How To Meter For Film

[@Fidel_Cashflow00]

These pictures look incredible. The shot with the woman and the baby at 9:57 is perfect! Love the tones, composition and expressions.

[@TheSlantedLens]

Glad you liked the images. Thanks for your comment!

[@Allenmarshall]

Thanks alot, JP. A wealth of information I appreciate acquiring through your channel.

[@TheSlantedLens]

My pleasure! Glad you find it worthwhile!

[@mathewmccarthy9848]

Thank you! I've been waiting all week for this. Nicely done!

[@TheSlantedLens]

Great to hear. Thanks for your support Mathew!

[@andrewcroft2570]

Great video, have you done a video for metering for colour film, please?

[@jamesmonahan9408]

Fabulous discussion! Thank you TSL!

[@TheSlantedLens]

Our pleasure! Appreciate your support!

[@yousef474]

Great video. Thanks 🙏

[@TheSlantedLens]

You are welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@starperformer7154]

Great tutorial! I think I will get out some of my film cameras and shoot black and white!

[@TheSlantedLens]

Go for it. Enjoy shooting your film!

[@DavidJonesImages]

Thank you

[@TheSlantedLens]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@notaone-also]

Thank you so much! That was so insightful!! I so love to shoot with film and that was so cool!! So, without a handheld meter...I could just use the light meter in my camera by knowing where to point it to get a denser negative...right?? Thanks again!!

[@janjasiewicz9851]

Depends....most light meters in cameras give you an average reading of the scene - and place it in 18% Grey (Zone 5). There are a few analogue cameras that have a spotmeter function (like the Olympus Om3 and 4). With a spotmeter you can point towards the shadow ares that you want to retain detail. Spotmeter function allows you to average spot meter readings by pointing to a shadow area and then a highlight/brightest area. In very contrasty situations - with the sun high in the sky it becomes problematic as film does not have the same dynamic range as digital. You should aim not to exceed 5 stops (or 5 EV's) in any scene from the darkest to brightest (worth the effort to understand EV - Exposure values, rather than f-stop and aperture, because for every given EV there are multiple combinations of f-stop and aperture combos). Most if not all exposure meters give you EV values - one EV is 1 stop of exposure) If you don't have spotmeter capability and are not sure , you can take three shots, one shot at the given average reading, one shot at two stops (or 1) overexposure and one shot at two stops (or one) underexposure. You can always get a spot meter..I use a Reveni Labs Spot Meter...it work like a charms and not expensive.

[@TheSlantedLens]

Yes, you can certainly use your camera meter but it is a reflective reading and not in incident reading. So the best thing to do is snap an image, look at it, make an adjustment and then shoot your film.

[@TheSlantedLens]

We said Jan. Thanks for sharing this great information!

[@MrReactive]

How do you convert lux to f stop??

[@trimatije]

So if I understood correctly, if you overexpose it one stop and then prolong development time, shouldn't that theoretically kill the highlights and increase contrast?

[@coach_yo]

Jay do you recommend that if you’re using a phone to meter with any of the light meter apps to take a reading at you in harsher light? Or better to meter for the subject?

[@trigrhapee]

Great video and instructions. JP can you recommend a light meter for someone that is just learning how to use one, but also grow to use all the functions of a light meter?

[@janjasiewicz9851]

Sekonic Twinmate L- 208 - basic and inexpensive as it comes. Both incident and reflective. An excellent Spot Meter - that won't break the bank - Reveni Labs Spot Meter.

[@TheSlantedLens]

Sekonic makes good light meters. You don't have to get the expensive ones. Pick one that will work for your budget: bhpho.to/3dNkU5x

[@Rocking_J_Studio]

If you're metering toward yourself, does the color or brightness of your clothes affect your reading? I'm thinking that turning around the head and turning around to point it away would work better.

[@TheSlantedLens]

If your subject is facing you then the light you want on them is coming from behind you. So you need to point the light meter toward the camera, or yourself since you are at the camera. I have not found that my clothing affects the meter. I hold it out and away from myself.

[@ldstirling]

Jay, would it not be easier to meter these shots using a spot meter? Then, using the zone system as a guide, you would meter for the darkest part of the frame that you want to retain some detail. Put that in Zone 2 or 3, and you're done.

[@TheSlantedLens]

That is a very effective way to work but I find it a little slow.

[@notaone-also]

Thanks for your feedback!! Next question... can I do the same thing but using 100 iso film, shooting it at 200 and develop it at 400 to get a denser negative too? Thank you and the community!!

[@TheSlantedLens]

I am not pushing the film to get a denser negative. I am pushing the film to get more grain. If you are shooting 100 ISO film and you want a denser negative then shoot it at 50 ISO to get the denser negative and process it normal. The process I show in the video gives a denser negative and more grain.

[@SinaFarhat]

interesting! How do you evaluate a film that is new to you? Use your lighting method and read that the film for example is contrast heavy and compensate for the darker shadows? keep up the good work!

[@TheSlantedLens]

What a good question. I would shoot a roll of film and bracket some scenes similar to what I want to shoot. Then I would process it and see how it responds.

[@stefan_becker]

Thanks for the great video. Yes, I think for light metering this is a good way to get correctly exposed images. However even better is in my opinion to use spot metering. With a spot meter you can point at certain areas and get an EV value. You can place that EV value on a zone using some small zone dial (for example available in the book "Way beyond monochrome"). Once you decided on an exposure you can check with the spot meter what grey value certain parts of your subjects are going to have before you take the picture. An no, you don't have to use the entire zone system. Just assume your film has 10 zones of dynamic range and use standard development. The results will be great in almost all except really extreme cases. It gets better only by using the full zone system. By the way: what also works nicely is to use a digital camera as light meter. You can even check what your image is going to look like by "simulating" the exposure using a digital camera in M mode. Yes it's not completely precise because sensors behave a bit different than film, but the approximation is usually really, really good.

[@TheSlantedLens]

Great points. Thanks for sharing your expertise!

[@janjasiewicz9851]

You can also use a 18% Grey card and hold up in the direction of your subject and take a light meter reading (spot metering is ideal) but reflective is acceptable if you hold it close enough. All light meters are calibrated to give you mid tone (Zone 5 - using Ansel Adams ' method). Another trick is to hold up your hand in the direction of your subject, like JP uses the globe and take a reading. If you have light skin (Caucasian) your tone, according to Ansel Adams' Zone system, is in Zone 6, but the light meter puts your hand in Zone 5. To compensate increase exposure by 1 stop to place it in Zone 6 (from 5). If you have darker skin it will be zone 4, but, again, your meter reading is in Zone 5. To get the correct exposure decrease exposure by one stop so your hand falls in Zone 4. It works like a charm.

[@TheSlantedLens]

Thanks for sharing you knowledge about reflective spot meter readings. Very insightful Jan!

[@Fidel_Cashflow00]

IF I understand correctly you are underexposing Tri-x by 1 stop to not overexpose the highlights and get a deep shadow reading. Then you push the film 2 stops in development to try and recover the light areas which give your images that grainer look.

[@TheSlantedLens]

Yes, that is correct. Thanks for watching!

[@janjasiewicz9851]

Another comment that is worth knowing is JP did not mention that by Pushing Film by 1 stop (increase ISO to 800) and developing at 2 stops (1600) you increase grain (and decreases resolution). I think he uses 120 film - but you can definitely notice grain. TriX by its very nature is a grainy film anyway. There are tricks to decrease grain - by choosing your developer, lowering developer concentration and increasing development time and your agitation scheme (gentle agitation tends to decrease gain). Or get a slower film like ISO 25 or 100. 35 mm film will not look as good (actually quite horrible) as 120 film or 4 x 5 negatives. A general rule to reduce grain is to "overexpose and underdevelop" - a rule discovered back in the 30's when 35 mm film was not very sensitive and

[@TheSlantedLens]

Everything you said is very true and good advice for reducing grain. But I love the grain and the artistic look of it, so I am looking for grain. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@petrub27]

So confusing. You have a very precise measuring tool and a scientifically iso rated film, yet you're using a totally different iso value. Can't watch this

[@mathewmccarthy9848]

You're not alone. But don't give up. Even with a "precise measuring tool" and "scientifically iso rated film," you, the photographer, still have to make some decisions. The first thing to know is that your "precise measuring tool" is precise at measuring 18% grey and that's it (look more on the YT for explanations about this). Second, you can under or overexpose your film (your choice as a photographer)(again search the YT for more info on this). We tend to overexpose as it gives the film more light. JP didn't cover the issues of the light meter's 18% grey characteristic; however, he did cover the issue of overexposing, which is why he chose to bump up his 400 "scientifically iso rated film" to 800 and develop at 1600. In essence, he's chosen to given his film 1 extra stop of light and extra development time so as to recover shadow detail. I know that's a lot. Don't stress. Keep learning; keep shooting! It will come!

[@mathewmccarthy9848]

Also, don't get too caught up on the "scientifically iso rated film," AKA box speed, as there is some latitude depending on the film type. Two examples: (1) negative 3200 speed films (like Kodak TMAX and Ilford Delta) are "scientifically rated" at 3200 but perform better at speeds between 800-1250 (overexposing). (2) If you're shooting negative Portra 400 and you want a pillowy, pastel look, you shoot it at 200 (overexposing). The only speeds you should take as gospel are the speeds of transparency film (AKA positive film) like Kodak Ektachrome ... and there is even some debate about a one stop +/- for transparency film. Welcome to the beautiful world of (expensive) film.

[@TheSlantedLens]

I have done this for years, researched it for years talked to many photographers and most people shoot at one stop over exposed to open up the shadows to make a good final image.

[@TheSlantedLens]

Thanks for your great explanations Matthew. Very well said!