Tips for Metering WITHOUT a Light Meter

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►CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 - Intro
00:18 - Embrace fear
01:04 - Sunny-16
01:57 - Get a base
02:34 - Meter first
03:02 - Always be Metering
03:40 - Practice
04:08 - Conclusion

#streetphotography #sunny16

[andrewshieldsphoto]

And always remember that you are not locked into the shutter speed that your iso dictates with S/16. If you're zone focusing and light changes you can just as easily slow the shutter a stop or two to maintain your working depth of field. A stop is a stop no matter where you get it from. I think S/16 sometimes tricks people in the early stages into thinking they can only adjust aperture.

[Grandmastergreyy]

Yes a more in Depth video would be dope!

[feliksisaksen]

Something that gives me confidence when metering by eye and shooting colour negative is to lean towards overexposure when in doubt, it gives flexibility and the "built in" latitude usually turns out well.

[HJ-nhwl]

Back in the day …. film rolls came with a piece of paper about ‘basic exposure’ method - this worked for Black & White photographers really well!
Now in digital these digital days - this still works, as long as you camera can work ‘mechanical mode’!
F16 @ 1/125s with ISO 100! Boom!

[ruffprophetproductions]

i love guessing and then checking with my meter. it kind of does that quick assurance that you're going the right direction, without needing digital or to see the film

[DecentGatsby]

I ordered a Leica m-a that was priced so low, I couldn’t say no; I am super excited for this step in my photography. I’ve shot with a pen Ft with a broken light meter for a while now.
I still struggle judging indoor lighting situations. Thanks for the tips. Amazing timing !

[khanscombe]

Absolutely! I like this for my rangefinder use. Especially outside in a more or less same scene with only varying shadows. Now I get to concentrate on focus . (:

[stefbecci]

I’ve been shooting sunny 16 forever and never miss exposure on streets . I’m baffled that photographers won’t trust the science of light and that of the camera .
Shutter speed can also be manipulated for the same purpose.
Anyway glad you’ve made a video about this . Good job 👏.

[MrGarrincha]

Hello, great video!
Personnally I just look at the shadows, it is much more precise :

Shadow

Full sun - sharp shadow: f / 16
Veiled sun - diffuse shadow: -1 stop => f / 11
Against the light or in the shade (clear shade): -3 stops => f / 5.6
Sun above the horizon, before diving: about -4 stops or about f / 4


No shade

Hidden sun, white sky, visible sun disk with sunglasses: -2 stops => f / 8
Overcast sky, light gray, invisible sun disk: -3 stops => f / 5.6
Overcast, leaden gray, it can rain: -4 stops => f / 4
Rain: from -4 to -5 stops or f / 4 to f / 2.8


Interior

From -9 to -10 stops
Dim lights: between -12 and -15 stops

I use this and I have great result, hope it helps.

[wojtspes]

I've been waiting for such a video of yours. Really impressed by how you are rolling this M-A without meter. Oh, I would love to see that vid where you judge exposure in the field :)

[weisserth]

Very good advice. I would add:

On something like the Sekonic, use incident metering. When using a camera to meter, force it into center weighted metering or spot metering and take multiple measurements from areas with different brightness in the scene to see how they relate.

[myeffie]

Really good information here. I need to put more effort into being able to read the conditions and rely less on the meter.

[extremelydave]

So true, so true. Sometimes it's just that you have that ONE small moment to get an epci shot and you don't have time to be a slave to the meter, you've got to wing it and hope your experience makes the day.

[Mia-cefj]

Been searching YouTube for a video like this. I dont have a light meter and don't have the means to buy one right now. Also i think fundamentally its helpful to be able to have this skill. Thank you for making this

[Jack-qnvy]

Thanks for the helpful reminders. Would be a great idea to do a more in depth view of sunny 16 in different settings, like urban, and country. I find in NYC, I tend to underexpose, when it is a bright day, but where the buildings are really blocking the light. It’s like my mind knows that it’s sunny out and it starts to creep into my metering estimates. That said, I agree with you about just trying it! I was terrified the first few rolls I did this way, and everything worked out ok. In fact, it is even easier in some ways, because you stop being a slave to the meter. Someone once reminded me recently, that lots of people say they would never use auto exposure but if you always dial in exactly what the camera’s meter tells you, without thinking about the subject and the light, and what you want to accomplish, then that’s basically what you are doing. When you use sunny 16 you have to overcome that first block of fear, but then you are free to shoot, and adjust as you feel may be necessary.

[benjaminneoh]

Ha, enjoyed the humour in this one, Hashem 👏 This video also shows how far you've come with your confidence in front of the camera and now in public too 👏 Well done.

[sevsuk]

Great video. Please compile for additional video on how you do it, as your style is great.

[PhotoswithArt]

I shoot digital manual, but I'm trying practicing sunny 16 rule as well. Because I became cling to a light meter in the camera so much, afraid of bad exposure, to the point it was interrupting the flow while walking and taking photos. I want to just focus and shoot with confident and still being manual not full auto mode. Thanks for the video.👍

[franciscocalvo]

Thanks. Metering light is important after you know how much depth of field you're looking for..

[jz]

As always, I really enjoyed it! A big yes to another in depth version of this video on how you meter with lots of examples. Happy shooting! :)