If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
spot metering help needed
|
#13
|
|||
|
|||
spot metering help needed
whodunitinc wrote in message . ..
On 8 Dec 2003 07:32:13 -0800, (Michael Scarpitti) wrote: It's not always POSSIBLE to be sure, no matter what we try. What's the reflectivity of Liberace's rhinestone outfits? Do you know? How does one meter such a thing? By experience and good estimations, to be sure. Rhinestones would produce spectral higlights which in my opinon would not be the the best thing in the frame to meter. But he's standing there on stage and you're too far away to get an incident reading, and security won't let you any closer. You HAVE to estimate based on the reading you get. If I were shooting Liberace in a rhinestone suit, I'd probably start with a reading from his face and open up a stop and half (he's pale). Good. Now we're getting somewhere. But the face may not be suitable either, depending on how he's oriented to you. His back may be to you, in which cae the suit is what is available. I am sure that many of the rihinestone highlights would be blown out and that's pretty much the effect you want. Sure film can be considered cheap but gosh if you bracket lots you'll be using minimal 3 times more than you might normally use and if you are doing panoramas consisting of 6 frames, bracketing becomes extremely difficult to manage in post. Only in cases of doubt. In any event, film is cheap and your time is not. Film is not cheap (about $0.60 per 4X5 print and if you bracket by 1/2 stop that's $3.00 for a good print)) ....and your time is worth? What is the reward for the successful picture? ....digital imaging on the other hand is very cheap, still I like to meter when shooting digital. Mind you it's easy enough then to bracket and throw away the bad ones. Call me goofy, but I get satisfaction from doing it right, from understanding the process, from knowing the why and how . I like to shoot, and much of the pleasure I derive from it comes from determining not just what defines the frame but also how it is exposed and which values go where. Photography for me is more than the "photograph", it also is the act of photographing and a large part of that is metering. I want to be able to meter well! I don't use the P setting with auto bracket. Your best shots, do you remember making them or were you pleasantly surprised when you picked up the prints? As regard spot metering not applicable to 35mm photography, Who said that? It has nothing to do with formats. I outlined the uses for spot metering above. JC actually suggested that it was more appropiate for large format, I don't disagree but still maintain it's value in 35mm. Nonsense. It has nothing to do with format. In motion picture work, color negative film is used precisely because of its greater latitude. Nonetheless, I often see erroneously exposed film in the cinema. I can tell easily. So much for that claim. Well , exposure is subjective and often times negs are flashed before being shot or alternate processes maybe applied for mood, eg bleach process and of course old prints can and often do lose their color, particularily stuff from the 70's. 'Elf'? C'mon, man. I see bad exposure all the time. There is a trend to use less light nowadays, and it makes the films today look cheap. Grainy fast films are no subsitute for watts. Light the damned scene! Prints can vary depending on who makes them and projection lamps are not always correct.No matter, not all DPs are created/motivated equally, some meter better than others. In fact the truly great ones are the ones that meter well, and they don't use every light on the truck. |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
spot metering help needed
On 9 Dec 2003 09:17:29 -0800, (Michael
Scarpitti) wrote: whodunitinc wrote in message . .. On 8 Dec 2003 07:32:13 -0800, (Michael Scarpitti) wrote: It's not always POSSIBLE to be sure, no matter what we try. What's the reflectivity of Liberace's rhinestone outfits? Do you know? How does one meter such a thing? By experience and good estimations, to be sure. Rhinestones would produce spectral higlights which in my opinon would not be the the best thing in the frame to meter. But he's standing there on stage and you're too far away to get an incident reading, and security won't let you any closer. You HAVE to estimate based on the reading you get. Hence, a 1 degree spot meter! If that don't do your too far away to be shooting him anyway, now you're shooting the stage and perhaps there's something else to meter. If I were shooting Liberace in a rhinestone suit, I'd probably start with a reading from his face and open up a stop and half (he's pale). Good. Now we're getting somewhere. But the face may not be suitable either, depending on how he's oriented to you. His back may be to you, in which cae the suit is what is available. If you take an average meter reading from spectral highlights( eg. sunlight reflecting off rippled water, rhinestones or chrome) and want some shadow detail you had better bracket by more than two stops! I am sure that many of the rihinestone highlights would be blown out and that's pretty much the effect you want. Sure film can be considered cheap but gosh if you bracket lots you'll be using minimal 3 times more than you might normally use and if you are doing panoramas consisting of 6 frames, bracketing becomes extremely difficult to manage in post. Only in cases of doubt. In any event, film is cheap and your time is not. Film is not cheap (about $0.60 per 4X5 print and if you bracket by 1/2 stop that's $3.00 for a good print)) ...and your time is worth? What is the reward for the successful picture? ...digital imaging on the other hand is very cheap, still I like to meter when shooting digital. Mind you it's easy enough then to bracket and throw away the bad ones. Call me goofy, but I get satisfaction from doing it right, from understanding the process, from knowing the why and how . I like to shoot, and much of the pleasure I derive from it comes from determining not just what defines the frame but also how it is exposed and which values go where. Photography for me is more than the "photograph", it also is the act of photographing and a large part of that is metering. I want to be able to meter well! I don't use the P setting with auto bracket. Your best shots, do you remember making them or were you pleasantly surprised when you picked up the prints? As regard spot metering not applicable to 35mm photography, Who said that? It has nothing to do with formats. I outlined the uses for spot metering above. JC actually suggested that it was more appropiate for large format, I don't disagree but still maintain it's value in 35mm. Nonsense. It has nothing to do with format. In motion picture work, color negative film is used precisely because of its greater latitude. Nonetheless, I often see erroneously exposed film in the cinema. I can tell easily. So much for that claim. Well , exposure is subjective and often times negs are flashed before being shot or alternate processes maybe applied for mood, eg bleach process and of course old prints can and often do lose their color, particularily stuff from the 70's. 'Elf'? C'mon, man. I see bad exposure all the time. I am certain you do. There is a trend to use less light nowadays, and it makes the films today look cheap. Grainy fast films are no subsitute for watts. Light the damned scene! Prints can vary depending on who makes them and projection lamps are not always correct.No matter, not all DPs are created/motivated equally, some meter better than others. In fact the truly great ones are the ones that meter well, and they don't use every light on the truck. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
spot metering help needed
whodunitinc wrote in message . ..
On 9 Dec 2003 09:17:29 -0800, (Michael Scarpitti) wrote: whodunitinc wrote in message . .. On 8 Dec 2003 07:32:13 -0800, (Michael Scarpitti) wrote: It's not always POSSIBLE to be sure, no matter what we try. What's the reflectivity of Liberace's rhinestone outfits? Do you know? How does one meter such a thing? By experience and good estimations, to be sure. Rhinestones would produce spectral higlights which in my opinon would not be the the best thing in the frame to meter. But he's standing there on stage and you're too far away to get an incident reading, and security won't let you any closer. You HAVE to estimate based on the reading you get. Hence, a 1 degree spot meter! If that don't do your too far away to be shooting him anyway, now you're shooting the stage and perhaps there's something else to meter. Yes, but that may be too narrow in some cases. the answer is ther'sno substitute for experience and bracketing in some cases. If you take an average meter reading from spectral highlights( eg. sunlight reflecting off rippled water, rhinestones or chrome) and want some shadow detail you had better bracket by more than two stops! But with experience you don't have to do that...you'll know what to do. 'Elf'? C'mon, man. I see bad exposure all the time. I am certain you do. In the movies that are too cheap to use lighting. There is a trend to use less light nowadays, and it makes the films today look cheap. Grainy fast films are no subsitute for watts. Light the damned scene! Prints can vary depending on who makes them and projection lamps are not always correct.No matter, not all DPs are created/motivated equally, some meter better than others. In fact the truly great ones are the ones that meter well, and they don't use every light on the truck. |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Attention *ALL* owners of Ixus 500 | Peter McKenzie \(remove 'nospam'\) | Digital Photography | 4 | July 2nd 04 02:50 PM |
F-stop Sweet Spot | ATIPPETT | Medium Format Photography Equipment | 61 | July 1st 04 08:56 PM |
Canon Ixus 500 intrinsic metering error | Peter McKenzie \(remove 'nospam'\) | Digital Photography | 0 | June 30th 04 06:02 PM |
Entry level body with spot metering? | OnePrivateIndividual | 35mm Photo Equipment | 4 | June 18th 04 09:21 AM |
difficulty drum scanning negatives | Jytzel | Film & Labs | 51 | April 10th 04 08:56 PM |