essential skills: photographic lighting
Interpreting the meter reading The information given by the light meter after taking a reading is referred to as the ‘meterindicated exposure’ (MIE). This is a guide to exposure only. The light meter should not be perceived as having any intelligence or creative sensibilities. The light meter cannot distinguish between tones or subjects of interest or disinterest to the photographer. It is up to the photographer to decide on the most appropriate exposure to achieve the result required. A photographer with a different idea and outcome may choose to vary the exposure. It is the photographer’s ability to interpret and vary the meter-indicated exposure to suit the mood and communication of the image that separates their creative abilities from others. If light or dark tones dominate, the indicated exposure will be greatly influenced by these dominant tones. Using the MIE will expose these dominant dark or light tones as mid-tones. Minority light and mid-tones will be overexposed or underexposed. If you consider interest and visual impact within a photograph is created by the use of lighting and subject contrast (amongst many other things) the chances of all the elements within the frame being mid-tones are remote. The information, mood and communication of the final image can be altered through adjusting exposure from MIE.
Indian market (average tones) MIE
Average tones A subject of average reflectance (mid-tone) is placed with equal dark and light tones. All three tones are lit equally by the same diffuse light source. A reflected reading of the mid-tones will give correct exposure. An exposure using the reflected reading of the dark tone will render it gray and overexpose the mid and light tones. An exposure using the reflected reading of the light tone will render it gray and underexpose the mid and dark tones. An incident reading will give ‘correct’ exposure regardless of which tone it is held in front of because it measures the light falling on the subject, not the light reflected from it. The intensity of the light source is constant but the reflected light from the three tones varies (see page 40, Hand-held light meters).
46