Metering Question on Macro Flower Shots

You don't need to focus on the card just angle it towards the sun (without
reflecting a glare into the lens) and take your reading.

It's important that the 'card' is angled to match the subject or the 'grey'
will become lighter or darker. If you don't have or choose not to carry an
incident light meter then as suggested an average on grass or pavement is
not too far away. And as already mentioned, any lens extension needs
suitable compensation. 2 stops for double the focal length extension.
-
otzi

In article , The Bill
Mattocks wrote:
I would appreciate any advice anyone could give me - not just on this
specific shot, but in general - white flowers, how to avoid messing up
the metering?

Hello Bill,

The usual advice is the same as with snow and any other white(-ish)
subject - meter off it or a nearby white object, then close down 2 1/2
stops from that. You might want to do some bracketing until you get into a
routine that suits your set-up.

Regards,

Roger

In article , The Bill
Mattocks wrote:
I would appreciate any advice anyone could give me - not just on this
specific shot, but in general - white flowers, how to avoid messing up
the metering?

Hello Bill,

The usual advice is the same as with snow and any other white(-ish)
subject - meter off it or a nearby white object, then close down 2 1/2
stops from that. You might want to do some bracketing until you get into a
routine that suits your set-up.

Regards,

Roger

I would appreciate any advice anyone could give me - not just on this
specific shot, but in general - white flowers, how to avoid messing up
the metering?

From: Roger Whitehead

The usual advice is the same as with snow and any other white(-ish)
subject - meter off it or a nearby white object, then close down 2 1/2
stops from that.

You have it exactly backwards ... you need to OPEN up 1.5 - 2 stops, not "close
down" the aperture. The meter "sees" the white as gray and to expose it as
white you need to ADD more light. Closing down the aperture 2 1/2 stops will
make the white flower almost black.

I would appreciate any advice anyone could give me - not just on this
specific shot, but in general - white flowers, how to avoid messing up
the metering?

From: Roger Whitehead

The usual advice is the same as with snow and any other white(-ish)
subject - meter off it or a nearby white object, then close down 2 1/2
stops from that.

You have it exactly backwards ... you need to OPEN up 1.5 - 2 stops, not "close
down" the aperture. The meter "sees" the white as gray and to expose it as
white you need to ADD more light. Closing down the aperture 2 1/2 stops will
make the white flower almost black.

In article , Bill Hilton
wrote:
You have it exactly backwards

At least it was exact. 8-)

Quite right - I should have checked.

Roger

In article , Bill Hilton
wrote:
You have it exactly backwards

At least it was exact. 8-)

Quite right - I should have checked.

Roger

On 19 Oct 2004 20:08:05 -0700, (The Bill
Mattocks) wrote/replied to:

I hope someone will be able to assist me with a problem I seem to be
having with metering. I've been doing photographer for a long while,
but have only recently ventured into the realm of macro nature shots;
specifically, flowers. Our public rose garden where I live is quite
nice, and we're down south, so the flowers look great even this late
in the year.

SNIP

The shot looks incredibly soft, not sharp at all. And it looks like a
really crappy scan. That can't be a straight scan, the tonal range is
gone to hell. Likely as a result of you trying to get back highlight
detail.

You need to work on focusing and get a good tripod. Try exposing about
3 stops over the average reading of something like the green leaves
next to it.


--
Jim Davis, Nature Photography:
http://jimdavis.oberro.com/
Motorcycle Relay Kits:
http://www.easternbeaver.com/