December 8, 2016

Today I might complain a little about snow. But in fact I’m going to talk about making ultra great images in the snow. Put on your coats and let’s get our there! But watch this short video first.

So yes snow is that simple. My only real problem with snow is that it’s cold on wet. But it’s great to photograph.  That does not mean a great image is simple however and when you know the workings of light you get to focus on the artistry of the image and that’s when things really open up and challenge us. Exposure should be easy and you should check out the EXposed workshop if you’ve not seen it for the most complete and simple study on mastering it.

One important foundation here is that your meter always uses 15%, or middle grey as the baseline. Most photographers don’t understand that. With in camera meters it’s the same, but most cameras use multi matrix metering by default. This is code for a computer is guessing what your exposure should be. If you want to really know the exposure, switch to the spot metering mode and go to work.

Stars of Coldest Night - Snoqualmie WA, 2010.

When your meters line is centered, that is Zone 5. From there you can move up it down, placing the subject in whatever Zone you want. Jut go try it. The lights will come on and we deal with this and every other exposure foundation in depth in the EXposed videos. They will change your life. Let me know how this works for you and what else you’d like us to talk about. — Seim

 

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