Ummm, what? I must use a different zone system, since the one I use has no idea what the light source may be.Originally Posted by Christopher Broadbent
C
Ummm, what? I must use a different zone system, since the one I use has no idea what the light source may be.
C
Eric, I said it works better in the great outdoors where our puny fill can't reach. Film and curve are the same anywhere. ZS does wonders in harsh uncontrolable lighting situations. But indoors, with the source of light in the shot and soft transition from one shadow area to the next and so on to black, ZS can't match a little help from a strobe or an HMI.
By the way, our brothers-in-law have a better Zone System than we have, built right in to their DSLRs. The cabbage patch which has be ours for more than a hundred years has been invaded by the HDR cloudies.
As a newbie I am confused. Do you have to wrap tubes for black and white?
Why doesn't the zone system work indoors?
Neon is red, blue, green, etc. Why would you wrap it and to do what?
Is it neon that I will find on the ceiling in a barbershop, or any industrial setting or is it flourescent and are they the same?
Sorry to be so new but I am trying to figure this out?
thanks
eric
To my knowledge:
Neon lights are a glass tub containing a gas (not always actually neon I would guess) which is excited by a high voltage. They are very nearly monochromatic.
Florescents are similar except that they emit invisible UV light which is then converted to visible light by a coating of phosphors on the inside of the tube. The mixtures of phosphors determines the color of the light (warm or cold.)
A note regarding B&W under mixed sources. I have found speed variations of up to a stop, depending on the spectral response of the film in relation to the color temperature of the light, particularly tungsten. Black and white films are generally formulated for daylight exposure, and often our testing follows suit, so the color temperature of the light can make a difference, and that difference varies from emulsion to emulsion. Sometimes it isn't enough to matter, but in situations where you are exposing into the shadows, its pretty easy to lose detail in dark hair etc, with some films, especially if it is compounded by some other error.
aducanson, Simplistically speaking fluorescents go green on color films, hence the need for a 30 magenta (plus UV) filter for daylight film in the old days when all we had to contend with was cool white flourescents. These days films are more forgiving and common flourescents are more much more varied in color and more nuetral but not generally nuetral (though I have seen some imported from Germany for a Mini Cooper car dealership that were nearly nuetral. These may be the wave of the future). the interior lights on this image were cool white flourescents ca. 1985. Film was some kind of daylight Ektachrome.
Thanks,
Kirk
at age 73:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
Asking questions like these -- when the OP is coming at it with a blunt shoe mount flash approach -- is like someone else asking, "How do cameras work?" or "What are all the nuances of darkroom work, please explain in a single thread..."
Does he expect us to write him a customized book? I mean there are no stupid questions but... it would be respectful and considerate if the OP went online and read up a little bit so we wouldn't be spinning our wheels trying to explain everything to him.
Start by reading the lighting forum on photo.net; review the http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/; buy a copy of Ross Lowel's book, Matters of Light & Depth.
As for the original question, just shoot the scene straight. Then do a another sheet with some pops. Process, test, repeat or use a Polaroid/digicam to test. I won't say your shoe mt flash is worthless but chances are that it will be. In cases like this it probably makes more sense to do a long exposure and have the barbers turn off their interior lights at a certain point in the exposure (subtract the hot spots) rather than trying to add light to the scene with a tiny little toy flash.
Or do what some of the experts here would do... buy 53 Alien Bees and fry the fucker.
He does say that, doesn't he. My blush.
(Thanks.)
Hi Frank,
I know what you mean about not putting forth any effort in reading to learn how to do things but if you look at my past history you'll see I don't abuse this or any other forum with an attitude such as you suggest above.
I can ask a question and if you or anyone else wants to share your knowledge or experience you can, if not, that's okay too. I'm sorry I set you off by mentioning my "tiny little toy flash". I hope 8x10 and larger camera users don't look too harshly on my puny 5x7.
Hope your day goes better,
chris
PS. thanks for the link
To all, I thank you for responding. I appreciate this forum in the spirit of learning and sharing, and to the members for their knowledge and especially their willingness to share.
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