[jason88]

I am trying to work out how I can expose for highlights and shadows, when I have an internal light metre such as on the K1000?

I have been having issues with my photography, and getting the lighting right on the subject (i shoot people), and know that this can make a big difference. If i use a handheld metre, how would this work with the internal metre?

Any advice would be appreciated

[titrisol]

I'm not sure what you are asking; are you trying to capture the full tonal scale in contrasty images?
Are you shooting street or studio?
If so, my guess is that the latitude of your film is going to be the biggest issue

The K1000 will meter around the center of the image and give you an exposure value for the center of the scale; handhelds will do about the same (unless it is an incident).
SO it falls in your hand to decide what the "medium" point should be

Images with high contrast are tricky and finding that medium point takes some experimentation to avoid overblowing the highlights or shadows
You can use your hand as reference or find a "grey" wall

Also, depending what film/developer you are using there are processing tricks to make the tonality longer (less contrast) or shorter (contrasty) that may help

[Ausable]

I agree with Titrisol. Knowing the exposure latitude of your film is critical. You need to test it by photographing a calibrated gay scale (black to white). A handheld meter will help you to get a better feel of the behavior of the in-camera meter. I'd suggest an incident meter for studio portraits. A spot meter will enable you to survey the light levels in more complicated scenes. Once you know the spot meter's exposure parameters for the highlights, then you can put those into your camera controls and adjust them to allow more exposure without blowing them out (knowing the film latitude is critical to how much you can change the camera controls).

[pendennis]

Before the advent of built-in spot meters and advanced exposure methods, lots of folks used bracketing to achieve acceptable exposure. In the case of high-contrast subjects (or views), you can set exposure based in the meter reading. Then compensate by making exposures calculated on either side of the meter reading.

Example: If the meter reads f/11 @ 1/125 second, make another exposure @ f/8 @1/125, and another @ f/16 @ 1/125. Depending on the level of contrast, you may need to compensate @ 2 stops compensation.

Here's the rub, however: When shooting print film, processors tend to print to optimize the subject. This will frequently blow out highlights or shadows. Bracketing works fine if you scan your own negatives. With slides, you get what you shoot. E-6 processing is straight line, and bracketing can be optimized.

[ProfessorBuzz]

Back in the day, I'd point the centre of the field at the area I wanted to highlight, note the exposure, and swing back to the subject, and somewhat split the difference. It used to work reasonably well.
The other comments about film latitude and a spot meter are "spot-on" pun intentional.

[EssJayEff]

Back in the day for me —for black-and-white negative film—you exposed for shadows and then altered your development for the highlights . . . pulling development for bright highlights and extending for low dynamic range scenes. Development has very little effect on shadows, but great effect on highlights. The test for sheet film was a step-ring-around method. Basic Zone System approach.

You can apply same concept to roll film, but of course the entire roll needs to be shot under the same lighting conditions.

This is a short answer where a longer one is needed, but the longer answer is "out there" so no need to repeat it all here.

[titrisol]

Good point!
If you are developing yourself you have a lot more control on the process.
i.e. you can use longer times with more diluted developer or less agitation, etc.

Back in the day for me —for black-and-white negative film—you exposed for shadows and then altered your development for the highlights . . . pulling development for bright highlights and extending for low dynamic range scenes. Development has very little effect on shadows, but great effect on highlights. The test for sheet film was a step-ring-around method. Basic Zone System approach.

You can apply same concept to roll film, but of course the entire roll needs to be shot under the same lighting conditions.

This is a short answer where a longer one is needed, but the longer answer is "out there" so no need to repeat it all here.

[EssJayEff]

If you are developing yourself you have a lot more control on the process.

It used to be you could also ask your lab to push or pull development, but those days are mostly gone, too, I suspect. If you are serious about controlling your highlights through development yet have to send out film to a lab, it would be good to find one that offers custom film processing.

I'd be cautious of pushing film by increasing the temperature of chemicals during development. If I rememberer correctly, that increased grain size.

[TwoUptons]

I've found in 'playing around' shooting people in bright sun, the film latitude combined with the scanning method often leave me with skin tones that are a contrasty mess.

The solution (as seen on the inside of old film boxes) is to not shoot people in light like that
You can also add reflectors, fill flash, and other things.

To really do it right, you need better control over the light, in addition to good metering.
But a working K1000 meter should be accurate enough, as long as you understand what it is really telling you...
And you may need to get closer to your subject and meter repeatedly at different areas, then use those multiple results to produce a hybrid exposure setting that gets what you want.
Though that does involve an increased understanding of how the film will respond... all those zone system folks know how to do that...

-Eric

[Pål Jensen]

For slide film; measure the dark area and underexpose by 1.5 stops (from meter reading). The dark areas will go black but still have some details. For the highlights measure the highlights but overexpose by 1.5 stops. The highlights will be bright but not burned out.....

[titrisol]

It used to be you could also ask your lab to push or pull development, but those days are mostly gone, too, I suspect. If you are serious about controlling your highlights through development yet have to send out film to a lab, it would be good to find one that offers custom film processing.

I'd be cautious of pushing film by increasing the temperature of chemicals during development. If I rememberer correctly, that increased grain size.

True, but in NC is inevitable
Water in summer comes at 75-77F and in winter closer to 65F

[MossyRocks]

I suggest learning the Zone System. It is a process that involves both the exposure and development of film but it was good enough for Ansel Adams it should be good enough for us.

[EssJayEff]

Water in summer comes at 75-77F and in winter closer to 65F

You might be able to keep the temperature closer to 68 degrees F (20 C) with a water bath for the development tank, depending on what system you are using.

[TwoUptons]

True, but in NC is inevitable
Water in summer comes at 75-77F and in winter closer to 65F

I live in south Georgia (the former British colony, not the territory), and in the summer, mine is over 80 F (27 C).

The only way I've been able to develop things sensibly is with ice in the chemicals and initial rinse water and a chilled water bath to keep the temperature as close as I can to where I need it. It's a huge pain, and my freezer doesn't make ice quickly...

-Eric

[stevebrot]

How to expose for highlights shadows?

Conventional wisdom for B&W from the exalted elders is:

Expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights...

Shadows not captured cannot be salvaged,* while highlights short of saturation may be compensated for by chemistry and/or by technique.


Steve

* One cannot pull what is not there.