Evandro Menezes'
Photography
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Often taking pictures with available light poses difficult light situations in which it can be pretty hard to measure the exposure accurately, sometimes even fooling built-in camera meters. For a few common subjects, the table below contains the exposure for typical situations.
I chose the shutter speed and aperture that I think achieve the best results, considering the subject itself and the film speed used. Feel free to use other values if you'd like.
Use the values in this table as starting points and, for better results, bracket around them.
| Subject | Film Speed (ISO) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64-100 | 125-200 | 320-400 | 640-800 | 1000-1600 | |||
| At home at night | Home interiors | average light T | 1/4, f:2.8 | 1/15, f:2 | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:4 |
| bright light T | 1/15, f:2 | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:4 | 1/60, f:4 | ||
| Candlelit close-ups T | 1/4, f:2 | 1/8, f:2 | 1/15, f:2 | 1/15, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:2.8 | ||
| Indoor holiday lighting and Xmas trees | 1/4, f:2 | 1/8, f:2 | 1/15, f:2 | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | ||
| Outdoors at night | Outdoor holiday lighting | 1, f:4 | 1, f:5.6 | 1/2, f:5.6 | 1/4, f:5.6 | 1/8, f:5.6 | |
| Brightly lighted downtown streets | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:4 | 1/125, f:4 | ||
| Brightly lit nightclub or theater districts | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:4 | 1/30, f:5.6 | 1/60, f:5.6 | 1/125, f:5.6 | ||
| Neon or other lighted signs | 1/30, f:4 | 1/60, f:4 | 1/60, f:5.6 | 1/60, f:8 | 1/60, f:11 | ||
| Store windows | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:4 | 1/60, f:4 | 1/60, f:5.6 | 1/60, f:8 | ||
| Subjects lighted by streetlights | 1/4, f:2 | 1/8, f:2 | 1/15, f:2 | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | ||
| Floodlighted buildings, monuments or fountains | 1, f:4 | 1/2, f:4 | 1/15, f:2 | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | ||
| Skyline | distant view of lighted buildings at night | 2, f:2 * | 1, f:2 | 1, f:2.8 | 1, f:4 | 1, f:5.6 | |
| 10 minutes after sunset | 1/30, f:4 | 1/30, f:5.6 | 1/60, f:5.6 | 1/125, f:5.6 | 1/125, f:8 | ||
| Fairs and amusement parks | general | 1/15, f:2 | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:4 | |
| rides, light patterns | 4, f:16 * | 4, f:22 * | 2, f:22 * | 1, f:22 | 1, f:32 | ||
| Fireworks | displays on the ground | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:4 | 1/60, f:4 | 1/60, f:5.6 | 1/125, f:5.6 | |
| aerial displays (shutter open on B or T for several bursts) |
f:8 | f:11 | f:16 | f:22 | f:32 | ||
| Lightning (shutter open on B or T for one or two streaks) |
f:5.6 | f:8 | f:11 | f:16 | f:22 | ||
| Campfires or bonfires | themselves | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:4 | 1/60, f:5.6 | 1/125, f:5.6 | |
| subjects lit by them | 1/8, f:2 | 1/15, f:2 | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:4 | ||
| Baseball, football or soccer fields, racetracks T | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:2.8 | 1/125, f:2.8 | 1/250, f:2.8 | 1/250, f:4 | ||
| Water falls | white lights * | 15, f:5.6 | 8, f:5.6 | 4, f:5.6 | 4, f:8 | 4, f:11 | |
| light colored lights * | 30, f:5.6 | 15, f:5.6 | 8, f:5.6 | 4, f:5.6 | 4, f:8 | ||
| dark colored lights * | 30, f:4 | 30, f:5.6 | 15, f:5.6 | 8, f:5.6 | 4, f:5.6 | ||
| Moon | 1/250, f:8 | 1/500, f:8 | 1/500, f:11 | 1/500, f:16 | 1/1000, f:16 | ||
| Full-moon lit scenes | landscapes * | 30, f:2 | 15, f:2 | 8, f:2 | 4, f:2 | 4, f:2.8 | |
| snowy landscapes* | 15, f:2 | 8, f:2 | 4, f:2 | 4, f:2.8 | 4, f:4 | ||
| Indoors at night | Basketball, hockey, or bowling T | 1/30, f:2 | 1/60, f:2 | 1/60, f:2.8 | 1/125, f:2.8 | 1/250, f:2.8 | |
| Boxing or wrestling T | 1/60, f:2 | 1/125, f:2 | 1/250, f:2 | 1/250, f:2.8 | 1/250, f:4 | ||
| Stage show | average light T | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:2.8 | 1/125, f:2.8 | 1/125, f:4 | |
| bright light T | 1/60, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:4 | 1/125, f:4 | 1/125, f:5.6 | 1/250, f:5.6 | ||
| Circus | floodlight T | 1/30, f:2 | 1/60, f:2 | 1/60, f:2.8 | 1/125, f:2.8 | 1/250, f:2.8 | |
| spotlight D (carbon-arc) |
1/60, f:2.8 | 1/125, f:2.8 | 1/125, f:4 | 1/250, f:4 | 1/250, f:5.6 | ||
| Ice show | floodlight T | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:2.8 | 1/125, f:2.8 | 1/250, f:2.8 | 1/250, f:4 | |
| spotlight D (carbon-arc) |
1/60, f:2.8 | 1/125, f:2.8 | 1/250, f:2.8 | 1/250, f:4 | 1/250, f:5.6 | ||
| Interiors with bright fluorescent light D | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:4 | 1/60, f:4 | 1/60, f:5.6 | 1/60, f:8 | ||
| School stage or auditorium T | 1/15, f:1.4 | 1/15, f:2 | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:4 | ||
| Swimming
pool T (above water) |
1/15, f:2 | 1/30, f:2 | 1/60, f:2 | 1/60, f:2.8 | 1/60, f:4 | ||
| Hospital nursery T | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:4 | 1/60, f:4 | 1/60, f:5.6 | ||
| Church interior T | 1/8, f:2 | 1/15, f:2 | 1/30, f:2 | 1/30, f:2.8 | 1/30, f:4 | ||
| Stained
glass windows, daytime D (from inside) |
+3 stops than the outdoor lighting conditions | ||||||
| Glassware
in windows, daytime D
(from inside) |
+1 stop than the outdoor lighting conditions | ||||||
| Notes | T Use Tungsten film for accurate color | ||||||
| D Use Daylight film for accurate color | |||||||
| * Apply appropriate reciprocity failure compensation | |||||||
Evandro Menezes' Photography |
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