Zone system for portraits

Mamarazzi514 · Mar 19, 2012

Ok please I really dont want this to be a discussion on how the "zone system is only for film photography or BW photography" because it can be used for digital photography and color as well. So now that is out of the way :] does anyone use zone system for outdoor portraits? I am reading more and more about the zone system but it people always seem to apply it to landscape photography. In a scene we are suppose to meter the average tones or middle grey and check the highlights but what if we are shooting portraits or families? I'm guessing we are suppose to meter off the faces or skin? generally +1 for light skin, -1 for dark skin? But then what about the scene? Will the scene be properly exposed? If I matrix metered or at least center weighted metered instead of spot metered will I get better results for the whole scene?

The_Traveler · Mar 19, 2012

If you are arranging the scene, it is up to you to set up the situation so that the entire scene will be exposed well enough.
Assuming that correctly exposing the face and the rest of the scene will fall into line won't work just because Mother Nature isn't that agreeable.
So it is crucial to assure that your background (non-subject) elements are within a desireable exposure range so that, if you expose correctly for the subject, then the rest will be adequately captured. This may even call for a bracket and merge kind of thing - (I've done this twice and it worked well once)

No one 'way' will work for every situation. I look at the scene, meter on the subject and adjust from that if I think I need to.

Mamarazzi514 · Mar 19, 2012

Ok thank you! So if I expose for a persons face and the background is a little dark I can bump it up a stop as well? Or bracket or FIIPS... whatever I need to do? Generally do you spot meter or use matrix? I don't think I'm 100% grasping the metering modes. I think with spot only about a 3% of the scene (or lens) is used to meter? Will everything outside of that area be gradually darker?

MReid · Mar 19, 2012

I use matrix metering always and Aperture priority, have the blinkies set to go off if highlights are blown. I adjust the exposure compensation as necessary to keep a proper exposure (bright but not blown). I call it riding the blinkies....I try to stay right on the edge of the blinkies going off on the skin....check the histogram from time to time to make sure the exposure is as bright as I think it is (do not make exposure decisions/adjustments based on your viewing monitor!!).
I always use Auto Iso which keeps my exposures "in the pocket" and requires minimal adjustments on my part.

Choose your subjects background first, make sure there are no distracting elements. If you are shooting a bright background let it blow and expose for your subjects face.

greybeard · Mar 19, 2012

As I understand the zone system, it consists of metering for and then developing the film so as to recreate the tonal range the photographer has per-visualizes. If the contrast of a given scene is somewhat flat, you underexpose and over develop and if the scene is too contrasty you over expose and under develop. How this can be applied to digital photography is confusing to me as well. For me, I spot meter on a gray card and do the rest on post production.

KmH · Mar 19, 2012

The way film works you expose for the shadows and let the highlights fend for themselves.

The way digital works is you expose for the highlights and let the shadows fend for themselves.

http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/pdfs/linear_gamma.pdf

If you're goimg top shoot digital, it's beneficial to understand how a digital image works.

Robin Usagani · Mar 19, 2012

If you want to use the "zone" system, then you need to use spot metering. I do it all the time. It is just a method of metering and it will not solve the problem of blown background (or pure black) because your range is too high unless you are adding flash into the equation.

So lets say you are using flash for a portrait session. The subject is kinda in the shade and you have blue sky in the background. You spot meter the blue part of the sky and put it at +1. If you shoot this without flash, your subject is probably underexposed quite a bit. So then you just mess with the flash power until the subject is exposed correctly.

If you are not using flash, then you are correct, assuming there is no direct sun on the skin, you put -1 on dark skin, 0 on olive, +1 on fair skin (roughly) but then the sky will be white (if you are OK with that).

greybeard · Mar 19, 2012

KmH said:
The way film works you expose for the shadows and let the highlights fend for themselves.

The way digital works is you expose for the highlights and let the shadows fend for themselves.

http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/pdfs/linear_gamma.pdf

If you're goimg top shoot digital, it's beneficial to understand how a digital image works.

This is exactly the same way one exposes for transparency. With slides or digital, if you over expose, it can't be corrected in post production. However, there are all kinds of tricks to correct for under exposure. (to a point)

Ysarex · Mar 19, 2012

Mamarazzi514 said:
Ok please I really dont want this to be a discussion on how the "zone system is only for film photography or BW photography" because it can be used for digital photography and color as well. So now that is out of the way :]

OK! And I really appreciate your endorsement of the unquestionable fact that the moon is made from blue cheese. I'll endorse using the zone system for digital photo and you'll endorse that the moon is made from blue cheese. We understand there's still some argument about the specific kind of blue cheese; Roquefort versus Gorgonzola. But you and I of course know that there's no way Dean Martin would have sung about the moon and amore if it were made from stinkin' French cheese. So the zone system for digital photo and the moon is made of Gorgonzola and all is right with the world.

Joe

P.S. You're having trouble dealing with the scene dynamic range. You can't manipulate digital post exposure with chemicals and that's a difining characteristic of the zone system. Greybeard is precisely right. Digital is like transparency film. You either nail the diffuse highlights in exposure or you're wrong. That given, you then either control the scene dynamic range with your lighting (best and correct choice) or you still nail the diffuse highlights in exposure and learn the limits of RAW post processing to make up for your failure to control the scene dynamic range with your lighting. You can't soak your RAW file N-- in HC-110.