Determining film exposure

Determining film exposure (This information is largely extracted from Black and White Photography: A Basic Manual by Henry Horenstein [an excellent book])

I suggest that you use two or more of these methods and compare the results. They should be very close. If not, you may be doing something wrong.

1. Take a general reading.
For predominately white or light subjects, add more light-by the equivalent of one f-stop or more-than the meter suggests.
For predominately dark subjects, cut back on the light the meter suggests; close down the aperture or make the shutter speed faster.

2. Use a gray card. Photographers sometimes use a gray card to reflect an average amount of light falling onto the subject rather than the light reflected off specific parts of the subject. To use the gray card, place it in front of the subject, and aim it towards the camera position. Take a meter reading off the card only; take care not to cast a shadow onto the card while reading the light. Use the f-stop and shutter speed combination indicated by the meter without adjustment.

3. Expose off skin. Skin can substitute for a gray card. Take a light reading off the palm of a hand, flattened out and positioned directly in from of the subject, toward the camera position. Or take the reading off the subject’s face. Be careful not to cast a shadow onto the hand or face when taking the reading. For ‘average’ Caucasian skin, add the equivalent of one f-stop more exposure. If the meter reads f16 at 1/250, use instead f11 @ 1/250 or f16 @ 1/125. Dark skin may simulate a gray card perfectly, so use the meter reading without adjustment. Extremely dark skin may need as much as one-half to one f-stop less exposure than the meter suggests.

4. Read incident light. Incident-light meters read light falling onto the subject rather thanlight reflecting off the subject. They do not read specific dark, gray, or light areas of a subject. As such they provide an average exposure for the given subject lighting conditions, much like a gray card.

5. Average the shadows and highlights. Since meters read for middle gray, the correct exposure will be somewhere between the meter readings for the dark and light areas of the subject. Meter a dark area, then a light area, and average the two readings. If the reading off the dark area is f4 at 1/60, use f8 at 1/60.
Most of the time this exposure system works well enough. However, the dark and light areas metered should be approximately equal in darkness and lightness. Do not average meter readings from a jet black car and mildly tanned Caucasian skin.

6. Bracket. Bracketing means taking exposures on either side of the recommendations of the meter. It is a safe way to guarantee good exposure. If the meter says f8 @ 1/250. You might also take a photo at f5.6 @ 1/250 and f11@ 1/250. This produces several exposures of the same image. At least one exposure should be ideal.

7. Expose for shadows and compensate. A more exact system for exposing film is to take the meter reading in the dark shadow area of the subject and then make an adjustment to that reading. The area should be the darkest part of the subject where detail is desired in the final print.
Let’s say a dark sweater represents the deepest shadow area where detail is desired. Read off the sweater only. (A spot meter is helpful.) Suppose the meter indicates f2.8 at 1/60. Use instead an exposure of two f-stops (or the equivalent) less, such as f5.6 at 1/60, f 4 at 1/125, or f2.8 at 1/250.
If the darkest areas of the subject are not particularly dark, the adjustment should be for one stop, rather than two.

8. Sunny 16 rule. On a sunny day set aperture to f/16 and shutter speed to the [reciprocal of the] ISO film speed [or ISO setting] for a subject in direct sunlight. So if you are using 400 speed film on a very sunny day, you would set your aperture at f16 and your shutter speed at 1/400.

As with other light readings, shutter speed can be changed as long as the f-number is altered to compensate, e.g. 1/250 second at f/11 gives equivalent exposure to 1/125 second at f/16.

An elaborated form of the Sunny 16 rule is to set shutter speed nearest to the reciprocal of the ISO film speed / setting and f-number according to this table:
Aperture Lighting Conditions Shadow Detail
f/22 Snow/Sand Dark with sharp edges
f/16 Sunny Distinct
f/11 Slight Overcast Soft around edges
f/8 Overcast Barely visible
f/5.6 Heavy Overcast No shadows
f/4 Open Shade/Sunset No shadows
Add One Stop Backlighting n/a

Excellent Article on loading your film holders

Excellent write up with nice photos about how to load your film holders

Kodak HC110 film developer information

We will be developing our film using Kodak HCC110 developer throughout the semester. If it was good enough for Ansel Adams, then it is good enough for me.

Kodak PDF on HC110. If you want to look up development times for a different film or temperature or simply want to know more about the developer, this is what you want to read.

Unofficial guide to HC110

Plus Minus suggested development times

Wikipedia article on developing sheet film

Syllabus

Here is a link to your syllabus. As I modify it, it will be automatically updated.

Landscape and Reclamation

“Landscape and Reclamation," is UT’s Department of Art's 2011–12 theme. We will be working with and responding to that theme this semester. I encourage you to begin thinking about what it might mean to you.

Here is a Toledo.com article with the information and dates of events surrounding the theme.

Welcome to Large Format Photography Class!

This blog will serve as a resource to you throughout the semester. The syllabus, assigments, and numerous other materials will be posted here. Occasionally, I will post course re-caps here.

It is but one of the numerous online resources that you will be utilizing throughout the course.

The required textbook is Using the View Camera: A Creative Guide to Large Format Photography by Steve Simmons.

Link to the book on Amazon.com where it is currently only $8.98. I want you to order the book immediately. I expect you to have read the Introduction and Chapter 1 by next Tuesday.

Prior to next class, I want you to read A beginner’s guide to large format photography.
I also want you to read the chapter titled View Camera in the London, Upton book that you should still have. If you don't have it still, then you need to read one of the two copies on reserve in the CVA library. Lastly, I want you to read a short View Camera article titled Getting Started in Large Format Photography.

By next Tuesday, I want you to have completed the reading in the Simmons book (the Introduction and Chapter 1). In addition, I want you to read the chapter on the zone system and re-read the chapter on Exposure in the London, Upton book.

This semester, I will regularly administer quizzes. Please keep up with the readings.