Metering snow?

[scott jones]

I second the comments about incident metering. I do like to use the zone system a lot, but also find myself using the incident in situations like the above unless I know exactly what zone I want to place an object on. For instance I did a dog portrait the other day and really didn't know exactly what zone to put his particular tone of fur on. So I used incident and it worked great. Snow scenes and scenes with lots of dark objects seem to be easier this way for me as well. So I am glad that I have one of those meters that lets me pick between spot and incident for different situations...

Scott

[Mike Mahoney]

Just a quick additional word about incident metering - I'd suggest an inexpensive incident used on every shot regardless of which final metering method you use to arrive at your final exposure.

You will in time become very good at determining the correct exposure based on the ambient light measured by the incident meter, regardless of your subject reflectivity, luminence, or distance. I recall a thread some time ago perhaps titled " the meter in your head " which dealt with this.

I carry a Sekonic 398 incident only and have learned to use it in all exposure conditions. An additional benefit is you learn to read and understand light.

[Julio Fernandez]

Gavin: you have been given excellent, if not always simple advice. Here comes the simple: carry a Kodak Grey Card cut to shirt-pocket size. Using a spot meter, with your arm fully extended turn the card to roughly a similar plane as the snow and take a reading off the card. The reading from the card is your reading. You can bracket if you wish, 1/2 stops should be OK. Good Luck.

[dan nguyen]

I agree with Edsel and Sandy...

I have another method (which you all may already know) that I suggest to beginners.... In case of you have only a spot meter and do not have a gray card .. just meter the brightest part of the scene and meter the darkest part of scene (the ones that are relevant to you..) then divide it in half...

Other zones will fall in place... or at least you have some starting point to bracket...

[Edsel Adams]

"Don't you have to travel over to your subject (the faraway pagoda or mountain, for example) and stand there to get an accurate incident reading?" The sun is 93 million miles away,incident readings from one spot,is as good as another.

[Bruce M. Herman]

Gavin,

No one seems to have said anything about metering for the Astia. Here's what I do for transparency film:

Under sunny skies, I meter snow in the sun and open up 1 1/3 stops. Under cloudy skies, I open up 1 2/3 - 2 stops. With eveing or morning light on the snow, I open up 1 stop.

Keep in mind that I always make 2 or three identical exposures of everything I photograph. I process only one of each, and then decide whether I need to psuh or pull process the remaining versions of each image. The previous exposure suggestions assume that the snow is a dominant component of your image. As other subject matter becomes more important, like the temples, you need to meter them, too. It then becomes a balancing act, because transparency film often can't handle the exposure range within your composition (i.e., dark walls and bright white snow). Working in the morning and evening reduces the contrast. Otherwise, you should try compositions that emphasize one component or the other (snow vs darker subjects). You can use flash to balance the lighting, but that adds a lot of effort when you're working with large format.

Good luck,

[Sandy Sorlien]

Edsel Adams,

Great name, wise guy, but I think you are incorrect. Ted Kaufman explained it. Sure, you're right if you just want to meter the sunlight. If the subject is in shade or partial shade that doesn't help you much! I am often photographing subjects (such as the other side of a street) where the light falling on the subject is completely different from the light falling near me. Reflectivity off the ground upwards (snow is a great reflector) is also going to affect the light falling on the subject. I would never go out with just an incident meter.

Cheers,

[james mickelson]

By and large the light falling on a subject nearby in sun or shade is the same intensity as the light falling on an object 1 mile away. Variations which you can see with your eye can be seen with a meter too. When using slide film and photograpphing a contrasty scene you will need to determine which tones you will want to have accurately depicted in your slide. The shadows or the highlights. Slide film will reproduce 4 stops of tone, from black to white. Everyone here has talked about incident and spot metering as if they alone will give you the information you need to get the correct exposure. Neither will. You need to know the contrast range of the entire scene more than what the midtones will be. Just metering a grey card tells you next to nothing about what you really want to know which is the contrast range of the scene. If you have a scene with bright sunlit snow(zone 8) and some deep shadows(zone 3) you are going to have to sacrifice one end of the tonal scale or the other. The slide film will not reproduce that range of tones. You shadows will be empty black or your snow will be detailess white. Your choice. You can pre expose the frame to widen the films latitude. Another way to meter is to meter the snow in the sun and open up 2 2/3rds stops or meter the snow in the shade and open up 2 stops. But remeber if the tonal range is greater than 4 stops your shadows will come out empty. And if you haven't calibrated your system then you may want to use these strategies and also bracket by 1/2 stop either way. And I am jealous as sin that you get to photograph in Japan which I think is the most under represented country photographically in the western world. James

[Gavin Walker]

Thanks a lot to all who answered this. I'm really looking forward to this trip a lot, and have already packed and repacked and re-repacked my camera! The only issue I'm now worrying about is whether my carrying cart will get stuck in the snow... )

[chris jordan]

I suggest still metering for shadows, but develop your negatives so that the snow falls in the zone VII-VIII range. In bright light, this might mean some greater compensation (bigger N-). You might then need to print on a higher grade to separate the mid-tones.

I'm always struggling with snow. I think its really tough to photograph snow in flat non-descript light. Some moderate hilights usually make things nicer and more three dimensional. Have fun on your trip!

Chris

www.jordanphoto.com