I hate to say it but I think I may have learned something. Love your videos and content. If I don't actually learn something, which is rare, I'm always entertained.
I have a cat who is almost a perfect Zone V, except for her paws. She’s not very good for going out on location work however. I really liked this series of photos, the best so far I’d say. Thanks for sharing.
She would make the perfect studio cat! imagine asking your model to cuddle a cat instead of holding up a Greycard. Maybe you need to get a parrot to work as a colorchecker too.
Thanks for explaining how to best meter scenes based on the Zone System. Unlike the many videos on UA-cam, yours provides the most critical information needed to create quality negatives.
This is exactly what I needed to know and what I was trying to ask in the email mate, very grateful to you for explaining it all. Just goes to show, even after 45 years handling cameras and taking photographs, one cannot know it all, there's always something to learn. Again, many thanks :)
Hey Roger. Outstanding presentation. Your metering explanations coupled with your practical methodology is by far the best instructional presentation I have seen. Thank you so much.
Great video. In theory the lumisphere absorbs 82% of the light leaving 18% (same as reflected light off a grey card) so for most average scenes this method works well, especially on negative film.
Great information, I really like the way you deliver the overall spot metering and gray card examples. I’m just getting back into film photography and trying to find an easier way to apply the concept of exposing for the shadows and developing for the highlights. I think you nailed it.
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss Generally, or else if I'm using an AE viewfinder on my Bronica GS-1 it makes the right correction. Some nice images in your shoot btw.
I really found this video very useful. A problem that I have is actually realising what will make a good photograph. The technical stuff is no problem - the 'creative' stuff is!
I always imagine what a scene or subject would look like printed and framed in a particular room. Helps me be creative I suppose Dennis. You can also get nice ideas on google images so if you're looking to photograph a Buttercup for example have a look what others do ad see how you can replicate it to your own taste.
Excellent video! Great how you compared the three methods and your videography was outstanding. BTW most of your measurements followed the "sunny 16 rule" -- shutter speed at 1/ISO (your ISO was 32 so 1/30 sec) and f16 on a sunny day. I often use the sunny 16 rule to check the sanity of my exposure measurements. Love the prints -- beautiful job. Also good idea on pulling the film to reduce contrast. I gotta try that.
Even though I shoot medium format with a digital camera, I love all of your videos! Still got my RB67 Pro S and loads of 120 b/w film..but no darkroom, nor room for one. Great videos, very inspiring. Best wishes David..UK.
Nicely informative video. However, since you're showing prints I think the viewers ought to know the enlarger, paper stock, and paper developer as well. The enlarger-condenser or diffusion, the make of the enlarging lens-Nikkor, Schneider, etc., paper stock-some are punchier than others, and developer-Dektol? something else? Each of these factors makes a difference as well as the optics on your camera-i.e. I find that Zeiss lenses render more contrast than Schneider lenses and Mamiya lenses seem to fall somewhere in between.
Good stuff. Corresponded well with Sunny16 for the most part. That ferry doesn't look like it can handle very rough seas 😅 I tend to avoid very sunny days, but I should take a leaf from your book and get out more. I strive to put the shadows in zone 3 if I have the range for it, but for quick shots it is so much easier to average.
For over four decades and if I didn't carry my incident meter, I just used my camera to take a meter reading of my palm (~18% gray) or greenery in a summer day. Averaging spot metering back then wasn't fun with early spot meters, but often just a push of a button with modern ones. With my palm and a color meter, I don't bother to carry any gray or white card anymore.
Great video. Thanks for posting. I wonder what you would think about taking a slightly wider spot meter reading on an area of an object where there is an equal mix of very white and very dark? I have tried this before and it worked OK. I will try it again versus incident. Cheers from Canada.
Results will also depend on how ACCURATE the SHUTTER SPEED is ! Usually the faster speeds are a bit slow , and if a camera has not been used for a long while the 'slower speeds' can be 'sticky' causing over-exposure.
Nice photographs as always, Roger. I have to ask though - what would you say are the benefits of using a meter in this particular situation (i.e. not in tricky low light or with strobes and flashes and stuff)? The reason I ask is that I don't really have any meters apart from the simple ones built into my camera, and even then in outdoor daylight I almost never use them. Your incident readings gave the settings that I would have estimated for subjects in full sunlight using Sunny 16, so in that situation I would have just gone with f16 1/30 without thinking. Do you think that estimating exposure with S16 is too much of a "blunt instrument" and that better results would come from using a meter? Cheers.
Pretty much I was in sunny16 territory. Apart from the mottled looking boat. The meters in your camera would meter the scene just as good if it works. The mamiya doesn't have a meter. If I were to shoot the same on my Nikon f90x I would have more than likely used its internal meter and got similar photos. Sunny 16 rule is okay and I guess some can really make it work well when going from sun to shade for example and know instantly what to dial in. I may try that in another video.
Hi I recently bought a Sekonic L-558 Cine and it doesn't metter where I point the spot meter or any change I do at ISO ou T value, it always give "E.u" F value, or if change to T always giver "E.u" fot T. Even by keeping the measure button hold and moving the sekonic, allways the value is "E.u". (The delector dial is turned to spot meter). Is there any CF settings other thing I need to set to make it works or the spot meter is deffective? Thanks.
I'm not sure why that is other than Eo is no value or under the threshold as though you are in the dark. Take the meter outside in the day and spot on a pavement. Make sure your setting is on the SUN icon. and your shutter speed is at S(Seconds) not M(minutes). You can do this by turning the dial anticlockwise until you reach the Seconds value.
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss Thanks for your reply. I had done all tests as you mentioned, anyway, I got to solve it and if anybody else need this solution I've made a video showing how to fix it at: ua-cam.com/video/PLEI19IpB8w/v-deo.html
Really interesting, as I am currently shooting my first attempt at pulling film. BTW - Massive Dev says 8.5 mins for FP4 @ISO 32 in Xtol, so that concurs with your instinct that 7 mins was not enough. Now my understanding is that pulling film is useful for both reducing contrast and reducing grain, so I was really surprised to see after pulling FP4 2 stops that you still had to use low contrast filters. Even one at #00. Worked though. Definitely got nice detail on that sunny day.
Another enjoyable video and I learned as well! Curious if you use the spot metering at all when you use a digital camera. or just trust the camera meter?
Many thanks for the informative video, great content. What would have happened if you had metered off the 18% grey card in the first set of scenic photos? providing the same light was hitting both card and scene and the card was covering the metering angle, a similar exposure? Cheers for the series.
Sorry but the EI of the FP4+ is 125 and the real sensitivity should be around 64ISO. Now if you measure in incident light and then in spot but on gray 18% it is the same thing; you are not exposing for the shadows in reflected light (zone V) which you should then bring to zone III (zone system) and therefore underexpose by 2 stops. You didn't, right?
So basically by pulling 2 stops you are doing the digital equivalent of exposing to the right so the shadows will have the greatest detail while you preserve the highlights since film tends to preserve highlights but you cannot pull up shadows as you can with some digital sensors. Would it not be easier to just meter around the scene and consider what you want to be 18% gray and what you want above and below that and ponder that look and then just pick just one setting to give you that, and maybe just bracket? But I suppose one has to also understand how a particular color may render itself in black and white as well. What happens if you play with the zone method?
If I think it looks middle gray (pavements for example) yes but I wouldn't be able to read a colour and how that would render. Another comment Said Blue sky or green grass.
@@johnjon1823 it's not a cheat, it's a good practice to do. I used to. And still do if I'm shooting portraits under flash indoors just so I can see where the light is falling. Like a Polaroid back was used for. Not so much with static lighting as I can control that more.
Don't confuse pulling the film and exposure at Zone 3 or whatever. By pulling the film, it behaves like it's at ISO 32, so as long as you meter at ISO 32 your exposures are correct. The purpose of pulling the film is to reduce contrast. Pulling by hastening development time works because the hot spots (bright areas) are not fully developed and so the dynamic range (high to low brightness range) is reduced.
Making life too hard. If you use the incident meter at the scene you should get the same reading as taking a reflected reading off a grey card at the scene...they are the same. You only need to do one or the other and using the incident sphere is much the easiest. The spot meter is for when you want to measure different reflected surfaces and compare them to one another and decide where you want to place your most important values in the exposure.
every once and a while i would go back and rewatch this, super helpful sir! thank you
I hate to say it but I think I may have learned something. Love your videos and content. If I don't actually learn something, which is rare, I'm always entertained.
I have a cat who is almost a perfect Zone V, except for her paws. She’s not very good for going out on location work however.
I really liked this series of photos, the best so far I’d say. Thanks for sharing.
Ha Ha Ha... I could imagine the look I would get taking a cat on location pointing a meter at it.
The cat's name is Probably Ansel.
She would make the perfect studio cat! imagine asking your model to cuddle a cat instead of holding up a Greycard. Maybe you need to get a parrot to work as a colorchecker too.
Perhaps a dog? Weimaraners are know as the "Grey Ghost". If you can just get it to stand still...
Thanks for explaining how to best meter scenes based on the Zone System. Unlike the many videos on UA-cam, yours provides the most critical information needed to create quality negatives.
This is exactly what I needed to know and what I was trying to ask in the email mate, very grateful to you for explaining it all. Just goes to show, even after 45 years handling cameras and taking photographs, one cannot know it all, there's always something to learn. Again, many thanks :)
Glad it helped. It was your email that inspired me to make the video.
The more videos I see like this, the more I like digital.
Great to see how you are using the light meter!
Still so much to learn, love these videos
Just researching getting back into film after being away for 20+ years. Not sure where to start, but enjoying your channel.
Not much has changed except price, a lot of used gear on ebay
Hey Roger. Outstanding presentation. Your metering explanations coupled with your practical methodology is by far the best instructional presentation I have seen. Thank you so much.
Cheers Aristo
Just want to say that you’re the reason I built my own darkroom and film lab in my backyard! Ur like my film superhero/father figure!
Well done Roger! Excellent advice.
Old T Shirt 👕 😮 That’s awesome 🤩
I realise this is 3 years old, but great stuff!!! And reassuring that in many cases the sunny 16 rule seems to apply to your exposures.
Excellent video. It took minutes to learn what one take an hour to read . Your videos are interesting. Thank you.
Thanks Fabio
Great video. In theory the lumisphere absorbs 82% of the light leaving 18% (same as reflected light off a grey card) so for most average scenes this method works well, especially on negative film.
I did not know that. Cheers.
Super educational and very thorough! Fantastic videos.
Master at work, Ive learned so much! thank you!
Great information, I really like the way you deliver the overall spot metering and gray card examples. I’m just getting back into film photography and trying to find an easier way to apply the concept of exposing for the shadows and developing for the highlights. I think you nailed it.
Nice to see the different methods compared directly. With b&w film I usually just keep the light yellow filter on all the time on bright sunny days.
Do you allow a stop for it Mark?
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss Generally, or else if I'm using an AE viewfinder on my Bronica GS-1 it makes the right correction. Some nice images in your shoot btw.
GENIUS VIDEO. inspirational and educational - thanks!!!
Excellent video. I've been keen on film for years, but I'm still learning. Great to see how you do it.
Cheers James
This is a great learning video. Well done!
Excellent!
I had no doubt that you can make a gray card yourself from an ordinary gray T-shirt ))
Thank you!
Thanks again. You’re a great teacher.
I appreciate that!
I really found this video very useful. A problem that I have is actually realising what will make a good photograph. The technical stuff is no problem - the 'creative' stuff is!
I always imagine what a scene or subject would look like printed and framed in a particular room. Helps me be creative I suppose Dennis. You can also get nice ideas on google images so if you're looking to photograph a Buttercup for example have a look what others do ad see how you can replicate it to your own taste.
Excellent video! Great how you compared the three methods and your videography was outstanding. BTW most of your measurements followed the "sunny 16 rule" -- shutter speed at 1/ISO (your ISO was 32 so 1/30 sec) and f16 on a sunny day. I often use the sunny 16 rule to check the sanity of my exposure measurements. Love the prints -- beautiful job. Also good idea on pulling the film to reduce contrast. I gotta try that.
Cheers Dave.
I noticed that too!
I’ve just bought a Sekonic- L308s meter! We were taught in college if you didn’t have your grey card with you grass or your hand is 18% grey
That is one brilliant meter! daylight, tungsten, flash - great for all. And it is spot on even with no spot!
@@whiteframe2745 glad to hear that- thank you 🙏🏻
Thanks. I have to try that!
Even though I shoot medium format with a digital camera, I love all of your videos! Still got my RB67 Pro S and loads of 120 b/w film..but no darkroom, nor room for one. Great videos, very inspiring. Best wishes David..UK.
Cheers David.
hi maestro, sekonic l 358? 858? 308?
Nicely informative video. However, since you're showing prints I think the viewers ought to know the enlarger, paper stock, and paper developer as well. The enlarger-condenser or diffusion, the make of the enlarging lens-Nikkor, Schneider, etc., paper stock-some are punchier than others, and developer-Dektol? something else? Each of these factors makes a difference as well as the optics on your camera-i.e. I find that Zeiss lenses render more contrast than Schneider lenses and Mamiya lenses seem to fall somewhere in between.
Thank you, interesting video and very nice photos 👍
Very interesting the pull process you did, the negatives came out very well. I will try this technique
Thank you! Cheers!
Good stuff. Corresponded well with Sunny16 for the most part.
That ferry doesn't look like it can handle very rough seas 😅
I tend to avoid very sunny days, but I should take a leaf from your book and get out more.
I strive to put the shadows in zone 3 if I have the range for it, but for quick shots it is so much easier to average.
Yes, pretty much sunny 16. I omitted that part to save any confusion. I've been in some rough seas on that ferry!
Excellent video very well explained, thanks for posting
Glad it was helpful!
Great video Roger
Are you using weighted mean average or simple average? Check custom settings 9
For over four decades and if I didn't carry my incident meter, I just used my camera to take a meter reading of my palm (~18% gray) or greenery in a summer day. Averaging spot metering back then wasn't fun with early spot meters, but often just a push of a button with modern ones. With my palm and a color meter, I don't bother to carry any gray or white card anymore.
Someone else mentioned that. Interesting stuff
Great video. Thanks for posting. I wonder what you would think about taking a slightly wider spot meter reading on an area of an object where there is an equal mix of very white and very dark? I have tried this before and it worked OK. I will try it again versus incident. Cheers from Canada.
Results will also depend on how ACCURATE the SHUTTER SPEED is ! Usually the faster speeds are a bit slow , and if a camera has not been used for a long while the 'slower speeds' can be 'sticky' causing over-exposure.
Yes some of my folders are a bit touch and go Pete
Nice photographs as always, Roger. I have to ask though - what would you say are the benefits of using a meter in this particular situation (i.e. not in tricky low light or with strobes and flashes and stuff)? The reason I ask is that I don't really have any meters apart from the simple ones built into my camera, and even then in outdoor daylight I almost never use them.
Your incident readings gave the settings that I would have estimated for subjects in full sunlight using Sunny 16, so in that situation I would have just gone with f16 1/30 without thinking. Do you think that estimating exposure with S16 is too much of a "blunt instrument" and that better results would come from using a meter? Cheers.
Pretty much I was in sunny16 territory. Apart from the mottled looking boat. The meters in your camera would meter the scene just as good if it works. The mamiya doesn't have a meter. If I were to shoot the same on my Nikon f90x I would have more than likely used its internal meter and got similar photos. Sunny 16 rule is okay and I guess some can really make it work well when going from sun to shade for example and know instantly what to dial in. I may try that in another video.
Hi I recently bought a Sekonic L-558 Cine and it doesn't metter where I point the spot meter or any change I do at ISO ou T value, it always give "E.u" F value, or if change to T always giver "E.u" fot T. Even by keeping the measure button hold and moving the sekonic, allways the value is "E.u". (The delector dial is turned to spot meter). Is there any CF settings other thing I need to set to make it works or the spot meter is deffective? Thanks.
I'm not sure why that is other than Eo is no value or under the threshold as though you are in the dark. Take the meter outside in the day and spot on a pavement. Make sure your setting is on the SUN icon. and your shutter speed is at S(Seconds) not M(minutes). You can do this by turning the dial anticlockwise until you reach the Seconds value.
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss Thanks for your reply. I had done all tests as you mentioned, anyway, I got to solve it and if anybody else need this solution I've made a video showing how to fix it at: ua-cam.com/video/PLEI19IpB8w/v-deo.html
Really interesting, as I am currently shooting my first attempt at pulling film. BTW - Massive Dev says 8.5 mins for FP4 @ISO 32 in Xtol, so that concurs with your instinct that 7 mins was not enough. Now my understanding is that pulling film is useful for both reducing contrast and reducing grain, so I was really surprised to see after pulling FP4 2 stops that you still had to use low contrast filters. Even one at #00. Worked though. Definitely got nice detail on that sunny day.
Yeah I'm not sure what happened with that shot. Surprised me too!
Another enjoyable video and I learned as well! Curious if you use the spot metering at all when you use a digital camera. or just trust the camera meter?
I use the cameras meter in digital as I can see on the back the exposure.
Many thanks for the informative video, great content. What would have happened if you had metered off the 18% grey card in the first set of scenic photos? providing the same light was hitting both card and scene and the card was covering the metering angle, a similar exposure? Cheers for the series.
Pretty much the same reading as incident Harry.
Great video!
I was curious on the type of grey card you use, looking for a reliable card
I still use it
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss link?
Great video, thx
Glad you liked it!
Great video and content! You know I reckon you could create a channel solely dedicated to metering and you’d kill it!!
What meter would you recommend for someone who has never used a meter ? Thanks Rick
Just a digital incident meter will do you just fine for reading averages. Doesn't have to have a spot meter like mine.
Living legend
Sorry but the EI of the FP4+ is 125 and the real sensitivity should be around 64ISO.
Now if you measure in incident light and then in spot but on gray 18% it is the same thing; you are not exposing for the shadows in reflected light (zone V) which you should then bring to zone III (zone system) and therefore underexpose by 2 stops. You didn't, right?
So basically by pulling 2 stops you are doing the digital equivalent of exposing to the right so the shadows will have the greatest detail while you preserve the highlights since film tends to preserve highlights but you cannot pull up shadows as you can with some digital sensors.
Would it not be easier to just meter around the scene and consider what you want to be 18% gray and what you want above and below that and ponder that look and then just pick just one setting to give you that, and maybe just bracket? But I suppose one has to also understand how a particular color may render itself in black and white as well.
What happens if you play with the zone method?
If I think it looks middle gray (pavements for example) yes but I wouldn't be able to read a colour and how that would render. Another comment Said Blue sky or green grass.
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss I would probably cheat and use a digital camera in BW mode to get an idea, would be interesting to compare the outcomes.
@@johnjon1823 it's not a cheat, it's a good practice to do. I used to. And still do if I'm shooting portraits under flash indoors just so I can see where the light is falling. Like a Polaroid back was used for. Not so much with static lighting as I can control that more.
Don't confuse pulling the film and exposure at Zone 3 or whatever. By pulling the film, it behaves like it's at ISO 32, so as long as you meter at ISO 32 your exposures are correct. The purpose of pulling the film is to reduce contrast. Pulling by hastening development time works because the hot spots (bright areas) are not fully developed and so the dynamic range (high to low brightness range) is reduced.
Excellent.... thx
Glad you liked it!
Have you used that RPX25 35mm film I sent you yet?
Hey Anthony. I have used half the roll. The other half is back in it's container for more playing. It's a good film. Thanks again mate
Nice & Thanks :)
Making life too hard. If you use the incident meter at the scene you should get the same reading as taking a reflected reading off a grey card at the scene...they are the same. You only need to do one or the other and using the incident sphere is much the easiest. The spot meter is for when you want to measure different reflected surfaces and compare them to one another and decide where you want to place your most important values in the exposure.
James. I'm showing various ways of metering. I'm. Not doing this every shoot lol