(You could change the aperture instead, of course.) Or, while pointing an in-camera spot meter at the highlight, just turn either the shutter speed or aperture dial until the exposure scale indicates one stop of overexposure (+1.0) for Zone 6 or two stops of overexposure (+2.0) for Zone 7.Īutumn Aspens: Applying An S-Curve For Contrast. to make that highlight Zone 6 or 1⁄30 sec. at ƒ/16, lower the shutter speed to 1⁄60 sec. In other words, if the meter indicates 1⁄125 sec. To make it Zone 7, increase the exposure by two stops. To make the highlight Zone 6, increase the exposure by one stop from your meter reading. Make sure the whole spot is filled with a consistent tone you don’t want a mixture of light and dark areas. Next, spot-meter the highlight you’ve chosen. Use Zone 6 for any other highlight, including tans, yellows or other pastel colors. Use Zone 7 for objects that are white or nearly white, like white water, snow, light sand or very light rock. Zone 5 isn’t a highlight, it’s a midtone, while Zone 8 is washed out. Then decide what zone that highlight should be. Start by picking the most important highlight-the brightest significant part of the scene that needs to have detail and texture. The simplest approach concentrates on highlights and ignores shadows. If you’re using the camera’s spot mode, try metering with a telephoto lens to narrow the metering coverage appropriately. While a handheld spot meter is preferable, you can make do with your camera’s built-in spot meter mode.
The Zone System requires a spot meter and full manual exposure mode. (An in-camera spot meter should indicate +2.0, or two stops of overexposure, for Zone 7, as shown here.) A white subject like this is a perfect candidate for Zone 7, so I opened the aperture two stops to ƒ/5.6, placing the water on Zone 7-light, but not washed out. White Subject, Vernal Fall, Yosemite: A spot meter reading of the most important highlight, the white water, indicated 1⁄125 sec. The Zone System gives us a vital framework for understanding and controlling contrast in our images and a path to making prints with a full, rich range of tones-the range of tones for which Adams’ photographs are so famous. How do you apply these controls? How far should you go? Do you have to reinvent the whole photographic process? No-because while the tools may be different, the basic principles of the Zone System still apply. Such unprecedented power creates wonderful opportunities, but also can lead to confusion.
A light color will lose saturation above Zone 6, and a dark color can’t go below Zone 4 without becoming muddy.Ī hint of detail, but essentially washed out In other words, Zone 8 and above are washed out, and Zone 2 and below are black. Most digital cameras can hold detail in Zones 3 and 7, but not beyond. Anything one stop lighter will render as Zone 6, two stops lighter, Zone 7, etc. Anything one stop darker will render as Zone 4, two stops darker, Zone 3, and so on. Zone 5 represents a midtone in the scene.