APUG - View Single Post - Massive Backlighting Problem

Jim Noel · 11-10-2007, 01:12 PM

Keep the styrofoam cup your coffee is served in.

Focus the camera on the scene and meter to determine exposure.

Place the cup over your meter aimed in the same direction as your lens.

Take a reading for Zone I, II or III. In this extreme case III may be correct.
Set this reading on your camera.
Place the cup over the lens and make the exposure.

Remove the cup and make your exposure as previously determined for the total image.

This will pre-expose your shadows to Zone III, and do little to your highlights.

In actual practice I rarely pre-expose higher than Zone II.

Do an N-1 development and you should have a very useful negative with detail in the shadows up to highlights with detail.

Since you have never done this I suggest two negatives, one pre-exposed on Zone II and one on ZOne III.

11-10-2007, 01:12 PM	#8 (permalink)
Jim Noel Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,137 Blog Entries: 1	Keep the styrofoam cup your coffee is served in. Focus the camera on the scene and meter to determine exposure. Place the cup over your meter aimed in the same direction as your lens. Take a reading for Zone I, II or III. In this extreme case III may be correct. Set this reading on your camera. Place the cup over the lens and make the exposure. Remove the cup and make your exposure as previously determined for the total image. This will pre-expose your shadows to Zone III, and do little to your highlights. In actual practice I rarely pre-expose higher than Zone II. Do an N-1 development and you should have a very useful negative with detail in the shadows up to highlights with detail. Since you have never done this I suggest two negatives, one pre-exposed on Zone II and one on ZOne III. __________________ [FONT=Comic Sans MS]Films NOT Dead - Just resting[/FONT]