rmalarz wrote:
Kozan, what I did was based on a couple of principles. Light meters render an exposure that places whatever they measured in Zone V, middle of the Black to white scale.
So, if I'm shooting digital, I spot meter the brightest part of the scene, I can then increase the exposure an appropriate amount to place that metered part of the scene in a "brighter" and more appropriate Zone, based on my desire on how I want to represent that part of the scene in the final "print". Knowing how much additional exposure is required is arrived at through careful testing. Determining the portion of the scene to spot meter requires careful examination of the scene.
Incidentally, this is the opposite of shooting black and white film. In that case, I'd measure the darkest part of the scene and decide in which Zone to place that part of the scene. I'd then decrease exposure the appropriate amount. Like digital, the processing of the original will render the various brightnesses in the appropriate zones.
So, in this case, I spot metered a reflection off the water and increased exposure to place that in the appropriate Zone. This increased the exposure of the entire scene. In processing, I compensated for the additional exposure and, as you can see, the rest of the scene "fell" into place.
--Bob
Kozan, what I did was based on a couple of princip... (
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Thanks, Bob. I got it now. It all boils down to knowing what zone you are metering.
I appreciate the explanation.