This 3-hour program promises to provide a reliable way of calculating proper exposure. The description as it appears on Keylite's website is appended below. Including a 15-minute break, the workshop lasted 4 hours and was composed of three parts. The first was an explanation of how the camera typically processes light by producing an average. This is not always an accurate representation of the subject as seen by the human eye, particularly in situations with high dynamic range. The instructor defines optimal (or correct) exposure as the settings which capture and reproduce the maximal amount of data. (In this regard, full-frame cameras capture more data than those with smaller senors).
The second was an explanation of how to use the Luminance Histogram as a means of setting proper exposure. The LH shows the following features of exposure: tonal distribution, contrast and dynamic range, scene/subject tonal range. The suggestion is to compose, meter, and shoot, then use the histogram to check and reshoot if necessary. The instructor offered the following maxim for setting exposure:
ETTR
Expose to the Right
His argument is that it is easier to recapture shadows than highlights in post-processing, and that it is therefore advisable to always expose for the brightest part of your image (represented in the histogram at the right).
The final section of the workshop was a discussion of the Zone system and how to calculate exposure by conceiving of your image in terms of tones. Unfortunately, the workshop came to an end just as we got to something practical. I would like to see the instructor offering this over two days, with time in between for students to practice, a follow-up critique of images and discussion of problems in practical application.
The instructor is knowledgeable, personable, and has the ability to break down concepts into small chunks and relate them to one another. I would be happy to take additional instruction from him. The fee was very reasonable, and I was surprised to find that coffee, tea, and even hot grilled cheese sandwiches were offered. A certificate of completion and a PDF copy of the class slide presentation were provided.
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