Metering For Snow – Free Spot Light Meter Application For The iPhone, Or, Snow In October

I feel so guilty not updating the blog. Have been photographing and developing like a maniac. And, experimenting with “alternative” metering techniques. Here’s a fun one.

I am not good at metering. At all. Hand held, matrix, evaluative, center weighted, you name it. Snow has always been a challenge for photographers. I just am not good at metering for it. I have read that intentionally overexposing, or setting positive exposure compensation, is recommended. Yet, I think this is too broad a generalization. It will not work for all scenes, especially for high contrast ones. From what I can tell, this statement assumes that the photographer is using evaluative or matrix metering.

An early New England snowstorm, which happened this October, inspired me to get out there and practice. So, loaded up the Nikon F with Tri-X, and gave the batteries in the Photomic FTn prism meter a break in the cold weather. This time, I used a fantastic, FREE (banner ad-supported) application for the iPhone 4, called Pocket Light Meter (from Nuwaste Studios, available in the iTunes App Store). It turns the iPhone into a precise, fun to use spot meter, where you can dial in the ISO of your film, f/stop or shutter speed, and move a cursor in the screen to see in real-time what the exposure will look like. You can even do screen saves, which will show you the exposure measurements, and save date, time, GPS latitude and longitude. And it will show you with a superimposed red cursor where you metered.

Using this technique, I was able to take the shots below. I used Tri-X, at box speed, and developed in D-76 at 1:1. Taken at The Old Stone Church, West Boylston, MA, on 10/30/11, a day after about 8 inches of snow. This certainly is a spot worth revisiting.

NOTE: The interface was redesigned for the latest release, which is compatible with iOS5. While now very ugly looking (the fonts are hideous) , the app still works great. And it’s still free.

The Old Stone Church After A Freak October Snowstorm

Come On In! Doorway, Steps Covered With Snow

Some Foliage Sprouts Up From The Snow

View From The Church, Looking Back Towards The Water

Jumping Over Guard Rail, Into Snow, Resulting In Wet Feet, But A Great Shot

Those Are Birds On The Steeple, Drying Off, Warming Up.

Bancroft’s Folly – Taking New Kodak Portra 160 For A Test Run

A strange tower stands in Salisbury Park in Worcester, MA. A monument to George Bancroft, former US Secretary of The Navy, as well as a historian and statesman, the tower looks more like an ancient castle. Known by locals as “Bancroft’s Folly”, it looks like an incomplete, unfinished work in progress. Nearby WPI students were known to visit it in the 1960’s, during finals, and have beer bashes to help unwind. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

I thought this might make a nice test spot for my 1st 35 mm roll of New Kodak Portra 160. Like Portra 400, this is also a beautiful looking film. The incredible wide latitude of Portra 400 really has made that my ‘go to” color negative film, but if outdoors, shooting landscape or architecture, and without low available light as a concern, this stuff is magic. The color pallet is rich, without venturing into super saturation, which maybe Ektar admittedly does on occasion. It seems to like a good supply of light. With some metering accuracy and skill, one will not get the dreaded “blown out” grayish skies typical of the metering that digital SLR’s usually provide. If you want your skies blue, this is the film for you.

It is the perfect “outdoor companion” to Portra 400. Yet, I can only imagine flesh tones for well lit indoor portraiture. What was four Portra emulsions, now down to two, really has created the strongest color negative line imaginable. The buzz really is all that and more. What are your thoughts on these films?

I shot these with the Nikon F3HP,  Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 Ai, and  Nikkor 135mm f/2.8 Ai.

Even midday shooting produced spectacular color and texture.

The sky here would likely be exposed as 18% gray in digital.

Stone chart maps out different points on Worcester, so the visitor can know where the tower is located relative to landmarks.

Camera Shows – How To Be A Smart Shopper

This past weekend, it was my pleasure to attend my third Photographica show, in Wakefield, MA. Organized by The Photographic Historical Society of New England, of which I am a member, this is a large camera show, held twice a year, in the fall and the spring. With over 70 dealer tables, It brings hundreds of camera and traditional photographic process enthusiasts together. While there are clearly some fantastic deals to be found (I scooped up a basic Bogen enlarger for $1.00 US), there are also some real questionable prices as well. Some dealers anticipate something of a “haggle” process, and inflate their asking prices accordingly. As Mike Brady told Greg once, “caveat emptor”- let the buyer beware. Here are a few tips-

• No matter what, don’t “fall in love” with any piece of gear. Go to these shows with a sense of purpose, or a wish list. While old me would have scooped up that $5000 Nikon SP rangefinder, smart me (today) was content to hold it, admire it, and lust over it. I’m good for another year at least.
• Use technology. If you have an iPhone, or a Blackberry, or some Android device, download and install the free eBay application, and have search and the “Buy It Now” filter ready to go. This way you can get some kind of benchmark as to if you are getting ripped off.
• Look at glass closely- hold it, check it for fungus, chips, etc. If you are mated to a specific system (Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad, etc), bring a body with you, and ask the dealer if you can try the lens onto your body.
• Look at cameras real closely. Ask if the camera has been CLA’d- cleaned, lubricated, and adjusted. Critical for a camera such as the Hasselblad, which I bought last year, as it had been recently CLA’d. That was a huge selling feature for me. Also, ask about the light seals. Have they been replaced? Are there any light leaks? If so, is it easy to do yourself, and can the dealer work with you on pricing of the item accordingly? With older cameras, the cost of the body is just the start. Factor in some maintenance – it will need some at some stage.
• Don’t be afraid to haggle. Some of these folks really want to make a sale. If foot traffic is light (this show was noticeably more quiet than the last ones I went to), the dealer may just want to make a sale. I have never been to one on the last day, at the last hour, but if you really enjoy haggling, and some customers do, that might be an advantageous time to be there. Some will want to lighten their inventory before moving on to the next show, or back home.
• Comb the dollar tables- aside from the predictable filters, obscure accessories, etc, you can really scoop up some great buys, such as the aforementioned Bogen enlarger.
• Look for film deals. I got a brick of TMax 400-36 for $18.00. With silver prices going insane, and film prices following? Stock up.
• Don’t let them tell you that eBay is a wasteland. There are some deals to be found on there as well. Call to the dealer’s attention any comparable eBay finds that have been “film tested”, show them the pictures, etc. At there shows, there is a lot of junk, and you see some of it resurface show after show. There are certainly reasons for that.
• Have fun- this can be a blast, and at times, quite frustrating. But the good far outweighs the bad.
• Be sociable. I am painfully shy, but a lof of my shyness goes away when I am chatting with dealers and fellow shoppers. You can learn an awful lot, while making new friends in the process.

Can’t wait for the next one. There are less and less of these types of shows sprouting up, so I am very fortunate to have such local access to this exceptional event.