I just spent another frustrating hour in the back yard trying to do some zone system testing. The recommendation that one shoot outdoors on a day when the light is very even was definitely written by someone from the southwest of the US. I live in Canada where for about 5 months of the year, you can die from the cold, and where the rest of the time, if you don't like the light, just wait a few minutes.
Anyway, after getting totally annoyed and PO'd, AGAIN, I had to sit down and laugh at myself for being so stupid, AGAIN. I looked over my notes for the last 2 or 3 years and whenever I do testing, it is always the same thing - I start out with brave optimism about being careful and precise, and wind up frustrated, and then chuckling at myself over a beer. Even if I do manage to get the tests done properly, I think "is it really worth it?" Well, I finally got a darkroom built, and if I can get that done, then I can design a little setup where I can just click on some lights and get even illumination, even at 3 AM in January.
If anyone has made such a setup and can help me avoid some mistakes, I would be happy to hear from you. Rheostats? Photofloods? Tungsten? I am all ears.
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