What? no meter?

[jnantz]

So how many people are winging it with transparency film, which was Lon's question? So far, only Brian has unambiguously staked a claim. My hat's off to him. Anyone else?

hi oren

i don't use a meter with transparency film, color neg or b/w.
i stopped using a meter about a 1 1/2 years ago ...
(unless i am inside and i am unsure about my lighting)

-john

[J Peterson]

I remember back in my assisting days I went on a 5 day shoot with my boss, a very experienced (40 year career) photographer and the light meter stopped working on the very first day of the first shoot. whoops.

For the next 4 days we hung out of helicopters shooting oil rigs in diverse lighting conditions from sunrise to sunset. He wasn't even phased by the fact he didn't have a meter and every shot he took was perfectly exposed on tranny. It was pretty awesome really. That's experience for ya.

Since then I've really tried hard to guess exposures before using a meter to try and train my self for the day if it comes that I'm in the same position. It's not actually that as hard as you may think. 125th @ f11 in full sun is the constant and you just make references from there.

[Per Madsen]

I use Sunny 16 as a sanity check, but no more than a sanity check.

I also always carry spare light meter bateries.

[ic-racer]

On of my photographic projects involves handheld shooting in the sunlight. I am using a Horseman 6x9 with a 65mm lens and electronic shutter release. This is a hand holdable setup in the sun. I get F16 at 1/250th with TMY. I don't use a meter. If the sun is not bright I can't shoot. The sun never gets brighter that I need to go up to 1/500th.

Sometimes, if there is a cloud over the sun, I can still keep the same settings. The techical reason would be that the shadows are illuminated by the expanse of blue sky (not the sun itself) and therefore could maintain density. Essentially, values that would project on to the right hand side of the HD curve are no longer there but the values on the left hand side and toe are still intact and at the same level. One now has a scene with less tonal range that you are underexposing (but not really) and then going to either develop more to increase contrast, or print with higher contrast paper or filtration. So it can all work out OK sometimes.

[Jim Noel]

Anyone who can't make reasonable exposures w/o a meter is treading on thin ice. What will they do on that day when their battery dies, and they really don't have a spare; or the meter goes berserk with readings all over the place.

On a recent trip a buddy and I suddenly realized that our meters were giving different, and unreal readings. I pulled out a spare, and it too indicated a perfectly obscene reading. We both shifted into automatic brain mode and continued the day and the trip. No lost exposures.

[Gene McCluney]

Another thing worth mentioning...If you shoot with a variety of lenses (as I do) then you have exposure variables in the shutter for each lens. If you go to the trouble to calibrate and make a chart of actual exposure speeds of each shutter at each shutter speed, then shooting without a meter becomes much easier. I can shoot without a meter outside (30 years experience), but for transparency, I will shoot a Polaroid test, with or without a meter.

[Clay Turtle]

Interest question which does indicate that knowing the old f16 rules is as applicable now as in the dazes of the Brownie. It also shows that the eye can make fairly accurate estimations based on experience. For example I was shooting a scenic of a large oak in the front yard of a house. Some other photographers stop to talk when I realized I didn't have my Grey card, one guy volunteered to let me use his so while I continued to set up & talk with the other. Looking at the scene I pointed toward the roof of the garage & spot metered it, stating that was probably 18% grey as the conversation had turned to metering. Returning with the grey card, I stepped into the light shade & meter the card. Yes, I got the same reading but you could say that I had already set the 18% grey value. Later I had installed an a/c into a friends darkroom so I thought while I am there, why not do some printing. Unknown dark room with a strange enlarger, I set up and printed some b&w's. It was a good thing my friend wasn't around as he would have been more than a little upset that I just visually set the time & stop to a particular light & hue (color head) to print the 8x10 sheets.
Yes good knowledge & experience does teach one to be able to judge fairly accurately . . ya but like I said 'I had forgotten my Grey card'.

[Ole Tjugen]

I use Sunny 16 as a sanity check, but no more than a sanity check.

I also always carry spare light meter bateries.

I use a meter as a sanity check - and base my exposures on "sunny-ish 11" here in Norway. I used Sunny 16, checked against a (no batteries!) Leningrad lightmeter when further south.

[John Berry]

I use the ground glass as a meter. Floyd Lee in Seattle showed me how 30 yrs ago.

[Robert Hughes]

Ground glass as a meter? John, explain please...