How to meter window light???

deeya

I'm trying to figure out how to meter for window light to get a moody photograph... this is one example:

http://www.pbase.com/image/37615224

I am not quite sure where to meter on something like that.... and even for photos maybe not quite that dramatic... but with a lot of variance between the light side and the dark side...

I'm also a bit confused on where to stand.... are the subject and I both an even distance from the window.. should the subject be closer to the window so I'm shooting into it?

I know I need to practice... but any guidance on this would be appreciated..

pathfinder

This is very difficult to meter with a reflected meter in your camera and a model. Too much shadows, too little highlights. You can meter with a grey card and the reflected light meter in your camera, but an incident meter will work better.

Practically though, the sunny 16 rule would advise f16 1/ISO speed in bright sunlight and 3 stops more light in the shade which basically is what window light is in the illuminated areas SO...

For ISO 200 you might start with f5.6 ( 3 stops more than f16) 1/200th and see how it appears on the histogram. Or convert that exposure to aperture f2 1/1600th

The image you linked to on pbase was shot at ISO 200 f2.4 1/1500th

I posted a table for sunny 16 rule here

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=30235



If you look at ISO 200 for sunlight at f2.0 it is 1/16000th of a sec

Three stops more light for shadow light would be 1/2000th at f2.0 That sure sounds close to my suggested exposure of f2.0 1/1600th doesn't it? And rather close to the exposure used on the image on pbase as well. Probably good enough for government work:): Or a start for a trial exposure.