Estimating exposure

I would like to get better at shooting without a meter. I've read a

bit about sunny 16, and seem to be able to do OK in full sunlight,

but when I move into the shadows it gets much harder. Generally, I

tend to overestimate how much light there is, and images are

underexposed as a result. Indoors, I have no clue at all, except in

certain circumstances (e.g. at the office, constant artificial light)

where I can remember the exposure from past experience.

 

I can expose well enough for negative film, but would like to get

enough accuracy to shoot positives.

 

Does anyone have any ideas about how to train oneself to do this?

 

Neil

get a pocketable light meter and carry it on your person for one week. play "guess the exposure" game with yourself in any situation you find yourself in. if you normally shoot with 400iso or whatever, stick with that. see the world in xxxiso and then do the conversion when using a different emulsion.

My success rate with the Sunny-16 rule got a lot better when I stopped trying to interpret the light itself and instead learned to judge the shadows. A hard, distinct shadow is easy of course, but once I got good at seeing the diffused shadows on their way to virtually no shadow at all, and figuring the levels of diffusion as they relate to the opening of the aperture, things got easy.

 

I arrived in Spain for a month of shooting one time with only a M3 and a Sekonic meter, plus a few dozen rolls of slide film. On day one, I dropped my Sekonic and it broke into several pieces. I did the whole trip with only the Sunny-16 rule, and the rate of success was pretty good, from f/16 all of the way into the overcast of f/4.0. The light in Spain looked good all of the time, but judging the shadows was the trick that saved the day for me.

Just curious, Albert, you shoot slides by measuring lights in the shadow? I always thought you should expose for the highlights with slides.

<I>Albert, you shoot slides by measuring lights in the shadow?</I><P>

 

I did not <I>measure</I> the light in the shadows, but <I>visually viewed</I> the shadows to estimate the actual light level. I used the sunny-16 rule, but instead of trying to ask, "is this cloudy bright light?", I let the quality of the shadows tell me, from f/16 hard edged to f/5.6 diffused and into f/4.0 or f/2.8 no shadows at all.

Learning basic light values takes practice but it can be done. Matt?s suggestion to practice often is good. I found (and this is just me) that using the EV scale on a light meter, and thinking in terms of EV for light levels, makes it simpler because one remembers a single number instead of a combination of two - shutter speed and aperture. Sunny 16 is EV 15 (for EI 100) and the initial point of reference. Side light is EV 14, open one stop. Bright shade is usually EV 13 (open the aperture 2 stops from the sunny 16 setting). Moderate shade is usually EV 12 (open up 3 stops), dark shade is EV 11 (open up 4 stops).

 

On a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, I shot with Tri-X (EI 400) and made only two initial and basic light readings. The sunny areas agreed with the Sunny 16 rule. The shadows were EV 12 or three stops less light. For the sunny side of the street the camera setting was 500th at f16 and for the shady side of the street the aperture was moved to f5.6. That was easy and the negatives came out great. Incidentally (no metering pun intended) I used my M6, but did this to save time framing the scenes.

 

Now I have no qualms using an M4. This one was last month and I took it with no meter. No problem.

 

Be confident and you will gain this useful skill.<div></div>

Thanks, Albert, for the clarification.

The meter practise idea is the best way to do it I know. The sunny 16 rule works in fairly consistant brighter lighting but isn't worth much in lower light. I think it would be tough to expose slides in low light without some meter. Bracket and hope for the best.

Albert,

 

sounds like you're saying that you look at the appearance of the boundary between shadow and light to determine how diffuse the light is, on the assumption that diffuse will mean darker in predictable ways. I guess this would work pretty well outdoors, I'll try to pay attention from now on.

 

David, based on your remarks, I would guesstimate that the taco man would be EV 12, because dark shade, and assuming that outside was full sunshine. Would that be correct?

 

I remember seeing a chart for EV values somewhere. I'll have to try to find it again. Remembering Sunny16 = EV15 will be a good place to start.

 

I'll start bringing my meter with me and see how I go. Anyone have any comments about indoors? I guess indoors, I'll be less likely to be shooting chromes, and so can err on the side of overexposure when in doubt.

 

 

Neil

After years of doing this I can usualy guess to 1/2 a stop. Practice practice.....................................

 

As the previous post says, carry a meter and prac......................

Look at this site for some good info:<br>

<a href="http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm">http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm</a>

I got pretty good at it as a kid, in the year or so before I bought my first light meter. I never broke myself of the habit of trying to guess what the meter would say, so I could probably still eyeball it today if the in-camera meter in both bodies I normally carry plus my backup L208 all conked out at once. Otherwise I liken it to shooting a rifle over your shoulder backwards by aiming in a hand mirror...great trick but hardly what I'd want to rely on for serious shooting.

You could also get a

<a href=http://www.blackcatphotoproducts.com/guide.html>cheat sheet</a> and use it to train your eye - I did this and can now remember a fairly wide range of situations. It helps to pick a reference ISO and aperture and remember just the corresponding shutter speeds - you can convert aperture/shutter combinations afterward. I use ISO 400 at f/2 as my reference (yours may differ, especially if you don't do most of your shooting in the dark as I do).

Many, many, many years ago, when I was just 16 and starting out in photography with my first camera (IIIg) and having difficulty getting my exposures right, my Dad (a D.O.P) confiscated my exposure meter and forced me to judge exposure visually. He also restricted me to Plus X (80ASA) processed at the motion picture film lab, and printed at home in my own darkroom.

 

The consistency in processing was the key, and after a year, I didn't need a meter at all, under almost any circumstances.

 

The next step was to have me develop my own negs, and to acheive similar consistency. The ultimate reward was to be allowed to use Tri-X!

 

To this day I have difficulty in placing all my faith in electronics. When I fire the shutter on any of my "manual" cameras, I never doubt the result, but when I shoot with any of my AF cameras, I always have that little bit of doubt until I see the results.

I had the notion that EVs were independent of the speed of film being used. You guys seem to think so too. Is that correct? On my Gossen Digisix, the "EV" displayed changes when you alter the film speed, which makes it a poor way to learn unless you stick with one film speed.

I've noticed the new LCD digital electronic light meters shift the EV number when the EI is changed - for the same light level. My Digisix and Minolta Autometer IVF do that. My Pentax digital spot doesn't however, but it's not an LCD display, the EI, shutter & aperture scales are analog. Many other analog light meters hold the same EV number. I prefer the older types as I've gotten used to EV 15 being normal sun for any EI.

The 'cheat sheet' mentioned above looks a lot like the calculator dial that comes in Kodak's "Professional Photoguidee." There's another good chart in the "Photographer's Handbook" that Time-Life books used to publish. Both turn up used in camera shops, in the US, and are good learning tools.

 

Like Jay and Al, I started in this before meters in cameras were common; outdoor shots were exposed using the information on the sheet of paper Kodak packed with every roll of film. It doesn't take long to learn the difference between 'bright sun on sand or snow' and 'cloudy bright with no shadows.'

that "ultimate exposure meter" under Fred Parker's site (linked above) is excellent.........best guide i've ever used

My meter also changes EV when you change film speed. It says sunny-16 is EV 15 when set for 100 ISO, so I can use that as a reference. I use about 60% 100, and 40% 400.

 

I've been experimenting a bit since yesterday. Folks look at me strange when I whip out my meter and take a reading, but with no camera in sight.

 

Jay, yes it would be silly to acquire this skill merely for its own sake. Obviously, when I can use a meter, I will. But that's not always, and in those other circumstances, I want to become more accurate.

 

Thanks all, for the tips.

 

Neil