Understanding Exposure

1995-2004 Michael Reichmann

History & Moonshots When I was in my teens (in the mid-1960s) an !"st startin# to ma$e my way in the worl o% &hoto#ra&hy in a serio"s manner' Pentax (ro"#ht o"t the Spotmatic) *his was an +,R' -ery m"ch in the mo ern i iom' ("t it containe the worl .s %irst (ehin the lens meterin# system) /ne ha to man"ally close own the a&ert"re to ta$e a rea in#' an notwithstan in# the name it wasn't a s&otmeter' ("t e-eryone who (o"#ht one tho"#ht that they. ie an #one to hea-en) Ima#ine a camera that co"l rea e0&os"re thro"#h the shootin# lens' with %ilters' (ellows e0tension an all) 1amn' technolo#y was a -ancin# so m"ch we mi#ht e-en lan a man on the moon one- ay) *a(les' 2harts an +eleni"m 3rior to this' ta$in# acc"rate e0&os"re rea in#s was &ro(lematic) *here were' o% co"rse' cli& on meters' han -hel meters' e0tinction meters (you're definitely over 50 if you remember these ) an -ario"s e0&os"re charts an ta(les) *here was e-en that e0tremely esoteric Zone System %rom Ansel Adams that e-eryone in the $now was tal$in# a(o"t an not "n erstan in#) Han -hel meters &rimarily ha seleni"m cells lar#e honeycom( matri0es) 1ownsi es were that they co"l (e a44le (y -ery (ri#ht li#ht an they i n.t wor$ worth a amn at li#ht le-els m"ch lower than a clo" y ay) CDS cells (cadmium sulphide) were !"st comin# o"t an their small si4e allowe them to (e &lace in sh"tter-co"&le cli&-on meters an then e-ent"ally to (ecome in-("ilt' as with the Pentax Spotmatic) 5ll o% these with the &"r&ose o% hel&in# &hoto#ra&hers e0&ose their %ilm correctly) 5nyone #ettin# into &hoto#ra&hy to ay ta$es ha-in# so&histicate matri0 meterin# systems in their camera %or #rante ) 6"t e-en these are %alli(le' an "nless one "n erstan s what the a"tomation is oin# #ettin# acc"rately e0&ose &hoto#ra&hs "n er i%%ic"lt li#htin# con itions can (e &ro(lematic an %r"stratin#) ,et.s start with some (asics) +"nny 17 & 6eyon *he e0tremes o% (ri#htness that one enco"nters in the nat"ral worl are not that -arie ) 8or this reason there is the so-calle Sunny 16 r"le) *his says that on the brightest day normally encountered the proper exposure is roughly the reciprocal of the film speed at f/16) *h"s' if you are shootin !S" #00 film then the e$posure will be 1%#50 second & f%16' *his is the same whether yo".re in 5"c$lan or 5mster am' mi -s"mmer or mi -winter) 8rom the e0tremes o% a s"nny ay o"t oors own to ty&ical in oor room li#htin# co-ers a ran#e o% a(o"t 10 sto&s) With the e0ce&tion o% sel om enco"ntere sit"ations li$e %irewor$s' citysca&es an moonli#ht scenes these 10 sto&s encom&ass e-ery li#htin# sit"ation yo" are e-er li$ely to enco"nter) "nly on the s(i slopes or at the beach will you need to stop down one more stop beyond Sunny 16 because of reflections off the snow and sand' +o' that (ein# the case' why is e0&os"re so i%%ic"lt9 Most &eo&le sho"l ha-e no &ro(lem in reco#nisin# 10 i%%erent li#ht le-els' sho"l n.t they9 *he :ye.s 5"toe0&os"re ;n%ort"nately (or fortunately) dependin on your point of view)' the h"man eye an (rain ha-e a s"&er( a"toe0&os"re mechanism ("ilt in) *his means that once yo"r eyes ha-e a !"ste to the c"rrent li#htin# sit"ation' an witho"t cl"es as to what is ca"sin# the li#ht le-el enco"ntere ' it is almost im&ossi(le to tell how (ri#ht thin#s are on a relati-e (asis) 5s lon# as the li#ht le-el lies somewhere within that 10 sto& ran#e %or most &eo&le it all a&&ears the same) *his is why li#ht meters' whether ("ilt-in or han hel ' are s"ch -ital tools) 6"t (e%ore e0&lorin# li#ht meters an how (est to "se them it.s worthwhile to ha-e in ones min a %irm i ea o% what <&ro&er< 1

e0&os"re settin#s are %or the ten li#ht le-els normally enco"ntere ) *his way yo".re not a (lin sla-e to the meter) *et's assume an + stop of f/8 and a ISO ,film speed- of 400' .ere's what these 10 li ht levels are and the shutter speed that would be needed' - a +"nny ay o"t oors 1=2000 sec - a ha4y (ri#ht ay 1=1000 sec - a (ri#ht clo" y ay witho"t sha ows 1=500 sec - an o-ercast ay' or o&en sha e on a s"nny ay 1=250 sec - a hea-ily o-ercast ay 1=125 sec ee& sha e) *he woo s on an (ri#ht o-ercast ay 1=70 sec - !"st (e%ore a th"n erstorm or late on a hea-ily o-ercast ay 1=>0 sec - (ri#htly lit store interior 1=15th sec - a well lit sta#e or s&orts arena 1=?th sec - a well lit home interior 1=4 sec /% co"rse yo" wo"l -ary the 8 sto& an sh"tter s&ee com(inations to whate-er wo"l (e most a&&ro&riate) In the case o% a home interior' %or e0am&le' instea o% 1=4 secon at %=? yo" mi#ht choose 1=>0 sec at %=2)?) *he &oint is tho"#h that these 10 bri htness levels represent 95/ of the conditions under which we all do our shootin ' What a Meter 1oes 5 li#ht meter oes one thin#) It tells yo" what the correct e0&os"re is %or 1>@ Aray) *his is a&&ro0imately the tonality o% #reen #rass or concrete) *he meters that are ("ilt into almost all cameras to ay are re%lecti-e meters) *his means that they are meas"rin# the li#ht (ein# re%lecte o%% the s"(!ect) *his is a con-enient way to etermine &ro&er e0&os"re ("t there are &otential &ro(lems (eca"se #rass an concrete "s"ally aren.t o"r main s"(!ects) 8ort"nately' most o% time the mi0t"re o% o(!ects in a sceneB #rass' s$y' &eo&le' trees' roc$s an so %orth' when a-era#e to#ether "s"ally are &retty close to an 1>@ #ray) 6"t' (eca"se m"ch o% the time the thin#s that we &hoto#ra&h are not so con-eniently ne"tral in tonality' man"%act"rers o% **, meterin# systems on cameras ha-e ha to #o to #reat len#ths to esi#n m"lti-4one &atterns an so&histicate so%tware al#orithms to ena(le their meterin# systems to &ro-i e &leasin# an acc"rate e0&os"res) /% 6lac$ 2ats an +now +torms *he classic e0am&les o% how re%lecti-e meters can (e lea astray are the e0am&les o% a (lac$ cat in a coal mine or a white cat in a snow storm) In (oth cases i% yo" were to tr"stin#ly "se e-en the most so&histicate m"lti-4one matri0 meterin# system yo" wo"l en "& with -ery (a ly "n ere0&ose an o-ere0&ose ne#ati-es or trans&arencies) *he reason' o% co"rse' is that the meter sees the (lac$ cat an coal' or the white cat an snow as (ein# 1>@ #ray) :-en the smartest com&"ter al#orithms can.t (yet) "n erstan what the s"(!ect is' an since there is nothin# else in the scene they will &ro-i e <correct< ("t ina&&ro&riate e0&os"res) *he smart &hoto#ra&her' $nowin# this' will ial in some e0&os"re com&ensation) In %act' (eca"se most amate"rs "se colo"r ne#ati-e %ilm with its wi e e0&os"re latit" e e-en this is sel om necessary an no one is the wiser) 6"t' the &ro an the serio"s %ine-art &hoto#ra&her ty&ically shoots colo"r trans&arency material which has a m"ch more limite e0&os"re latit" e) With these' i% yo"r e0&os"re is more than a hal%-sto& o%%' &artic"larly in terms o% o-ere0&os"re' yo".-e %or%eite the shot) Inci ent to the Resc"e 5n meter ca&a(le o% ta$in# inci ent li#ht rea in#s' li$e the +e$onic ,50? re-iewe on these &a#es' %eat"res what loo$s li$e a hal% o% a #ol%-(all-si4e hemis&here' "s"ally on a swi-ellin# s"&&ort) *o ta$e 2

an e0&os"re rea in# instea o% &ointin# the meter at the s"(!ect' as one oes with in-camera an re%lecte meters' yo" instea &lace the meter in the same li#ht as the s"(!ect) *he hemis&here' or lumisphere as some call it' is esi#ne as a 1>@ #ray o(!ect an th"s &ro-i es a rea in# eC"i-alent to that which yo" wo"l #et i% yo" too$ a re%lecte rea in# o%% a theoretically &er%ectly inte#rate scene' or a Do a$ 1?@ #ray car ) (!t really should be 10/) but don't as(12) *he (ea"ty o% the inci ent meterin# a&&roach is that yo" nee n.t carry a lar#e #ray car aro"n with yo" on location' an yo" on.t ha-e to worry that yo"r s"(!ect matter E whether (eca"se o% its colo"r or re%lectance characteristics' will #i-e an erroneo"s rea in#) /n *he +&ot 5 thir a&&roach a%ter strai#ht re%lecti-e an inci ent meterin# is spot metering) +trictly s&ea$in# s&ot meterin# is no i%%erent than other %orms o% re%lecti-e meterin#) Fo" &oint the camera or han hel s&otmeter at the s"(!ect to (e &hoto#ra&he an ta$e a rea in#) 6"t inter&retin# the rea in# an $nowin# what to rea are the tric$) 8rom a &ractical &oint o% -iew I re#ar it as the most "se%"l %orm o% li#ht meterin# &ractice) 5 s&ot meter rea s a -ery small area o% the scene (ein# -iewe ) In the case o% a meter li$e the +e$onic ,50? it can rea a -aria(le area as small as 1 e#ree) While "sin# a stan ar re%lecti-e meter' a camera.s ("ilt in meter or an inci ent meter is strai#ht%orwar an oesn.t reC"ite m"ch tho"#ht on the &art o% the &hoto#ra&her' "sin# a s&ot meter im&lies ha-in# an "n erstan in# o% %ilm latit" e' contrast ran#es an other as&ects o% e0&os"re control) Most %reC"ently a s&ot meter is "se in con!"nction with the Zone System) Rather that el-e too ee&ly into this sometimes arcane to&ic' here.s an e0&lanation o% how to "se a s&ot meter to (oth "n erstan an control e0&os"re "sin# the system.s (asic conce&ts) !f this spar(s your interest you may wish to read the article on this site on a simplified 3one system approach) Wor$in# with What Gat"re 3ro-i es In the st" io one can a !"st li#htin# ratios an (e in control o% the entire li#htin# strate#y) 6"t' %or "s lan sca&e an nat"re &hoto#ra&hers we ha-e to ta$e what.s ser-e "& an sometimes it.s a o#.s (rea$%ast) 8or this reason most serio"s &hoto#ra&hers wor$in# o"t oors carry a han hel meter in a ition to whate-er meterin# ca&a(ility their camera may o%%er) 5 meter li$e the Se onic !"# or new 6"# is i eal (eca"se it &ro-i es two meters in one' an inci ent an a s&ot meter) ( !n fact they are also flash meters) but that's outside the scope of the article)) I &ersonally &re%er to "se my +e$onic in inci ent mo e %or most ty&es o% &hoto#ra&hy) When this isn.t &ossi(le I "se the meter in s&ot mo e an o what I i in the a(o-e e0am&le ta$e hi#hli#ht' sha ow an mi -ran#e rea in#s an a-era#e them) /% co"rse this &res"&&oses that I ha-e the l"0"ry o% ta$in# the time to o so) 5n :0&eriment *ry an e0&eriment) *"rn o%% the a"toe0&os"re mo e o% yo"r camera an t"rn it to man"al) I% yo" on.t ha-e a han hel meter "se yo"r camera.s meter to ta$e close-"& rea in#s o% -ario"s &arts o% a scene the hi#hli#ht areas that yo" want to hol etail an the sha ow areas where yo" also want to ha-e etail an then see how many sto&s ran#e are encom&asse ) 2an yo"r %ilm han le it9 What.s the a-era#e o% the two rea in#s9 How oes it com&are to the camera.s inte#rate rea in# o% the whole scene9 Gow' ta$e se-eral e0&os"res' at 1 sto& inter-als' ma$in# notes o% what yo".re oin#) ;se trans&arency %ilm (eca"se yo".ll then (e a(le to !" #e irectly what the e%%ects o% -aryin# e0&os"re are) Why o this9 6eca"se it will ma$e yo" thin$ a(o"t li#ht' contrast an what %ilm is ca&a(le o%) H"st remem(er on.t let the hi#hli#hts (ecome o-ere0&ose ) 2lear %ilm contains no in%ormation an there.s little to nothin# that can (e one to sal-a#e an o-ere0&ose %rame) 5 (it o% "n ere0&os"re is always to (e &re%erre ) >