Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/26

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Grey Zone
From: chefurka@sympatico.ca (Paul Chefurka)
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 00:48:56 GMT

On Sun, 26 Sep 1999 20:12:35 -0400, "R. Saylor"
<rlsaylor@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

> Anthony Atkielski wrote:
>
>> Furthermore, since you really have no control over the lighting of a scene
>> outside a studio, wouldn't it be simpler still to meter for the most important
>> part of the image, and then just let the rest fall where it may?
>> 
>
>If you do that, then the most important part of the image will always 
>have an 18% grey tonality, even if it is white or black to start with. 
>That's why you have to increase exposure for snow scenes when 
>using conventional metering. Otherwise it looks like dirty snow.

It's my experience that if you meter on 18% grey (as in using a card
or an incident meter) the snow turns out white.  Only if you meter on
the snow itself does it underexpose.  I interpreted Anthony's point to
be that you meter "for" the important part of the image, not
necessarily "on" the important part of the image.

This is what I always do -18% grey metering one way or the other, and
let the extremes fall where they may.  But then I've never been a
Zonie - to me the subject has always been more important than the
shadow density.

Paul Chefurka