[LargeFormat] Re: flash exposure

[Les Newcomer]

philip Lambert wrote:
> 
> How does one achieve correct flash exposure?  I bought an old Canon flash at
> a fair without a manual and ran off several exposures of Fuji colour
> negative film of an Xmas arrangement of bottles of alcohol standing on brown
> wood furniture against a white wall, at various apertures, with the camera
> on a tripod at a fixed distance.  The only differences I noticed in the
> prints were that the least bright objects, the furniture, improved in colour
> as exposure increased.  The negatives became denser, but the light-coloured
> objects looked much the same in all the prints.  I am inclined therefore to
> give generous flash exposure for negative film but what would readers advise
> for transparency film? Is a good flash meter the answer?

As you've discovered, when negative film is used, the more exposure you
give, the more detail you will get in the shadows. The nice part about
color neg film (and the person that prints your stuff) is that you can
still hold onto the light parts.

With transparency, its just the opposite--more exposure you give the
more everything washes out.So it's best to under expose slightly rather
than over expose. Transparency isn't nearly as forgiving as negative
film. With C41 a two stop differnce isn't a big deal, with the new "max"
films they claim a 5 stop lattitude. With E-6 and Kodachrome, 1/3 of a
stop can be the difference between okay and great!

When shooting transparencies, pros will always use a good handheld meter
and also bracket in either 1/3 or 1/2 stops top and bottom. I usually
shoot 1/2 over, one or two "right on" then 1/3 under, 2/3 under.


Les Newcomer
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