I'm a little confused about something I read when learning "the zone system."
black & white film - skin tones are to be metered zone VI which is one-stop over avg reading of reflective meter for caucasian skin.
My question is: In a studio environment - portraiture - main light = shoot through umbrella strobe, is the correct metering practice simply an incident meter reading of the main strobe? OR is it common to make any adjustments to the avg reading to "dial" in the exposure further for best results of exposing faces?
sorry this is off-topic a bit, but i know you guys really know your technique. I tend to over-think things..... thanks, neal
off-topic - metering black & white film question
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neal.niemiec
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off-topic - metering black & white film question
You can be as off-topic as you like on this forum - as long as it deals with photography and not, say, politics, for example. For that, visit my Facebook page. 
Studio lighting usually falls into about 5 zones, so overexposing for skin tones could blow out the highlights. In the studio, I do as you have suggested, incident meter the light falling on the subjects face - the meter should aim at the key liight and have a flat diffusion disk over the sensor (as opposed to a dome). The disk will allow your meter to be more directional when aiming at a specific light. If you don't have a disk for your meter, use the dome, it will work, too, just be careful of falloff from room lights, etc.
By metering the incident light the skin tones should fall in the appropriate zone.
Studio lighting usually falls into about 5 zones, so overexposing for skin tones could blow out the highlights. In the studio, I do as you have suggested, incident meter the light falling on the subjects face - the meter should aim at the key liight and have a flat diffusion disk over the sensor (as opposed to a dome). The disk will allow your meter to be more directional when aiming at a specific light. If you don't have a disk for your meter, use the dome, it will work, too, just be careful of falloff from room lights, etc.
By metering the incident light the skin tones should fall in the appropriate zone.
Do it in the Dark,
Steve Anchell
Steve Anchell
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darkroommike
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- Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 5:28 am
off-topic - metering black & white film question
When you use an incident light meter, once you have established your working EI for your film in your studio with your studio flash you, you are placing your midtones (gray card) on Zone V, once you place any one tone you do not need to place any other tones in your shot, especially adjacent tones like Zone VI unless you are departing from N(ormal) contrast it shouldn't even be an issue.