Re: [Leica] Metering shade

[Carl Socolow <csocolow@microserve.net>]

Five Senses Productions wrote:
> 
> When you say "meter the highlights" and "meter the shadows"
> do you mean you hold the meter in the same light that the
> highlights and shadows, respectively, are receiving?
> 

<SNIP>
- -- 
Francesco,

That is correct. Either by holding the meter in the scene to be
photographed so that the highlight and shadow areas of the scene are
measured. Or by holding it in comparable light at camera position so
that it replicates that which is of importance in the scene.

For example, last summer I was doing an architectural exterior of an
historic building that had some trees on the site. There was no time of
day when the light was on the front of the building that there was not
tree shadows on half of it. I metered in the shadow area and in the
highlight (or sunlit) area. Then averaged the two. I should add that one
of the qualities I've found with the E100S and E100SW is an incredible
tolerance towards overexposure in the brighter and/or highlight areas.
I've been able to bias my readings for more shadow detail without fear
of losing those brighter areas that historically I've always considered
more important when exposing transparency film. Certainly, I still like
a saturated chrome, but it's also nice to be able to work within a
five-stop range instead of a three stop range. Hope this helps.

Carl S.
Sometimes the wrong thing is exactly the thing you should do.