Hit roll 100 on a single frame of Portra 400 and it changed how I meter

I was shooting a friends wedding last month as a favor (you know, the cheap friend option) and I just guessed at the exposure for a group shot in a dark church. Got the scans back and that one frame had perfect shadow detail and no blown highlights, which I've never managed before with my old Minolta. It made me realize I've been overthinking my metering for years, relying too much on my handheld meter instead of just trusting the camera's built-in needle. Has anyone else had a random perfect shot flip their whole approach to how you expose? What did you do differently after?

2 comments

2 Comments

valwest20d ago

Dude yes that exact thing happened to me with a roll of Tri-X and now I barely touch my light meter.

sean_foster5218d ago

Wait hold on, you barely touch your light meter now? After one roll? I mean I get being frustrated but that's a bold move. My first thought was you probably saved a ton of time not having to meter every shot. But then I remembered my own disaster with a roll of Portra where I accidentally shot it at 400 instead of 160 and just guessed the rest. The results were a mess. Still, ditching the meter completely sounds wild to me. What do you do for tricky light like backlit stuff or indoor shots?