Metering outdoor color portraits

greenspun.com : LUSENET : B&W Photo: Creativity, Etc. : One Thread

How should I meter subjects for outdoor color portraits if all I have is the centered weighted meter in the camera? I will be shooting Portra 160 if that makes any difference. Thanks.

-- Greg A. (gjaugie@home.com), May 27, 2000

Answers

Neutral grey card is your best bet.

Hold the card close to the subject in the direction with the grey side facing the spot where the camera will be, meter the card at close range so that the card fills the whole viewfinder being careful not to cast a shadow over the card, set the camera manually, and step back to take the picture.

-- David Goldfarb (dgoldfarb@barnard.edu), May 27, 2000.


If the light is directional, the angle of the card is critical. More safe is to go close, and take a reading of the shadow side of the face. All negative films deal well with overexposure, so in practice it is enough to take care of the shadows.

Sakari

-- Sakari Makela (sakari.makela@koulut.vantaa.fi), May 29, 2000.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ