Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Eric- The method I was taught years ago- and it works particularly well with a 'spot' meter, but will work with any meter if you are willing to get close enough to meter these relevant 'spots'- If I meter for a deep shadow, say the tread of a tire under the shadow of the fender, I'd take a reading on the tire, and stop down two stops. If I meter on a highlight, not a specular highlight, light reflections off glass or water, but say the front of a white shirt, with details like folds or wrinkles, then I open up three stops from the reading off the shirt to get my exposure. I use this mostly for color film as its range or latitude of tones is somewhat limited, and depending on what I am shooting, if I don't have an average scene, this works quite well. Off course, if you have lots and lots of time, a leisurely measurement of all possible areas in your scene is the answer, but this being an imperfect world- as a PJ you know that by now- little shortcuts like that go a long way to make things a bit easier! Dan > In those kinds of situations, I meter the bright white and make the > exposure 2 - 2 1/2 stops overexposed for that white. > Eric Welch > St. Joseph, MO > > http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch