how would you approach this tricky exposure scenario?

[jasonso]

The highlights in a scene are 2 whole stops brighter than the next brightest tones. How would you expose and develop such that the highlights are visible and everything else is pure black?

Why would I want to do this? Basically at a certain time of day sunlight filters through the gaps in some buildings and leaves a highlighted area on a brickwork wall in a pleasing shape. I want to capture only the brickwork textured shapes and leave the rest of the image black.

My thinking is to meter the highlights and then underexpose by 2 stops so they are on zone 3 and then develop with N+2

[Luis-F-S]

Bracket.

[koraks]

My thinking is to meter the highlights and then underexpose by 2 stops so they are on zone 3 and then develop with N+2
yeah, something like that. And print on grade 4 or 5. Burn the shadows if any detail seeps through. Doesn't sound all that complicated to be honest. Getting everything to fit into a nicely printable but separated curve would have been trickier.

[chassis]

Expose the highlights on zone VIII or IX, stand develop the negative for low contrast (based on your familiarity with your own film+developer workflow), scan and adjust as necessary in post processing.

[Two23]

Is fill flash an option?


Kent in SD

[jp]

I bet it's more than two stops...
Incident meter in the light beam. Incident meter out of the light beam. Make an exposure based on the light beam metering. Contrast adjustment and maybe a little dodging the highlights when printing will make the shadows plenty black.

[Alan Gales]

Bracket.

+1

[jasonso]

I had it in mind to have it all done in the negative but actually your'e right, I should be able to get what I want when printing. Thanks for the tips all.
(and I'll definitely be bracketing since it's quite a journey away)

[Drew Bedo]

Bracket then develop Zone System darkroom technique.

Then Photoshop with some degree of HDR manipulation .

[Thom Bennett]

How about metering the shadowed brick and take that exposure down 4 stops; severe underexposure, right? You don't want any detail in the other bricks? Then develop the hell out of it; +25%, +50%? Then print for the highlights and everything else should go to black. Am I correct in my thinking?

[David Hedley]

My thinking is to meter the highlights and then underexpose by 2 stops so they are on zone 3 and then develop with N+2

This will probably work, and will deliver a high contrast negative. If you want less contrast, and more flexibility when you print, you could place the highlights on zone IV or V, and then develop N+1.