Spot Metering and the Zone System with Richard White
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 มิ.ย. 2024
- Richard Explains how to use a dedicated spot meter and how to apply the readings to set exposure using the Zone system.
In this film Richard explains how to take exposure readings with a Digital Spot Meter and how these differ from an incident light meter. He then explains how to apply these readings using the Zone System, to achieve the exposure you want for your image. Richards then goes out onto Hadrian’s Wall in Cumbria to demonstrate his shooting technique and show what he looks for when out photographing on location.
Equipment - Pentax Digital Spot Meter, Fuji XE-1 and Lee Grad Filters
To check out all our other photography training videos go to www.thephotographeracademy.com
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.
This guy just gave out the formula to be a great photographer. Thx, great video.
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.
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.
Enjoyed the conversational style and lessons. Thanks.
Old school techniques that in my use are as relevant today with digital media as they were decades ago while using film.
Fantastic video Richard. Clear explanations. Your good humour and pleasant manner also add to it.
Thanks Richard! Great video, such a blessing to have people like you sharing information on here.
Very very good presentation RS
Excellent presentation Richard. Thank you for reminding me about the pocket frame.
Great video. I enjoyed the discussion. I enjoyed the spot meter intro
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
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?
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.
Excellent! Thanks for sharing this!
Great video; I liked the rubber you frame the scenario!
Thank you, now I understand the zone system!
Thanks for this very informative upload.
Thanks for this video. I recently just picked up this spot meter and was instantly lost haha. This video explains it well.
Thank you, that was very informative. Also, nice to see that tree again. Look out for Normans.
R.I.P Richard.
Very generous of you to post all of this. Very instructional.
Great information!
Great video thank you so much!
Excellent. Informative,
best video about exposure
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.
Great video here :)
Thank you, Sir.
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.
Thanks again.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
A LowePro Vertex 200 (300?), isn't it? And a Gitzo systematic -series? I have both, too.
Enjoyed that but I would like to have seen the 5X4 in action.
Explained how to use spot meter and use digital camera?
Digital: check the highlights. On analog the opposite.
Is this a modified or unmodified spot meter ?
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
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
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I still don't get it... :((
Do you understand now?
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
Don't zone me bro.
I was disappointed he used a digital camera after talking about spot metering by hand. Use film !
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.