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Serious question, do you bracket your exposures or trust a single reading?
I ran into an old guy at a camera swap in Detroit last weekend who swore he never brackets. He said metering was for people who didn't know their film. He pulled out a beat up Pentax and a roll of Tri-X and claimed he shot everything at box speed no matter what. I always bracket at least a stop over and under just to be safe. Who's right here or does it just depend on the scene?
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valthomas1mo ago
Hold on, I'm gonna disagree with the devil's advocate thing and actually take the opposite side for real. I bracket everything, and I mean everything, because film latitude is a myth people tell themselves to feel better about blowing a shot. That old timer with the Pentax is probably losing details in shadows or highlights all the time and just doesn't notice because he's not printing big or scanning carefully. Box speed is fine for flat light, but the second you get harsh sun or deep shadows, one reading is a gamble. I've had shots I nailed the meter on that still looked flat, while my overexposed bracket came out rich and full. Trusting a single reading is like driving with your eyes closed and hoping the road doesn't curve.
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