Hi,

I guess for many years now I've wanted to find a definitive book on exposure in difficult or unusual circumstances. One of my most treasured photographs is a scene of a rock above the waterline off a white sand beach with storm clouds all around. I exposed using an incident meter but pointing a little bit away from the camera to compensate for the light given off by the white sand. It really was only a guess.

The other day I drove my car about 280kms to take 2 photos on 4x5 Velvia. It is a lot of investment at the point of clicking a shutter !!

My subject was a couple of Jacaranda trees in bloom at this time of year. If you know them, they are covered in a purple flower.

So ... how to expose for a shot that is pretty much straight up ? You are seeking a photo of a tree in flower against a blue sky. There is a breeze to guarantee movement to some extent. You have a Ries as it is the only tripod I own that will tilt to the vertical and allow me to fiddle with the camera. The flowers are about 3 to 4 metres away above. You use a Sekonic flash meter. The ground around you that will reflect light is a mixture of asphalt and grass (I was in a park on the edge of a road)

Any suggestions of a book dedicated to explaining how to expose in unusual circumstances would also be appreciated...

Cheers.