Film photography has been on the rise and with it a lot of questions have sparked about how to handle this exciting new (old) medium.
In this guide we will walk you through some of the most common errors when it comes to exposing your film correctly.
We photographed a few scenes where we show how different exposures affect your film and what to watch out for.
These photographs were made with a Leica M6, 35mm Summilux, shot on Kodak Gold 200 metered with a Sekonic L-758D. For all tests we used spot-metering, unless indicated otherwise. All images were scanned with a VALOI easy35 v2.
Metering Techniques
There are two types of metering techniques: Incident metering uses an external handheld device to measure light falling directly onto a subject. This is measured by what white dome you see on many light meters. On the other hand, spot metering uses your camera lens (or light meter) to measure light reflecting off a tiny percentage of the scene (turning it into 18% grey). Simply put you measure light by aiming at a specific spot and it measures the intensity of the light on that area.
Scene 1: The Exposure Latitude Test
The Exposure Latitude Test shows side-by-side proof that film handles overexposure gracefully while underexposure ruins shadow detail. Note also how the negative density changes. Unlike digital, film needs light for details. Where there is insufficient light, there can be no information.
Frame 1 (below): Shot at -2 EV (2 stops underexposed).
Frame 2: Shot at -1 EV (1 stop underexposed).
Frame 3: Shot at 0 EV (Metred at box speed, ISO 200).
Frame 4: Shot at +1 EV (1 stop overexposed).
Frame 5: Shot at +2 EV (2 stops overexposed).
Have a look at how the negative looks when the scene is underexposed by two stops. There's hardly any detail on the negative and no scanner or printing technique will be able "invent" information where there is none.
Scene 2: High Contrast (Shadow vs. Highlight Metering)
The High Contrast Test shows how it matters where we place our meter reading. Shadow areas compared to highlight areas will give vast differences in results. This demonstrates why it's important to aim light meters at shadow areas rather than bright skies.
Frame 6: Metered for shadows, area around the door.
Frame 7: Meter reading of the strong light on the pillars.
In this scene you can tell how overexposing negative film is the safer bet, as highlights are preserved. The scene was metered on the darkest area, the door of the temple. While the pillars are bright white, they still retain tons of information.
Scene 3: The "Gray Trap" Test
This is an important test and it shows that light meters calibrate everything to 18% middle gray unless instructed otherwise.
The temple is a bright white surface and has more or less even lighting around it, except for the few shadow areas on the inside.
Frame 8: Metered directly on the highlights with zero adjustments.
Frame 9: Shot at +1.5 or +2 stops over the meter's recommendation.
Just a stop of overexposure already fixes the frame looking dull. Remember that if the meter is pointed at the strongest highlights, it will turn that area into 18% grey. Not ideal if the area is actually much lighter.
Scene 4: Backlit Silhouette vs. Exposed Subject
A subject standing directly in front of a bright window or with the sun in their back. This shows how to avoid unintentional silhouettes when shooting into bright light sources or underexposure when the meter picks up too much surrounding light.
Frame 10: Metered straight from the camera position, pointing at the sky.
Frame 11: Metered by reading only the light on their face/body before stepping back to compose.
In this case, the first shot is metered on the sky, causing the "model" (the statue) to be underexposed, only having a slight silhouette of light. In the second image, the meter reading was made on the backside of the statue, this causes adequate exposure across the scene. Highlights in the sky can easily be recovered.
Final Thoughts
Metering can be challenging but overall it's important to remember that film can be very forgiving with over-exposing. So when in doubt, add a bit more exposure rather than too little. If you're in doubt about a scene, make a bracketed exposure, where you under and overexpose the same scene so you can have more selections for your post processing. Finally, if you don't have a dedicated light meter, there are many Apps that offer pretty accurate spot-metering.
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