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A common mistake I keep seeing with metering for backlit subjects

I've been developing my own black and white film for about a year now, and I keep noticing people's shots where a person in front of a window is just a silhouette. They meter for the bright background and the subject goes dark. I learned the hard way after ruining a roll from a family visit in Chicago by doing the same thing. You need to take a reading directly off your subject's face, or even overexpose by a stop or two from your camera's suggested setting. Has anyone else found a reliable way to handle this without a dedicated spot meter?
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2 Comments
mason209
mason20912h ago
Oh man, the classic "who is that person?" silhouette shot. I guess we all have to sacrifice a family roll to the photography gods to learn that lesson.
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valallen
valallen1d agoTop Commenter
My first good portrait was a total accident.
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