Everyone has been giving some good tips and warnings about exposure. But the
most important item is simply practice. Get used to how your camera exposes
in the different conditions, and take notes until it's second nature and you
don't have to memorize or think. Yes, full bright is 1/ISO @F16, but
f-irises and light meters vary slightly, as does film type. My FM2s require
an extra 1/2 stop, and my F3 is quite close to right on. In my cameras, I
like the Fuji films almost a half stop brighter than rated, and I like
Kodachromes about a third or half stop darker than the meter says. I'd be
lost with someone elses camera for the first few rolls. And know which way
to err with each film you use. I find that the Fuji slide films can usually
handle slight OFE (over exposed), and that Kodachrome can handle slight UFE
(under exposed). Rule of thumb -- when in doubt underexpose a slide, and
overexpose a negative. In both cases, the result is a thick emulsion
containing all of the information, rather than a thin emulsion with the
information lost.
Gray cards can be great tools to help you choose an exposure, and reference
them when you have time just to see how your camera(s) reads them in various
conditions. That way when you're in a bind and can only use a gray card, you
know how your camera reads it. Around Trona, for example, the white powder
on everything actually brightens the scene, but that will fool a light meter
into underexposing those red locomotives. Snow scenes under a slight hazy or
milky sun is a situation where a gray car is essential, as the trees are
usually too dark, the roads are covered, the grass is covered, and most
everything else you'd base an exposure upon is covered. And once you get
accustomed to looking at a gray card, you'll learn to see that density in
other colors, too.
A gray card tip: Visit a rag shop or sewing shop, and purchase a swatch of
cloth that's quite close to a gray card, or a measureable density from it. A
big gray card-sized swatch can be easily squashed into a film container, or
into any cranny in your camera bag, or pocket. Also, try to buy gray-gloves.
My previous camera bag was a 1/2-stop dark gray. I used it often to help
influence or confirm exposure settings. And by orienting it in the sun at a
parallel angle to the track, I could judge both nose and side light, too.
....Mike Del Vecchio
--> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects
