Sunny f/16 rule

Text and Photography © Copyright Charles Glatzer

Much like an incident recommendation, the sunny f/16 rule is based on the quantity
of light falling on the scene and or subject, negating background tonal influence,
and subject size relative to the image frame. It is because on a clear cloudless day
the sunlight will peek consistently in intensity depending on latitude from mid
morning to mid afternoon that we are able to use this rule consistently and
accurately to set the midtone. The formula is an easy one 1/ISO @ f/16 and it was
included with every box of film sold. Most never paid attention to it, choosing
instead to discard it, going with their expensive in-camera meter.Example - ISO
100 = 1/100 @ f/16
ISO 200 = 1/200 @ f/16

When shooting with the sun over your shoulders shoot at the suggested rule,
backlight subjects generally require you open up two EV, with negative film or when
exposing for shadow detail side lit subjects require you open up one stop is
therefore often necessary to compensate the exposure when trying to render detail
in areas at the end of the tonal scale.

When shooting a sidelight bird/subject in sunlight my exposure remains the same,

sunny f/16 or equivalent plus or minus compensation for the highlight. Remember,
when a subject is side-lit, a portion of the subject is in shadow, and this shadowed
area will be rendered under-exposed when metered as suggested above, especially
when minus compensation is applied. This is where fill flash comes in, and it is an
integral part of this methods success. By choosing different amounts of flash
compensation, we are able control the degree of shadow detail rendered
independent of the ambient light. The key lies in illuminating the shadows without
obliterating them. If you know how to effectively compress the image brightness
range to that of the capture medium, you can capture detail in both highlight and
shadow without sacrificing one or the other. And, you can shoot in light otherwise
never considered. Light illuminates - shadow defines.

Exposure Value - all of the exposure combinations below are equivalent for a given
quantity of light and ISO. It is up to you to determine which combination best suites
the situation in hand.

ISO 200 is the most widely used in nature photography. Typically the best sunny
f/16 equivalent compromise in shutter speed and aperture is 1/800 @ f/8. An easy
to remember acronym is 88. Therefore, if you are shooting ISO 200 in unfiltered
sunlight you need only remember 88 - 1/800 @ f/8 as your reference point.

ISO 200 Sunny f/16

1/100 1/200 1/400 1/800 1/1600 1/3200
f/22 f/16 f/11 f/8 f/5.6 f/4

ISO 100 Sunny f/16

1/50 1/100 1/200 1/400 1/800 1/1600
f/22 f/16 f/11 f/8 f/5.6 f/4

ISO 400 Sunny f/16

1/200 1/400 1/800 1/1600 1/3200 1/6400
f/22 f/16 f/11 f/8 f/5.6 f/4

Like the times (x) table in arithmetic this sequence should be memorized,
committed to memory for recall at a moments notice. The quicker you can make
decisions, the better your imagery will become.

* I recommend you copy and paste the above onto a business-sized card, carrying it
with you for quick reference.

Editor's Comment: Let us know what you think! Please email the Editor to let us
know your thoughts.

Charles Glatzer is a Certified Professional Commercial Photographer with a Master

of Photography Degree, and an Award winning photographer, a two-time recipient
of the Kodak Gallery Award of Excellence, "the benchmark for saluting technical
execution and visual impact in the photographic arts." A full time professional since
1983, Charles possesses a wide range of photographic talents with a special
emphasis in nature and underwater photography.

Charles owns and hosts monthly "Shoot the Light" seminars and workshops
throughout the USA and his underwater photography workshops are conducted on
live-aboard dive boats throughout the world. All workshops now employ state of the
art digital technology, allowing real time, in-field assessment of metering theory,
compensation, composition, fill flash, DOF, etc.

Charles is a Photography Advisor for the Potomac Museum Group and Endangered
Encounters. He is the Principal Photographer for the new Atlantis Marine World
Aquarium, NY, a past Adjunct Associate Professor at Long Island University and
lecturer at the prestigious EXPLORERS CLUB in NYC. He serves on many judges'
panels for both national and international photographic competitions. His Natural
History presentation and lecture hosts include Fuji Professional, the Professional
Photographers of America, ASMP, the Audubon Society, Nature Conservancy, Sierra
Club, among others. Charles was the keynote speaker at this year's (May 2003)
prestigious "Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival", Homer AK.

Represented by the world's premier stock agencies, his images are published
internationally in both the advertising and editorial marketplace. Recently his
images were on public display including the Orlando International Airport and
Disney's Epcot Center. Fujifilm Professional has played an active role sponsoring, in
part, Charles career for many years; poster signings, film and product,
workshop/lecture sponsorship and image purchase are greatly appreciated.
Additionally, Charles is sponsored in part by Wimberley, Lowepro, Photoflex, Vested
Interest, Capture One DSLR, Robert White, Wildlife Watching Supplies, and Image
Arts. His images, articles, product reviews and informative postings can frequently
be seen in print, and on the web at www.photomigrations.com and
www.naturescapes.net

His equipment and experience includes 4x5, 6x6, 35mm film and digital formats.
His leap into the digital domain started with PhotoShop 3 and LS 2000 film
scanners. He has further expanded his creative and teaching options shooting
almost exclusively now with 35mm digital format. Charles uses Lumedyne strobes
and Quantum radio slaves for off camera lighting. Gitzo CF tripods with Arca Swiss
B1 ballheads, Wimberley products (gimbal head, sidekick, flash brackets, and lens
plates), Groofwin Pod, Groundshot plate, and beanbags are used for support.
Sekonic L358 incident meter is used for exposure. All equipment is carried in Lowe
Pro bags. His films of choice are Fujifilm's, Velvia and Provia.

Camera equipment: well versed in both Nikon and Canon film and digital bodies.
Current equipment includes Canon digital 1D and 1V HS film bodies, 16-35, 24-70,
70-200 IS, 180 macro, 300 2.8 IS, 500mm IS w/ converters and extension tubes, 550
flashes and all accessories.