[rollei_list] Re: Lightmeters and Estimated Photography

At 10:00 PM 4/29/2005, Marc James Small wrote:

>Jerry
>
>That is a great story.  But I believe they have cleaned the air up a bit
>since then so might want to adjust your readings.
>
>Marc

Depends on where he is in "NY" . . . in the "urban canyons" the light can 
be a bit less than the "sunny 16 rule."  Even if the subject is in direct 
sunlight under clear sky, inside an urban canyon there isn't as much 
skylight adding to the direct sun.  How much less, if any, depends on 
height of the buildings, how much of the skylight is being shut out by 
them, and whether it's.  I've found it wise to either meter or if that's 
not possible, to bracket exposures ensuring there's a couple over-exposures 
from what the standard "Kodak" estimating guide gives under those 
conditions.  The "sunny 16 rule" estimate presumes the sun is at least an 
hour or so above the horizon . . . a low sun must cut through more 
atmosphere.  It also presumes the sun is fairly close to being behind the 
camera POV (frontlighting the subject).  Sidelit subjects can be as much as 
a full stop down.

BTW, I have two Weston's . . . a Master V and Ranger IX . . . but the real 
mainstay is a Gossen Luna Pro F . . . and I use incident readings unless 
it's impossible.  In the Utah photograph I actually drove down the road 
into the sun (about a half mile), took an incident in the sunlight, then 
returned to the rise in the shade.  IIRC the exposure was actually about a 
half-stop or two-thirds stop more than the "sunny 16" would have estimated 
as the sun was at a low angle in the sky by then and was well toward the 
side of the camera POV.

-- John Lind

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