Exposure compensation and zone system - am I thinking correctly?

[tkamiya]

I would just like to be certain I'm thinking this through clearly.

Let's say I'm shooting portraits. Just a regular portraits, nothing fancy. Assume it's lighted simply and the camera is set to SPOT metering. Also assume, my subject is a white skinned person.

If I meter on this person's face, the SPOT metering of the camera will place this person's face on ZONE 5. Because of the subject's tone, I wouldn't want this person's face to be in zone 5. I'd want the face to be in ZONE 4. I'd set camera's exposure compensation to be in +1.

Now, USING THIS SETUP, I meter this person's face, LOCK THE EXPOSURE, recompose, and shoot.

I'm not interested in knowing better ways of doing this, so please don't suggest. I am; however, interested in knowing if I am applying the correct logic, and using the zone system, metering system, and exposure compensation setting correctly.

Thanks in advance.

[dehk]

If you want it to be in Zone 4 it will be EV-1 Zone 6 will be EV+1

[eddie]

You'd want a white face to be placed in zone VI, not IV. Open up one stop from the zone V reading.

[dehk]

You'd want a white face to be placed in zone VI, not IV. Open up one stop from the zone V reading.

I was also thinking about saying that but maybe he's photographing something other than a white face. But yes, good point.

[tkamiya]

Yes, zone 6. I got that backwards. I'd want it one stop lighter than zone 5. Is my thinking correct otherwise?

My whole point is, since it is a portrait, I want the face to be correctly exposed. I'm thinking through how I'd compensate for the fact metering system will place it in zone 5.

[eddie]

We were asked to assume it was " a white skinned person".

[eddie]

Yes. +1 will place it in zone VI.

[Robert Budding]

Yes. The metered reading will place whatever you've metered on Zone V. Add exposure to move to a lighter zone.

[tkamiya]

Thank you VERY much.

[eddie]

As an aside, when I taught this stuff ( many years ago) I didn't have my students use plus or minus exposure compensation. I had them use the camera manually, and open up a stop ( in this hypothetical situation), as they seemed to grasp the concept better when they had to adjust the aperture. You could almost see them thinking, " OK, my meter says 1/60 at f.11, so I need to shoot at 1/60 at f.8." It did help reinforce how exposure works.