I've recently been doing quite a lot of testing with lighting ratios using flash. What I've discovered is that with such a broad range in f/stop between hightlight/shadow it is best to meter directly toward the camera from subject position and use that f/stop. This gives you a rough average of both sides. If I'm in the mood, I bracket. In your case, with no hope of opening up those shadows with flash, I would find some sort of a reflector to get light bounced back in. Seems to me that with slides you're going to need it. Lea ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jorj" <jorj@groupmedia.com> To: "List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students" <photoforum@listserver.isc.rit.edu> Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 9:57 PM Subject: Help with lighting ratios > Scenario > -Incident light meter for a portrait > - Tungsten light > -Shooting slides so that we can not change the result in printing > -Highlights are at f11 > -Shadows are measured at f4 i.e a 8:1 ratio > -It is then suggested that the shooting f stop should be 1/2 way between the > highlights and the shadows i.e. f 5.6 plus 1/2 stop > > Yet when learning about incident light metering, we learned that when the > subject is brighter than average we are supposed to close down the f stop > some ( the opposite of a reflective meter, where you would open up in that > situation). I understand that the caucasian face is not all that brighter > than a grey card and we might not change the metered reading, but I do not > understand opening up (overexposing the highlights) > > I do not understand doubly because with a 8:1 ratio, the mid point betwen > highlights and shadows is 1 and 1/2 stops. but for a 4:1 ratio it would be > only 1 stop and for a 2:1 ratio it would be only 1/2 stop. There is no > consistency with the amount we overexpose the Highlights. > > Then we light and meter the white background to be 1 stop more than the > shooting f stop i.e. f8 and 1/2 stops. > > If you say that's just the way its done O.K. > > But if you can help me with a rational that would be great > > >
