Sometimes, theories prove out ...

Ok - here's the scoop. In theory, if one

(a) takes an incident light reading of the illumination that is striking a scene,
(b) the meter is accurate and set properly,
(c) the meter is held properly to
(d) measure illumination representative of that lighting the scene,
(e) and the camera is properly adjusted properly and accordingly,

then the elements of a scene will expose themselves properly, according to their own individual reflectance values - providing the camera has the ability to record the total range of brightness of the elements in the scene.

Here we have a Sekonic L-308s, set to the incident light reading mode and ISO 400. The reading was taken (the meter was held) so the white dome was illuminated by the sky light softly coming in a nearby window (somewhat up and to the left of the meter). The dome was held very proximate to where it is in the photograph. The setting indication is 1/30 sec at f 5.6.

Theory number 2 is that older Nikon AI lenses can be used, on manual settings, with many of the SLR digital camera bodies. The photo 400-pixel below was born from the unaltered original that was uploaded. However, the linked, uploaded image, a duplicate of the image taken, may not be displayed in its original quality/resolution - something that, on this blog, is arguably beyond my control. The original image was captured on manual exposure, using a 1980's vintage Nikon Micro Nikkor 55 mm lens on a mid-2000's vintage Nikon D-70 body. The aperture was set to f 5.6 and the sutter speed set to 1/30 second. Twas taken hand held, focused for sharp meter indications and composed for a variety of object reflectances. There is white tissue and a white plastic bag for highlights and black leather in shadows (on the camera back) to create dark shadow detai.

TaDa! Of course, this image has a few highlight details that have been lost, gone over the top. They are in reflections in the white plastic, especially in the edge of the white nasal tissue, and, probably, on the tip of the white dome. The darks nearly bottom out in the black leather shadowed areas. As such, for this camera's high-quality jpeg setting, this scene represents the range of brightness values that can be recorded. Sometimes, it's cool to know that results follow established theories when parameters permit.

Christmas

Well, it was a Christmas Tree Farm - in Hamersville, Ohio. Believed to be summer of 1974, an AMA motocross race, this photo was taken on b&w film and I'm not sure of the camera. Might have been my Miranda Fvt but probably a Nikkormat Ftn. In whichever case, while on the topic of other cameras, enjoy. This guy is.

Wayback Machine

Since I'm on an Other Cameras track, here's a crop (nuttin to look at on da sides no way, no how) of a Polaroid SX-70 foto of my son graduating from some grade. These old SX-70's have all developed cracks in the emulsions. Yawn. Ok - here da piccie:

darker that it looks

OK, since we ain't exactly sticking to bberry images, then how about some very recent film work? This is a negative scan from Fuji something or other 400 I bought at a drugstore to test a Nikon camera I was selling. When I took this, from St. Rose Church in Cincinnati, it was so dark (how dark wazzz it?) I had to use a flashlight to see the camera settings. This was about 5 seconds at something like f 5.6, taken from a sturdy tripod, using finger pressure on the shutter button. This was a peaceful, quiet evening on the river. I'd hoped for some riverboats to streak some colors across the water but, as usual, hoping doesn't yield squat. Then again, no boats = better color streaks on the water. Well, I had a tight schedule, so this is what it is.

A scrap of paper, underfoot ....

Say good-day to evidence of a small, folded scrap of paper. This diminutive alphabet letter was masochistically underfoot in the parking lot near Oakley, Ohio. Then again, maybe it was somewhere else. I didn't write down where I was and I get around town. Anyway, this image has been inverted to a negative and the contrast was considerably increased. BTW - twas also down-sized to 800 pixels.