Light — Science & Magic, 6th Edition

METAL 115

We used the rst of these three options to photograph a brightly polished

metal spatula on a white paper background. Figure 6.7 is the result.

As we expected, the metal is a pleasing light gray. If you have never lit a

scene this way, you might not have expected the photograph to render the

“white” background so dark! is is a necessary consequence of the lighting.

e exposure is “normal” for this scene.

What Is a “Normal” Exposure for Metal?

Because the metal was the important subject matter in Figure 6.7, we

exposed to get it right and ignored the background. How might we expose

the metal to “get it right”?

One good way is a spot meter reading on the metal, remembering to

expose two to three stops more than the meter indicates. ...