It's rare to find a good photographer who's also a good teacher. His superb, endearingly straight-forward style of narration throughout the presentation, demystifies the basics of Spot-metering, Zone System, and EV. The 'Reciprocity Chart' is indeed an invaluable gem that many professionals and amateurs shall treasure and use to improve their craft. Thank you so much, Richard, for this video. RIP 💐
A good refresher course on the use of a spot meter for film. I like the use of a digital camera as a Polaroid image and the reciprocity chart on the meter. I'd recommend taking that digital shot that you know you'll never print as a reminder of where you want to come back to the next time you're in the area.
Great video for me. Finally someone with an explanation of the Zone System, EV, and F-stops that I can truly begin to understand. All I have to do now is go out and start applying those ideas. You have some very well composed negatives. Ones that look like need very little compensating for in the darkroom.
Good video. Very helpful thanks. In the last 18 months I gone back to shooting with film, it reminds me to slow down. For me its a happy place using film. Shame we lost The Sycamore Gap tree shown in the video.
at 6:15, what you are saying in effect the 'Zone System' is an analogue version of digital exposure compensation, +/- 1,2,3 stops in either direction, you meter for middle grey, aka compensation=0, then add or subtract exposure till you get the shot you envisioned, as opposed to the 'as shot' by the meter reading.
This is so inspiring and refreshing, learning from a photographer with real experience. Also exciting for me to see you using that Fuji X-E1 with filters. I love mine just as my film cameras. Thanks for sharing.
I have just learned a technique which I haven’t had the chance to use yet. Spot meter the dark shadow and then under expose one stop from that reading. Quick easy and I hear works amazingly well.
Thanks for video....I like to know where did you find the correct reciprocity times for your tri-x film stock and wonder if the same values for fuji neopan stock also.
Did he say he used Tri-x? I was wondering, since he must use the same stock all the time if he taped the values to his meter. Reciprocity failure varies wildly between films. Fuji Neopan is unusual as it has almost 0 reciprocity failure. There's a great phone app for this, with every film you can think of called Exposure Assistant.
yes, at 4:15 ev's are good, esp. for hasselblad V system shooters (they lock their lenses' apature and shutter speed wheels together at a certain ev number and can shoot any combination) this gives choice, as well as an excelent and expedient way of switching lenses, and keeping the exposure value of the last shot, just set the lens to EV, and remember ONLY the ev and shutter, OR apature value, then you are all set.
You can also download apps on your phone for spot meters and they’re now pretty accurate. They match my Fuji xt4 readings. I shoot 4x5 when I use the zone system and the app meter works. You also should develop for the range of contrast you want, especially if you think your highlights will be too hot, then you can under develop and lower your range of contrast.
I am curious... I use a 35mm Canon AE-1. It has a in camera meter suggesting aperture for the shot, is this suggesting aperture on whatever is in focus to be at zone 5 as well, or is the metering system in camera work a different way? Thanks for any insight!
+Dave Sinor... I have a Canon 35mm and it uses a centred weighted silicon photocell for light metering. It will always try to expose for mid tones as all cameras do. If you are shooting a typical scene will a good balance of light the meter will serve you well. But if you are shooting in low light and mostly dark scene your camera will tell you to increase the exposure to bring everything in your scene to mid tone (zone 5). you may not want this if you are going for silhouettes or shooting a black horse that you want to look black (not grey). The same can be said for photographing snow because the camera will see a bright scene and force you to decrease exposure ultimately turning your lovely white snow into a grey substance, because again the camera will always expose for mid tones. you can use exposure compensation for these situations. The Canon AE-1 works as you know If you are in TV (shutter speed priority) mode i.e you are choosing the shutter speed the camera will suggest an aperture value for that shot. if you are in AV mode and choosing the aperture yourself the camera will suggest a shutter speed value. you can also use it in full manual by taking the lens off A and selecting aperture and shutter speed yourself. The camera will still give you information in the viewfinder and by observing the needle you will get well exposed shots for average lit scenes. hope this helps.... i am by no means the expert!
All light meters work the same way ie they read the reflection and assume it is an 18% grey. Your camera looks at the whole area and averages it out. By spot metering he is looking at one specific area of the photograph so that specific area will be correctly exposed. Now remember I said it reflects assumed 18% (medium) grey. Well if you are metering something dark in color like black it will overexpose it trying to make it grey. For very bright like white (ie snow) it will underexpose trying again to make it grey. You must take that into account when metering. My first camera was an AE-1 programmable I bought brand new and traded off in the 90's (wish I had it now). If you are on aperture priority you set the apaturer and it will automatically set the right shutter speed IF the shutter speed and aperture are in the right range for light. Same thing for shutter priority. If in manual mode I beleive it will tell you if you are under or over exposed per the light meter. Hope that helps.
For that tree, (my local tree!) you’ve got to be there early or late day. To get that image you have to stand to the south of it. To get any character in your picture the sun has to be in the east or west, not burning it out from directly behind you. Any other position and you get stuff in the background you don’t want. So you start with limitations, never mind luck of the weather or season. That tree has been photographed millions of times.
Adams always printed on #2 contrast grade paper which necessitated changing negative development so scene lighting contrast / negative density range matched the range of that paper grade. Adams also liked to expose his negatives at the extreme “toe” end of the DlogE so if the base of the negative was exposed to just make it max. black on the print any light reached the film and exposing it would be rendered as a dark gray “Zone 1” scene/print value (i.e. “Zone”). It became a Zone System cult thing to enlarge one’s negative carriers with a file so a bit of the film base created a max. black Zone 0 value around the photo, proof it was exposed perfectly down on the toe and the print wasn’t made from a cropped negative. Technically speaking exposing the shadows that way on B&W negative film was necessary because the straight line portion of the DlogE curve on the negative was much longer than the range of the print paper. One could over expose by 2 stops and still get a full range print. That’s why Grannies with fixed aperture Kodak Brownie and Instamatic cameras were able to take “snap shots” outdoors and indoors with flash that had a full range of tone. Exposing precisely “on the toe” did result in subtle differences in shadow rendering but not so much that most viewers of prints would notice. In the 1968 edition of The Negative and The Print I learned the Zone System from the first calibration test was to photograph a subject wearing an extreme tonal range of black and whited clothing holding a Kodak 18% gray card in direct sunny cross lighting (i.e. Normal Contrast) lighting. The goal of this test was to see if the rated ASA speed of the film exposed the shadows correct with Zone 0 black voids not registering any density on the negative with the first hint of Zone 1 shape in shadows being the first density seen. Exposure was set by using a ASA rated Weston meter calibrated to 18% reflectance and metering off the Kodak Gray card NOT THE SCENE ITSELF. Exposures would be made at the rated ASA value, then 1/3 stop increments higher and lower and then the negatives were evaluated. Some adjustment of meter ASA was usually needed to get Zone 0 / 1 values down to the bare film base / min. neg density respectively. Why was 18% chosen for a meter calibration and rating film? Via testing the standards organization decided that an ‘average’ sunny outdoor scene composed via the rule of thirds with 1/3 sky and 2/3 land reflected 18% of the incident light. Thus if you pointed your ASA rated Weston meter at an outdoor scene it would average the light reflecting and wind up exposing the shadows on the negative adequately. Metering off an 18% Kodak gray card eliminated the variable of scenes not reflecting exactly 18% of the incident light resulting in the precise control of shadow exposure Adams wanted. The second calibration test was for development time to match the range of the #2 paper with “Normal - Sunny Crosslight” conditions. One started with the time recommended on the film date sheet, made a test print from that negative to check the rendering in the highlights then adjusted the time as needed with subsequent exposures until the print reproduced the highlights ideally with separation seen been smooth white Zone 9 sunlit objects and the Zone 10 specular highlight reflections of the sun on them. On the print the Zone 9 “white” was actually a very light gray layer of exposed silver with the paper based rendering the Zone 10 specular highlight clues to 3D shape. The need to reserve the white base of the print paper for the brightest specular highlights confused early users of the Zone System because as late as the 1968 edition I learned from Adams had not assigned a Zone number to specular highlights. In the 1968 edition there were ten Zones 0 - 9. Zone 10 was added later to eliminate this confusion. The same development time test was repeated, ideally with same subject and background, under partly cloudy and overcast lighting which has lower contrast. Lower contrast lighting required longer negative development time to render the full range of tone from black and white clothing and skin tones on the standard #2 print. If using roll film and the Kodak system instead of Adams’ system with individually developed sheets of film the lab developing the film and making the prints would simply change paper grade and use #3 or #4 which have more contrast if the roll of film contained photos taken on both sunny and overcast days in order to get a full range print. The Adams Zone system only worked with roll film if one was able to shoot an entire roll of film under the same lighting conditions, which he later did using Hasselblad medium format cameras with interchangeable film backs. He carried four different film backs for four different ranges of scene brightness. In 1971 when I learned Zone System was using a pair of Nikon F cameras and a Nikonos II underwater camera to do mostly photojournalism at college and had purchased a Honeywell / Pentax 1° spot meter because I got an assignment documenting an off campus “Farm Term” project with Ektachrome color slide film and the spot meter allowed direct reading of scene highlights to set exposure and avoid blowing them out. What one did was do a bracket test and just keep adjusting the ASA setting on the meter, using the indicated shutter/aperture, until the adjusted ASA speed exposed the highlights optimally. It made getting correctly exposed transparencies a no-brainer and I realize the same approach would work for my Zone System B&W. Instead of metering off the 18% card and then adjusting the indicated shutter / aperture to achieve correct shadow exposure I just metered the area in the scene were I wanted “Zone 1” detail showing on my print and adjusted the ASA speed of the film on the meter dial until that direct spot reading from the scene produced a Zone 1 detail above Zone black void on my print. Then by metering spot metering a Zone 9 non-specular smooth white area of the scene I was able to EXACTLY determine the scene range in f/stop / EV between Zone 1 and 9 in any contrast lighting. I did my Zone System film development tests based on actual EV ranges and knew what negative development time to use for each one to get a full range print under any lighting conditions. I did similar testing using the Kodak method of always developing the film to produce a full range print under “Sunny 16” lighting conditions and changing paper grade / contrast for others. Using that direct spot metering off scene method getting full B&W range prints under any lighting conditions without any trial and error became no-brainer simple. All the control was front loaded by being able to precisely meter the scene directly via the adjusted ASA setting on the meter. With a portfolio of twenty B&W prints I made with that spot metered variation of Adams Zone system I was able to convince top wedding photographer Monte Zucker to hire me as his assistant in 1972 and then the National Geographic to hire me as a photo lab technician in 1974 which led to a side gig teaching reproduction of B&W and color photos for offset printing and a 29 year career in the US Foreign Service managing a Publishing Center in Manila. I continued using my modified Zone System approach for my personal work, mostly on Polycontrast papers. Using spot meter for exposure and measuring scene range and a enlarger with a color head , using a calibrated transparent step-wedges and an enlarging exposure meter / densitometer for testing, I was able to determine what CC value of magenta or yellow filtration was needed to get a full range print under any lighting conditions (i.e. optimal baseline full range exposure) with no trial and error.
My approach with digital cameras which I started using in 2000 is to simply carry white and black wash rags in my camera bag to cushion my gear and place them in the same light as the scene or subject along with 12% not 18% gray card because in 1975 when the switch was made to the ISO film rating system the metering / film speed value changed to from 18% to 12% Using the overexposure warning of the camera I set exposure to keep the white towel 1/3 stop under clipping then look at the left side of the histogram which tells me if the scene contrast exceeds the ability of the sensor to record it. If shooting in a tripod I will then bracket 2 stops and take another test shot and reevaluate the left side of the histogram making additional test shots and adjustments until shadow detail is recorded above the sensor signal/noise threshold. I then combine the two exposures via blended masked layers, opening the mask on the shadow exposure to add shadow detail selectively the same way I would adjust it selectively on a “baseline full range” print under the enlarger. I find that gives me better control that just letting HDR combine them automatically. When shooting outdoors I also carry a flash on a bracket over my lens and a second flash for used off axis which allows me to change the range in the flash lit foreground using key over fill flash to exactly fit the foreground range to the sensor. In direct sunlight put the back of the subject to the sun, expose with aperture for desired DOF, shutter below flash sync speed and ISO to keep sunlit Zone 9 whites on subject or towel on stand 1/3 stop below triggering the overexposure warning. Then to lift the underexposed front of the subject they are first posed into the dominant direction of the skylight to create a flattering ambient 3D modeling highlight pattern on face / object which usually requires having subject look up to get light past brow and into eyes. Next Fill Flash over the camera is raised until detail is seen in the darkest folds of the black towel with test shots. Finally the Key flash off axis is placed relative to subject so it creates the SAME HIGHLIGHT PATTERN AS THE AMBIENT LiGHT and then raised until the Zone 9 whites on the sun-shaded front of white towel/ subject are slightly darker than the rendering of the Zone 9 whites being hit by the sun and exposed 1/3 stop under clipping with ISO/shutter/aperture with them winding up 2/3 stop below triggering the clipping warning. That procedure results in optimally exposed highlights in the sunlit background, albeit with loss of detail in darker shadows, but a very normal looking full range of detail and contrast on the flash lifted front of the subject with the only hint flash was added being the specular highlights the flashes will create which can be mitigated by using diffusion over the flashes. If shooting a human / animal subject I don’t have them stand around impatiently as I adjust exposures. I just drape white and black wash rags over a 12% card on a stand and set everything in advance of them stepping in front of the camera.
that little rubber frame was downright ingenious! i'll be borrowing that idea... dont hold your breath on my returning it : ) Also, i loved that you noted, '...this image is more for me to remember the location and event.' It's a good concept for me to practice when the light is not stellar :) (i might add, though, while i understood what you mean by the zone system and spot metering, you lost me in most places not having explained how that particular spot meter "gives you a number". I did see you had to turn the dial sometimes, but other than moving the "7" from zone 5 to 4, i didn't hear how the meter returns 'the number'(7 in that case) - is it digital? do you have to turn knobs to find it? ... not that important, overall, since the concept of moving 'the number' around the zones to save the shadows (in film) made sense. thanks for the post
Well why do you need the zone system.. If you know the meter will read for middle grey (zone 5) and you want in that particular shot a little darker just speed up the speed by one stop or close the aperture by one stop sense each zone is one stop different from the adjoining zone. And you can in most cases get close to the object you want to shoot to get a narrow reading.
i'm commenting a little late, but if you're only taking into account one spot of an image, you're correct, you don't need the entire zone system...but usually a scene can be made of a 3 - 7 zones in one image, and you need to know how to average them to get the best amount of detail....(amongst other reasons for knowing the zone system.) Happy shooting, Benny
Not really. If you understand photography and how the use of light and shadow work, and that the metering systems in DSLR's or even a 35mm doesn't give you what you should be looking for then a spot meter will give you a much better looking image. In addition: since there is still a huge community that shoots both MF and LF that don't have meters, spot meters or light meters are vital.
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It's rare to find a good photographer who's also a good teacher. His superb, endearingly straight-forward style of narration throughout the presentation, demystifies the basics of Spot-metering, Zone System, and EV. The 'Reciprocity Chart' is indeed an invaluable gem that many professionals and amateurs shall treasure and use to improve their craft. Thank you so much, Richard, for this video.
RIP 💐
This guy just gave out the formula to be a great photographer. Thx, great video.
A good refresher course on the use of a spot meter for film. I like the use of a digital camera as a Polaroid image and the reciprocity chart on the meter. I'd recommend taking that digital shot that you know you'll never print as a reminder of where you want to come back to the next time you're in the area.
Great video for me. Finally someone with an explanation of the Zone System, EV, and F-stops that I can truly begin to understand. All I have to do now is go out and start applying those ideas. You have some very well composed negatives. Ones that look like need very little compensating for in the darkroom.
Enjoyed the conversational style and lessons. Thanks.
Fantastic video Richard. Clear explanations. Your good humour and pleasant manner also add to it.
Very very good presentation RS
Good video. Very helpful thanks. In the last 18 months I gone back to shooting with film, it reminds me to slow down. For me its a happy place using film. Shame we lost The Sycamore Gap tree shown in the video.
The tree is lost? 😔 How so?
Sadly it was illegally cut down.
Thanks Richard! Great video, such a blessing to have people like you sharing information on here.
Old school techniques that in my use are as relevant today with digital media as they were decades ago while using film.
at 6:15, what you are saying in effect the 'Zone System' is an analogue version of digital exposure compensation, +/- 1,2,3 stops in either direction, you meter for middle grey, aka compensation=0, then add or subtract exposure till you get the shot you envisioned, as opposed to the 'as shot' by the meter reading.
Excellent presentation Richard. Thank you for reminding me about the pocket frame.
Thank you Richard. The EV info is priceless! and I thank you for explaining it so well :-) Great vid and full of really useful information! Thank you
Sadly, Richard passed away suddenly in May 2020...😢Thank you for your lessons, for the natural way of teaching us! RIP Richard!
So sorry to hear that sad sad news.
Thank you for sharing Richard with us all.
Great video. I enjoyed the discussion. I enjoyed the spot meter intro
This is so inspiring and refreshing, learning from a photographer with real experience. Also exciting for me to see you using that Fuji X-E1 with filters. I love mine just as my film cameras. Thanks for sharing.
I have just learned a technique which I haven’t had the chance to use yet. Spot meter the dark shadow and then under expose one stop from that reading. Quick easy and I hear works amazingly well.
Thay is actually placing your exposure in zone 4, some people expose their b&w film in zone 3
@@davidholyoake5767 I have used it a few times now and it does work very good. I will try Zone 3 here today and see how I think about that.
Very generous of you to post all of this. Very instructional.
Thank you, that was very informative. Also, nice to see that tree again. Look out for Normans.
Thanks for this video. I recently just picked up this spot meter and was instantly lost haha. This video explains it well.
Great video; I liked the rubber you frame the scenario!
Excellent. Informative,
Great information!
Excellent! Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks for video....I like to know where did you find the correct reciprocity times for your tri-x film stock and wonder if the same values for fuji neopan stock also.
Did he say he used Tri-x? I was wondering, since he must use the same stock all the time if he taped the values to his meter. Reciprocity failure varies wildly between films. Fuji Neopan is unusual as it has almost 0 reciprocity failure. There's a great phone app for this, with every film you can think of called Exposure Assistant.
It had Tri-X written on his chart on top light meter.
best video about exposure
So often see the Zone System made too confusing. It's basically about getting the desired dynamic range of the image onto your photo.
Yup I agree, Once you have decided what you want, you place those values in the frame as you want.
Thank you, now I understand the zone system!
Is this a modified or unmodified spot meter ?
yes, at 4:15 ev's are good, esp. for hasselblad V system shooters (they lock their lenses' apature and shutter speed wheels together at a certain ev number and can shoot any combination) this gives choice, as well as an excelent and expedient way of switching lenses, and keeping the exposure value of the last shot, just set the lens to EV, and remember ONLY the ev and shutter, OR apature value, then you are all set.
why do you use a digital camera rather than a cell phone as your "polaroid"
R.I.P Richard.
You can also download apps on your phone for spot meters and they’re now pretty accurate. They match my Fuji xt4 readings. I shoot 4x5 when I use the zone system and the app meter works.
You also should develop for the range of contrast you want, especially if you think your highlights will be too hot, then you can under develop and lower your range of contrast.
I am curious... I use a 35mm Canon AE-1. It has a in camera meter suggesting aperture for the shot, is this suggesting aperture on whatever is in focus to be at zone 5 as well, or is the metering system in camera work a different way? Thanks for any insight!
+Dave Sinor... I have a Canon 35mm and it uses a centred weighted silicon photocell for light metering. It will always try to expose for mid tones as all cameras do. If you are shooting a typical scene will a good balance of light the meter will serve you well. But if you are shooting in low light and mostly dark scene your camera will tell you to increase the exposure to bring everything in your scene to mid tone (zone 5). you may not want this if you are going for silhouettes or shooting a black horse that you want to look black (not grey). The same can be said for photographing snow because the camera will see a bright scene and force you to decrease exposure ultimately turning your lovely white snow into a grey substance, because again the camera will always expose for mid tones. you can use exposure compensation for these situations. The Canon AE-1 works as you know If you are in TV (shutter speed priority) mode i.e you are choosing the shutter speed the camera will suggest an aperture value for that shot. if you are in AV mode and choosing the aperture yourself the camera will suggest a shutter speed value. you can also use it in full manual by taking the lens off A and selecting aperture and shutter speed yourself. The camera will still give you information in the viewfinder and by observing the needle you will get well exposed shots for average lit scenes. hope this helps.... i am by no means the expert!
All light meters work the same way ie they read the reflection and assume it is an 18% grey. Your camera looks at the whole area and averages it out. By spot metering he is looking at one specific area of the photograph so that specific area will be correctly exposed. Now remember I said it reflects assumed 18% (medium) grey. Well if you are metering something dark in color like black it will overexpose it trying to make it grey. For very bright like white (ie snow) it will underexpose trying again to make it grey. You must take that into account when metering. My first camera was an AE-1 programmable I bought brand new and traded off in the 90's (wish I had it now). If you are on aperture priority you set the apaturer and it will automatically set the right shutter speed IF the shutter speed and aperture are in the right range for light. Same thing for shutter priority. If in manual mode I beleive it will tell you if you are under or over exposed per the light meter. Hope that helps.
Thanks for this very informative upload.
For that tree, (my local tree!) you’ve got to be there early or late day. To get that image you have to stand to the south of it. To get any character in your picture the sun has to be in the east or west, not burning it out from directly behind you. Any other position and you get stuff in the background you don’t want. So you start with limitations, never mind luck of the weather or season. That tree has been photographed millions of times.
Explained how to use spot meter and use digital camera?
Adams always printed on #2 contrast grade paper which necessitated changing negative development so scene lighting contrast / negative density range matched the range of that paper grade.
Adams also liked to expose his negatives at the extreme “toe” end of the DlogE so if the base of the negative was exposed to just make it max. black on the print any light reached the film and exposing it would be rendered as a dark gray “Zone 1” scene/print value (i.e. “Zone”). It became a Zone System cult thing to enlarge one’s negative carriers with a file so a bit of the film base created a max. black Zone 0 value around the photo, proof it was exposed perfectly down on the toe and the print wasn’t made from a cropped negative.
Technically speaking exposing the shadows that way on B&W negative film was necessary because the straight line portion of the DlogE curve on the negative was much longer than the range of the print paper. One could over expose by 2 stops and still get a full range print. That’s why Grannies with fixed aperture Kodak Brownie and Instamatic cameras were able to take “snap shots” outdoors and indoors with flash that had a full range of tone. Exposing precisely “on the toe” did result in subtle differences in shadow rendering but not so much that most viewers of prints would notice.
In the 1968 edition of The Negative and The Print I learned the Zone System from the first calibration test was to photograph a subject wearing an extreme tonal range of black and whited clothing holding a Kodak 18% gray card in direct sunny cross lighting (i.e. Normal Contrast) lighting. The goal of this test was to see if the rated ASA speed of the film exposed the shadows correct with Zone 0 black voids not registering any density on the negative with the first hint of Zone 1 shape in shadows being the first density seen. Exposure was set by using a ASA rated Weston meter calibrated to 18% reflectance and metering off the Kodak Gray card NOT THE SCENE ITSELF. Exposures would be made at the rated ASA value, then 1/3 stop increments higher and lower and then the negatives were evaluated. Some adjustment of meter ASA was usually needed to get Zone 0 / 1 values down to the bare film base / min. neg density respectively.
Why was 18% chosen for a meter calibration and rating film? Via testing the standards organization decided that an ‘average’ sunny outdoor scene composed via the rule of thirds with 1/3 sky and 2/3 land reflected 18% of the incident light. Thus if you pointed your ASA rated Weston meter at an outdoor scene it would average the light reflecting and wind up exposing the shadows on the negative adequately. Metering off an 18% Kodak gray card eliminated the variable of scenes not reflecting exactly 18% of the incident light resulting in the precise control of shadow exposure Adams wanted.
The second calibration test was for development time to match the range of the #2 paper with “Normal - Sunny Crosslight” conditions. One started with the time recommended on the film date sheet, made a test print from that negative to check the rendering in the highlights then adjusted the time as needed with subsequent exposures until the print reproduced the highlights ideally with separation seen been smooth white Zone 9 sunlit objects and the Zone 10 specular highlight reflections of the sun on them. On the print the Zone 9 “white” was actually a very light gray layer of exposed silver with the paper based rendering the Zone 10 specular highlight clues to 3D shape. The need to reserve the white base of the print paper for the brightest specular highlights confused early users of the Zone System because as late as the 1968 edition I learned from Adams had not assigned a Zone number to specular highlights. In the 1968 edition there were ten Zones 0 - 9. Zone 10 was added later to eliminate this confusion.
The same development time test was repeated, ideally with same subject and background, under partly cloudy and overcast lighting which has lower contrast. Lower contrast lighting required longer negative development time to render the full range of tone from black and white clothing and skin tones on the standard #2 print.
If using roll film and the Kodak system instead of Adams’ system with individually developed sheets of film the lab developing the film and making the prints would simply change paper grade and use #3 or #4 which have more contrast if the roll of film contained photos taken on both sunny and overcast days in order to get a full range print. The Adams Zone system only worked with roll film if one was able to shoot an entire roll of film under the same lighting conditions, which he later did using Hasselblad medium format cameras with interchangeable film backs. He carried four different film backs for four different ranges of scene brightness.
In 1971 when I learned Zone System was using a pair of Nikon F cameras and a Nikonos II underwater camera to do mostly photojournalism at college and had purchased a Honeywell / Pentax 1° spot meter because I got an assignment documenting an off campus “Farm Term” project with Ektachrome color slide film and the spot meter allowed direct reading of scene highlights to set exposure and avoid blowing them out. What one did was do a bracket test and just keep adjusting the ASA setting on the meter, using the indicated shutter/aperture, until the adjusted ASA speed exposed the highlights optimally. It made getting correctly exposed transparencies a no-brainer and I realize the same approach would work for my Zone System B&W.
Instead of metering off the 18% card and then adjusting the indicated shutter / aperture to achieve correct shadow exposure I just metered the area in the scene were I wanted “Zone 1” detail showing on my print and adjusted the ASA speed of the film on the meter dial until that direct spot reading from the scene produced a Zone 1 detail above Zone black void on my print. Then by metering spot metering a Zone 9 non-specular smooth white area of the scene I was able to EXACTLY determine the scene range in f/stop / EV between Zone 1 and 9 in any contrast lighting.
I did my Zone System film development tests based on actual EV ranges and knew what negative development time to use for each one to get a full range print under any lighting conditions. I did similar testing using the Kodak method of always developing the film to produce a full range print under “Sunny 16” lighting conditions and changing paper grade / contrast for others. Using that direct spot metering off scene method getting full B&W range prints under any lighting conditions without any trial and error became no-brainer simple. All the control was front loaded by being able to precisely meter the scene directly via the adjusted ASA setting on the meter.
With a portfolio of twenty B&W prints I made with that spot metered variation of Adams Zone system I was able to convince top wedding photographer Monte Zucker to hire me as his assistant in 1972 and then the National Geographic to hire me as a photo lab technician in 1974 which led to a side gig teaching reproduction of B&W and color photos for offset printing and a 29 year career in the US Foreign Service managing a Publishing Center in Manila. I continued using my modified Zone System approach for my personal work, mostly on Polycontrast papers. Using spot meter for exposure and measuring scene range and a enlarger with a color head , using a calibrated transparent step-wedges and an enlarging exposure meter / densitometer for testing, I was able to determine what CC value of magenta or yellow filtration was needed to get a full range print under any lighting conditions (i.e. optimal baseline full range exposure) with no trial and error.
My approach with digital cameras which I started using in 2000 is to simply carry white and black wash rags in my camera bag to cushion my gear and place them in the same light as the scene or subject along with 12% not 18% gray card because in 1975 when the switch was made to the ISO film rating system the metering / film speed value changed to from 18% to 12%
Using the overexposure warning of the camera I set exposure to keep the white towel 1/3 stop under clipping then look at the left side of the histogram which tells me if the scene contrast exceeds the ability of the sensor to record it. If shooting in a tripod I will then bracket 2 stops and take another test shot and reevaluate the left side of the histogram making additional test shots and adjustments until shadow detail is recorded above the sensor signal/noise threshold. I then combine the two exposures via blended masked layers, opening the mask on the shadow exposure to add shadow detail selectively the same way I would adjust it selectively on a “baseline full range” print under the enlarger. I find that gives me better control that just letting HDR combine them automatically.
When shooting outdoors I also carry a flash on a bracket over my lens and a second flash for used off axis which allows me to change the range in the flash lit foreground using key over fill flash to exactly fit the foreground range to the sensor.
In direct sunlight put the back of the subject to the sun, expose with aperture for desired DOF, shutter below flash sync speed and ISO to keep sunlit Zone 9 whites on subject or towel on stand 1/3 stop below triggering the overexposure warning.
Then to lift the underexposed front of the subject they are first posed into the dominant direction of the skylight to create a flattering ambient 3D modeling highlight pattern on face / object which usually requires having subject look up to get light past brow and into eyes.
Next Fill Flash over the camera is raised until detail is seen in the darkest folds of the black towel with test shots.
Finally the Key flash off axis is placed relative to subject so it creates the SAME HIGHLIGHT PATTERN AS THE AMBIENT LiGHT and then raised until the Zone 9 whites on the sun-shaded front of white towel/ subject are slightly darker than the rendering of the Zone 9 whites being hit by the sun and exposed 1/3 stop under clipping with ISO/shutter/aperture with them winding up 2/3 stop below triggering the clipping warning.
That procedure results in optimally exposed highlights in the sunlit background, albeit with loss of detail in darker shadows, but a very normal looking full range of detail and contrast on the flash lifted front of the subject with the only hint flash was added being the specular highlights the flashes will create which can be mitigated by using diffusion over the flashes.
If shooting a human / animal subject I don’t have them stand around impatiently as I adjust exposures. I just drape white and black wash rags over a 12% card on a stand and set everything in advance of them stepping in front of the camera.
that little rubber frame was downright ingenious! i'll be borrowing that idea... dont hold your breath on my returning it : )
Also, i loved that you noted, '...this image is more for me to remember the location and event.' It's a good concept for me to practice when the light is not stellar :)
(i might add, though, while i understood what you mean by the zone system and spot metering, you lost me in most places not having explained how that particular spot meter "gives you a number". I did see you had to turn the dial sometimes, but other than moving the "7" from zone 5 to 4, i didn't hear how the meter returns 'the number'(7 in that case) - is it digital? do you have to turn knobs to find it? ... not that important, overall, since the concept of moving 'the number' around the zones to save the shadows (in film) made sense.
thanks for the post
Great video thank you so much!
A LowePro Vertex 200 (300?), isn't it? And a Gitzo systematic -series? I have both, too.
Well why do you need the zone system.. If you know the meter will read for middle grey (zone 5) and you want in that particular shot a little darker just speed up the speed by one stop or close the aperture by one stop sense each zone is one stop different from the adjoining zone. And you can in most cases get close to the object you want to shoot to get a narrow reading.
BennyCFD must
i'm commenting a little late, but if you're only taking into account one spot of an image, you're correct, you don't need the entire zone system...but usually a scene can be made of a 3 - 7 zones in one image, and you need to know how to average them to get the best amount of detail....(amongst other reasons for knowing the zone system.) Happy shooting, Benny
Great video here :)
Thanks again.
Thank you, Sir.
Enjoyed that but I would like to have seen the 5X4 in action.
I still don't get it... :((
Do you understand now?
Digital: check the highlights. On analog the opposite.
Nice tutorial Richard thanks - shame some muppet felt the need to cut down the sycamore on the wall.
I'm sorry, this is not Zone System. It's just exposure compensation in disguise!
/that model is discontinued
Glen Converse eBay buddy, they are all over it
That is ALL you need in a meter, just EV readings. All the crap more modern meters have is just fluff that gets in the way.
That is sure true
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I was disappointed he used a digital camera after talking about spot metering by hand. Use film !
Don't zone me bro.
Isn't the entire process a bit superfluous in this day and age? I imagine, useful as study material in the academy...
Not really. If you understand photography and how the use of light and shadow work, and that the metering systems in DSLR's or even a 35mm doesn't give you what you should be looking for then a spot meter will give you a much better looking image. In addition: since there is still a huge community that shoots both MF and LF that don't have meters, spot meters or light meters are vital.
And that is the reason fake filters and presets exist, because people don't think this is important.
R.I.P Richard.