How to Spot Meter, and best metering techniques in general for Landscapes...?

[njrfotografia]

How to Spot Meter, and best metering techniques in general for Landscapes...?
(Using Large Format, MF and 35mm film, as well as full framed digi body too)

Hi all!
I am somewhat of a novice when it comes to all things spot metering related and advanced techniques of metering, just realising this after feeling dwarfed by how much I have neglected to take on board and learn so I am on a mission to absorb all the info I can to prepare me for my travels next year shooting projects mostly with a Linhof 617 panoramic camera…
So I just want to start back at the basics and nail it all down!

So the topics I'd like to query are:

• Spot Metering? Get a reading for the "Highlights" the "Midtone(s)" and the "Shadows" etc.. what then is best to eight these three plus readings to get a usable exposure to capture my image correctly?
• Is the use of ND Grad. filters absolutely essential to get an over all, evenly exposed image? Obviously in cases of extreme sun shine and bright skies it might be? Is it correct that 0.3 strength equals 1 whole stop, 0.6 equals 2 stops etc…?
• The Zone System...
I have a basic understanding of Ansel Adams B/W zone system principles, "expose for shadows, develop for highlights" etc... but how is it done and how is it applied in this day and age, if (for people like me) people don't have access to their own darkroom and printing facilities? How is it done digitally or with being able to do your own developing and printing with negative and slide films? Is it even worth applying today or is there better methods for overall exposure of a wide scenic landscape range…?

Any help people can give me, advice or guidance I'd much appreciate it!
Cheer and thank you in advance!
Na†han

[Adam Kavalunas]

I use a Pentax Digital Spotmeter. The first thing I did was create my own scale. I took a label, cut it down so it fits on the meter just under the orange EV numbers. My scale goes from -3, to +3, (with 1/3 stops hash marks) spaced out so these numbers match up with EV numbers when the dial is turned. Similar to the zone scale, but I wanted stop increments rather than zones. When I meter a scene, I meter the darkest areas and the lightest areas. I predominantly shoot Astia, so I'm looking for these meter readings to be within 5 stops at the most. If I meter a scene and get 8, and 12, I turn the dial until the 8 lines up with my -2, and the 12 will be at +2. This means that my darkest spots of the scene will be 2 stops underexposed and my brightest spots will be 2 stops overexposed. Both pushing the limits of the film, but still containing plenty of information in the digital scan.

Now if a scene has a broader range than 5 stops I use 2 techniques, either use a grad if the bright areas have a relatively defined edge, like where land meets sky, or (more recently) just take two shots exposing one for shadows, and then another for highlights, and merge the scans later. If I meter a scene and only get 1-3 stops difference, I prefer to just place the exposure smack in the middle. It may come back pretty bland, but at least I know I captured all the detail I could, and i'll up the contrast after its scanned.

[dperez]

There are a number of threads in this forum on metering. I'm no expert, but I think in part it depends on what kind of photography you are pursuing. If you are using transparencies primarily, then the approach Adam mentioned above, or a variation of it will work best.

For transparencies, I use a Sekonic 558L and meter for the average midtone. (I can arrive at an average by taking a reading of the brightest point in a scene that I want there to be detail in, set that reading in the meter's memory, then take another reading of the darkest area where I want detail and set that in the memory as well. Next I, set the meter to average to two exposures, then holding the measuring button down, I can evaluate the scene. If the highlights fall within +2 and the darkest shadows fall within -2, I should be okay (Some prefer +/- 1 2/3 range). If the highlights are say +3, then I know I would need a nd grad to bring down the highlights a bit.

To arrive at the middle gray you can also use a grey card, or take an average of a couple middle tones. If you are in the same light as the scene, you can just get by with an incident meter reading.

Here’s a video that might help you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxWLm1wGTi4&sns=em

If you are shooting B&W using the Zone system, the metering process is slightly different in that nd grad filters are not generally relied on to control highlights. Highlights are controlled in the development process, while shadows are controlled through exposure. I will not get too much into this because I am not an expert, I primarily shoot color negative and transparencies, and there is a ton of this information in the forum archives.

As to the last part of your question, the zone system is very much in use today, and is relevant. I recommend you buy Ansel Adams' three book series; The Camera, The Negative, and The Print. These can be found used for a decent price. There are other sources as well so take a look here: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...s/general.html

I think in order to have the ideal control over the final product using the zone system you need to be processing your own film. It's difficult to apply the zone system to its fullest if you are sending your negatives to a lab to be processed. There are just too many unknowns. You don't know what chemistry they use, their process, how skilled the lab techs are, etc.

As far as a hybrid process is concerned, I think the zone system can still be used to control the dynamic range. Once processed, you can scan and continue to edit for digital output, but again the process to control shadows and highlights in the darkroom is still relevant, although there may be some tweaking involved since the zone system also takes into consideration the grade of paper one intends to use. Again, others in this forum are much more knowledgeable in these areas than I, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Spend some time reading up on these topics.

Good luck.

-DP

[Brian Ellis]

When I did an advanced search in this forum using "zone system" as the key words in titles only I got two full pages of threads or approximately 60 threads dealing with it. Not all of them of course would be relevant to your questions but some surely would be. So I'd suggest starting there for your zone system questions.

In saying this I'm not trying to be snide or rude and I hope you don't take it that way. It's just that I and others here have explained the basics of the zone system so many times that it seems pointless to keep typing the same things over and over when the forum already contains answers to most zone system questions.

[SMBooth]

Here the best explanation Ive ever read:
Aim the one degree spot at the darkest area in the scene where you still want to see some detail. Close down two stops.

You have just placed the shadow area in Zone III.

That's usually the proper exposure for the scene.

Now, aim the spot at the brightest area in the scene.

If it's a five stop range between the darkest and brightest reading, use normal development.

Less than five, increase development.

More than five, decrease development.

No need to take a whole series of meter readings and average them. That's defeating the purpose.

Just make certain that you have given enough exposure to get some detail in the shadows. Then, develop for the highlights.

That's the Zone System in a nut shell.

[Gem Singer]

SMBooth,

Thanks for posting that for me.

I wrote that info. about spot metering for the Zone System a while back, and wanted to post it here.

However, I could not find it among my past postings in order to furnish a link.

[BrianShaw]

I wrote that info. about spot metering for the Zone System a while back, and wanted to post it here.

YOU are AA?

[Gem Singer]

Brian,

Sometimes I feel as old as AA.

SMBooth's post is a direct quote from past my post.

Mine was a simplified version.

AA's was much more detailed.

[BrianShaw]

AAs was too detailed!

But I must admit that I find it easy and fairly effective with my Sekonic L-558 to take a couple of readigns and press the AVG button!

[Gem Singer]

Brian,

The simple method you describe is actually an incident light reading, even though you are using the spot metering feature of your Sekonic meter.

That method works fine for color film and 75% of B&W photos.

However averaging the highlight and shadow exposures does not always give enough exposure to the shadows when using B$W film.

The basic principle of the Zone system is: "Expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights".

Especially with B&W film, and only slightly with color film, is it possible to do plus and minus development to control the highlights.