Zone Exposures in Photography
When I talk about zone exposures, I’m referring to the specific exposure settings for different zones in the zone system. Essentially, I’m adjusting my camera settings based on which zone I want a certain part of my scene to fall into. For instance, if I want the trunk of a tree to appear on Zone 4, I’ll adjust my spot meter accordingly to achieve the desired exposure for that zone.
Spot Meter and Zone 5
To keep things simple, let’s focus on Zone 5, often referred to as middle grey. This is the default reading on most meters. When you point your spot meter at any object, it will give you a reading based on what it considers to be middle grey or Zone 5 in the zone system.
Calculate Exposure for Different Zones
The great thing about the zone system exposure is that once you know your meter is reading middle grey (Zone 5), you can move up or down the zone scale to achieve different effects. Here’s how I approach it:
Let’s say I want the bark of a tree trunk to have rich texture, and I want to place it on Zone 4, which is one stop darker than middle gray. The process involves adjusting your exposure settings based on the spot meter’s reading.
For example, if the spot meter indicates an exposure of 1/8th second at F/8 (the middle gray we’re referring to), I can adjust it to achieve Zone 4 by changing the shutter speed to 1/15th of a second. I know I could also change the aperture to give the same effect but I am trying to keep it simple.
Moving Between Zones: A Quick Breakdown
To get from Zone 5 to Zone 4, we need to increase the exposure by 1 full stop, which is done by doubling the exposure time.
Zone 5 (middle grey) is considered a balanced exposure.
Zone 4 is one stop darker than Zone 5, so to achieve this, we need to make the image darker by doubling the exposure time.
To make it simple:
Zone 5 → Zone 4: Half the exposure time (less light, darker image).
Zone 5 → Zone 6: Double the exposure time (more light, brighter image).
When I first started learning the zone system, it was a bit confusing. If you’re feeling the same way, don’t worry! It can take a little time to fully grasp, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature.
Try My Zone System Exposure Calculator
If you want to experiment and make this process even easier, check out my Zone System Exposure Calculator below. Just input the value your meter gives you (zone 5) and select the zone you’d like to expose for, and the calculator will show you the adjusted exposure time.
Digital Zone System Photoshop Plugin
If you enjoy editing your black and white photos using the zone system, I’ve got a very popular Photoshop plugin called Digital Zone System. It lets you create clear zones based on the different shades of grey in your image, making it easy to fine-tune and adjust the tones exactly how you want them to match your artistic vision.
