Re: [Leica] Black Cat

["Simon Lamb" <simon@sclamb.com>]

Please disregard my previous post.  I just re-read Rob's post and saw that
he is saying the same thing, just giving different advice for incident
readings.

Simon


Rob McElroy wrote:

> Mark et al.,
>
> Actually there really weren't any discrepancies in the advice on the cat
exposures if one reads the posts carefully.  They may not have all been
clear
> as to what the meter was looking at to make the initial meter reading, but
the resultant exposures by all of the suggested methods would end up being
> within about a stop of each other and well within the printable range of
most color neg films today.
>
> Also, the original questioner said that he was going to use flash for his
photos.  That is why my advice was to use a flash meter (generally more
> reliable), instead of relying on the often-fooled camera meter trying to
average everything it "sees" in your frame.  Given a consistent light
source,
> if you try and rely on the camera's meter or even the TTL flash setting,
you will get varying readings depending upon how much of your viewfinder the
> black cat actually occupies.  This leads to some shots that are exposed
correctly and some that are not.  Using the camera's meter and entirely
> filling the frame with the black cat as opposed to filling only half the
frame, will give a much different reading.  Shooting black cats is NOT a
good
> scenario in which to use the camera's built-in meter on automatic if you
want consistent results.
>
> Here's my synopsis.
>
> If you meter off of a gray card or use the incident reading at the
subjects position, OPEN UP 1-2 stops to compensate for the extreme blackness
of the
> fur and the likelihood that the fur will end up underexposed without the
help of some extra exposure.  Use this setting for all your photos in a
> fixed/consistent lighting situation when shooting a black furred animal,
and you will get consistent exposures from frame to frame that will print
> easily.  Don't open up too much if you are shooting a fair-skinned women
and you want to preserve the highlight detail in her face.  The hardest
thing
> to shoot would be the fair-skinned women holding the jet-black cat where
you needed good detail in both the highlights and the shadows.  Welcome to
> the world of professional photography challenges.  Quite fun actually.
>
> If you take a reflected reading of the cat using your camera's meter,
where the majority of the frame is filled with the black cat, you must STOP
DOWN
> approximately two stops, as has been suggested, because the meter is
looking at the cat's black fur and is trying to make the fur look like the
18
> percent gray card.  This results in an erroneous reading that is often two
stops off, which you must compensate for by stopping down (that is why,
> IMO, reading off the gray card is much more accurate).  This opposite
metering technique (after stopping down two stops) will generally result in
> approximately the same exposure as the technique I indicated in the above
paragraph, but it will often be inconsistent if you obey what your meter
> says and you change your exposure as the cat moves closer or farther away
from you, and the meter "sees" more or less black fur.
>
> Mark- if you think opening up to shoot a black cat is "inexcusable",
"weird", "unlucky", or "mind boggelingly pathetic", then you haven't
carefully
> read or understood anything I have said.  My advice is absolutely correct
and I would gladly debate anyone who wishes to examine the finer points of
> film exposure.
>
> Respectfully,
> Rob McElroy
> Buffalo, NY
>
> P.S.- Why did your post below come through to the lLUG with the words
"nude teens" above your website address?  Only curious, nothing more.
>
>
> Mark Rabiner wrote:
>
> > On the LUG it's interesting that when someone asks a simple photographic
> > exposure question 4 out of 5 people give them the exact opposite of the
right
> > advise and two others tell them to use flash.
> > A 5th said ask the Cats agent. A 6th didn't like cats
> > Mind boggelingly pathetic!
> > I  think many of us need to stop reading The Leica Collectors Guide or
what ever
> > the hell we are reading and get back to basics; do our homework; and
read some
> > basic photography books.
> > And take pictures. (accordionly)
> >
> > Open up to shoot a black cat!!!????
> > Inexcusable!!!
> > Weird!!!!!!
> > Unlucky!
> >
> > Mark Rabiner
> >
> > Portland, Oregon
> > USA
> >
> > nude    teens
> > http://www.rabiner.cncoffice.com/
>
>