How I exposed a roll of slide film
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- I shot one roll of Kodak Ektachrome while on vacation in Mauritius. I share here how I measured the scenes and what exposure I chose.
My own takeaway is that it pretty safe to expose within the -2/+2 range, maybe try not to go beyond +1 on the highlights if you can. With a proper spotmeter I would have maybe got more precise readings. The images tend to be on the bright side, but for these outdoor / daylight scenes I prefer this look. I should do such a test in a dark and moody place...
I was working as a professional photographer in the early aughts, frequently using slide film for assignments. The common approach was to either use Polaroids as a reference point for exposure (determine the relationship between Polaroid exposure and how to corresponded to a particular slide film in Normal process E6) and then rely on a "clip test" you could have the lab perform - they would clip a frame or two from either the beginning of the roll or end of the roll of 120 film, process it and from that you would make a determination how to process the balance of the rolls(s) shot. If the clip was too dark or too light you would push/pull the film, perhaps +1/4 stop, +1/3 stop, +1/2 stop or more if needed (or pull the film if it was overexposed). Not sure if any lab offers clip tests anymore! For these types of images you have captured here, we would rather avoid clip tests and pushing/pulling the processing, and simply bracket exposures to ensure a well exposed frame.
I am sure I would also bracket a lot if I would “need” to deliver a perfectly exposed photograph. Luckily I just shoot for the fun of it and enjoy the random results I can get. I love seeing those polaroids people took as test shots, I was once in a Helmut Newton exhibition showcasing his polaroids, they were lovely. I almost preferred them over the “real” shots. Thanks for your insight!
Hello, I know that making videos takes time but yours are very interesting. Thanks to you. If you have the opportunity to do more BTS, that would be great.
I am curious to see the slides 🙂
me too… will take a while until they send them back to me (once per year)
If there was a subject in the frame - would you change your technique? Since, is there really any exposing for highlights and shadows when it comes to taking a photo of a subject? You always meter for the face / skin tones
yes sure, it would already change which scenes I would choose. and where I would place the subject. With negative film, the subject would be my main concern when determining exposure and the rest would fall accordingly. I assume in these scenes I would get away with a similar exposure if I would place a subject in the frame, unless it would be in the shadow, but this is probably nothing I would do in these scenes - unless I want to move in for a close portrait. I look for different things depending what film I have in my camera.