I've not shot chrome film since I started putting my cameras on manual. Normally, when I expose for my subject (generally the face), I open up a couple of stops over the meter reading, or more precisely if I'm using my gray card. With positive film, since everything is backwards, given the same situation, do I open up 2 stops, or close down 2 stops, from what the meter says? This is a pathetically beginner question, I know...ps I'm using a spot meter now...yippie.

...And any tips of RDPIII, which is what I'll be using, probably half-to-two-third length blown-out white backdrops with colourful clothing and an Asian model...with really colourful, wild make-up.

-- shawn gibson (shawngibson_prophoto@yahoo.com), February 18, 2000

Answers

ps sorry I haven't been around much lately, just getting used to full-time work after years of multiple part-time gigs. And my web site is gonna be up this weekend, I hope :-)

shawn

-- shawn gibson (SeeInsideForever@yahoo.com), February 18, 2000.

I would only open up 1.5 stops for a caucasion face. That being said and your model not being caucasion, throw that out the window..... I would compensate +1 if you wanted her face to be the focus (haha!!) of correct color rendition.

The compensation you need for print film is the same you would use for slide film. I personally only compensate with negs when I am shooting into harsh backlit situations. But I compensate everything with slide. I mean everything. If there is more than 50% of black or white or sky in the frame I compensate. Closer to 75% I compensate more.

I would use a gray card and spot meter off of it. Get right up next to it if need be. I assume you're shooting outdoors.....?

This would be a good time to test your camera's meter against the spot meter (or vice versa).

I'll add some personal experience to sign off. For the longest time (12 months actually) I had to bracket everything when shooting slide. I've got 70-75 rolls with very few "different" shots on each roll. Tons of bracketing. Like + or - 2 in both directions. In addition I rated everything 1/3 over for safety. I am now confident in my metering skills and I know what my camera will do in it's 9.5% partial spot mode (Elann IIe) and I NEVER underexpose any longer. I am done bracketing except in very once in a lifetime circumstances. You too can achieve this with practice (lots of bracketing) and careful notes. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

-- Colin Miller (ckmiller@pond.net), February 18, 2000.

Thanks Colin. I'll be shooting location/strobe (2 Metz heads, 60 and 60/40) and using a Seikonic L508 in spot mode, with a grey card. I'm gonna meter off the grey card, find the difference with her skin, and compensate on the meter exactly to what it says.

I already have in my head how I want to shoot her for each of the RDPIII rolls, so I'll tell you and maybe get some advice:

1 roll) with a black backdrop, one light to each side of her, with one side a little lighter than the other. I mean I want no detail in the background, the front of her face exposed normally, and each side/cheek a little overexposed, one more than the other.

2 roll) Bounced off white in front of her with one head, the other light behind her against a white backdrop, way overexposed to pure white--hence the reason for only half length shots; I don't want the blown out background to be uneven with the light.

The make-up is going to be wild with both: for the black backdrop, I want sultry reds and dark blues, maybe a little 'sweaty' but still fashion/not glamour; for the white backdrop, I want pastels, magenta lips and baby ble eyes, maybe some gold sparkles or something, and maybe even some white powder (or whatever it's called) on her face; she has a beautiful old Chinese traditional gown and I want to get that 'Chinese opera' look, albeit with a strong fashion twist...I may paint a tatoo of a dragon on her neck and do some head shots of that (worked for me in the past with 35mm...)

Any more advice? Thanks guys...shawn

-- shawn gibson (SeeInsideForever@yahoo.com), February 18, 2000.

I'll drop an example of what I can do without bracketing. 1 shot at the end of the roll. 10 minutes after sunset with 100% cloud cover. If the .jpg looks to dark, well the slide isn't. It's just right to my eyes.

click here

Elan IIe
28-105 at about 85
Kodak Elite 100 at 100 ASA
Av mode at f/4.5 w/no compensation
That's the important point I am trying to make. No compensation and I get well exposed images 95% of the time. As for compostion or subject or posing, that's different.... ;-)

-- Colin Miller (ckmiller@pond.net), February 18, 2000.

I'm a little confused (sorry...). Do you mean I should just meter off her face as always, and NOT adjust, i.e., record her face at 18%? ps your exposure is nice in that shot.

-- shawn gibson (SeeInsideForever@yahoo.com), February 18, 2000.

Why don't you just take an incident reading? (And bracket off that until you are familiar with the film.)

-- John Kantor (jkantor@mindspring.com), February 19, 2000.

I'm with John, why not just use incident? Your using the 508 to set up the strobes, right? The incident meter should be even more fool proof than the gray card.

-- C Terry (yeti-man@webtv.net), February 19, 2000.

Yah. That's prob'ly best for now. Meter at her face and set the camera to that with no comp., and fine tune the rest of the scene/light placement with the spot. Thanks guys. shawn

-- shawn gibson (SeeInsideForever@yahoo.com), February 19, 2000.

My mistake Shawn. Instead of no compensation I meant no bracketing. Sorry to confuse. Techincally it was my morning and I was not fully awake yet.

-- Colin Miller (ckmiller@pond.net), February 19, 2000.

No problem Colin, caught it in time. OK. I'm gonna use incident tomorrow for the general light, and my normal Zone style with spot for the individual aspects of the subject, right? Just maybe sandwich the zones a little closer together for the lesser latitude, right?

-- shawn gibson (SeeInsideForever@yahoo.com), February 19, 2000.

well, i surely don't want to appear cavalier about this, but i have shot transparencies of people since the late 70's by metering off my hand. in fact, i never open one from that reading. the key, i suppose, is making sure the light on your hand matches the light on the subject.

-- wayne harrison (wayno@netmcr.com), February 20, 2000.