Print your own grey card
This isn't my work so I'm only making a link to this valuable resource.
All digital cameras meter these days but not all film cameras did. But whichever type of camera you use, if you are metering, you need an accurate reading.
When making reflective readings your light meter will average out the scene resulting in usually good exposures but some are over or underexposed because the camera or light meter doesn't know what is being photographed. Ideally you must take your reading from an 18% grey card. Why?
A light meter sees the scene as a whole, all the shades and tones then mixes them together like the picture below. The left side is normal, the right side is all the tones mixed up, as a light meter sees it. Roughly 18% grey (that is 82% black and 18% white). All light meters work on that principle. The problem comes when you are taking a photo of something predominantly light or dark. The meter averages it out making whites light grey and blacks dark grey. Meter with a grey card and you'll get perfectly exposed photos.
All digital cameras meter these days but not all film cameras did. But whichever type of camera you use, if you are metering, you need an accurate reading.
When making reflective readings your light meter will average out the scene resulting in usually good exposures but some are over or underexposed because the camera or light meter doesn't know what is being photographed. Ideally you must take your reading from an 18% grey card. Why?
A light meter sees the scene as a whole, all the shades and tones then mixes them together like the picture below. The left side is normal, the right side is all the tones mixed up, as a light meter sees it. Roughly 18% grey (that is 82% black and 18% white). All light meters work on that principle. The problem comes when you are taking a photo of something predominantly light or dark. The meter averages it out making whites light grey and blacks dark grey. Meter with a grey card and you'll get perfectly exposed photos.
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So you print a grey card right? No, this is 18% grey and will look different on different monitors and not all printers will print the same colours.
But R.I. Bell of Tiger Consulting created a printable card that will print on any type of printer. The card comprises stripes 82% of which are black and 18% of them are white. Download it from the link here. Grey-Card-White-Balance-Card |
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Full instructions are supplied with the card. Bell, on his information sheet, suggested using Wilco Flint Stone Grey paint to make a card. Sadly, Wilco's has gone from the high street but I sourced another. Homebase has the same paint, perhaps you could get a tester/sampler. That would be enough for several cards. if you want to be technical here are the RGB hex code is: 677283 or 757575 in grey scale. Pantone shade is 18-3916 TCX. But good luck printing them! |
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