, I am in a situation where there are no shadows to take a zone ll or lll reading from. So I am thinking of taking a reading from a detailed highlight like zone Vll or Vlll and develope normally. I am shooting Ilford Pan F Plus 50 ISO, 120 roll film. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[Donald Miller]

In the case of no deep shadows, take the lowest value reading and extrapolate that value to the tonal rendition that you want this represented as in your print.

For instance, lets say that you have a scene that has about three stops or zones of variance from the low value or the high value and you want the print to represent these as a Zone III to Zone VIII tonal values.

In that case take a reading of your lowest scene value...give it two stops less exposure then the meter indicates and increase your development by N+2.

 

[Loose Gravel]

You don't have to read Z2 or Z3 to make an exposure. You read the lowest value that's placement is important. If you don't have any Z2 or Z3, then they are not important to the image.

"Place and fall". Place the important values and let the other fall where they may. I seldom read Z2 or Z3. I'm more likely to read what I think will be Z4. I have a better feel for this grey in my work.

 

[ilfordrapid]

In the case of no deep shadows, take the lowest value reading and extrapolate that value to the tonal rendition that you want this represented as in your print.

For instance, lets say that you have a scene that has about three stops or zones of variance from the low value or the high value and you want the print to represent these as a Zone III to Zone VIII tonal values.

In that case take a reading of your lowest scene value...give it two stops less exposure then the meter indicates and increase your development by N+2.

N+2 does the 2 mean two extra minutes. I am still trying to perfect my zone system application.

 

[Donald Miller]

N+2 does the 2 mean two extra minutes. I am still trying to perfect my zone system application.

Good question. No it doesn't mean two more minutes. It means to increase the development time so that the contrast range of the film is increased by two zones of density.

Not all films will accomodate that degree of expansion. Some developers/dilutions are more energetic and therefore will expand contrast more then others.

To give you an idea of what this amounts to, this is what I found when I was using the Zone system with TriX and HC 110 Dil B. N (normal development) was 6 minutes 15 seconds , N +1 (one zone of expansion) was 10 min 30 seconds, N+ 1 1/2 (this film/developer combination would not expand to N +2 was 13 minutes and 45 seconds.

I will repeat what you have probably already been told to the point of nausea...exposure is for shadow values and development is for highlight values. So development determines the degree of contrast that the negative has.

 

[Eric Rose]

I'm a bit of a heretic. Quite often I expose for the highlights and develop for the shadows.

 

[Marv]

I have placed the high value on Zone VIII since the late eighties with very good success. I never could get a handle on exposing for the shadows and developing for the high lights. By exposing for the high lights the shadows fall where they will in relation to the high values, and if there is a need to tweek I have better luck dodging a shadow than burning a high light. I ocassionally will meter my hand at Zone VI, I am caucasion, and use that if there is no usable high light. You might try that instead if you are more comfortable with it. I have found that even in as rigid a format at the "Zone System" there are any number of variables (time of day, time of year, cloud cover or lack there of etc.)that can be employed to arrive at the exposure I feel will yield the best negative of the subject. I hope these thoughts are of use.

 

[roteague]

Look for a medium green, it will approximate 18% grey.

 

[Donald Miller]

I'm a bit of a heretic. Quite often I expose for the highlights and develop for the shadows.

Eric,

I tried that but I kept getting my calculations for windage and elevation screwed up...