© Bob Adkins, Field Contributor

As you slowly peek over the embankment and through the brush you see a Trumpeter Swan in the pond ahead of you. You carefully ease your tripod, camera, and long lens into place. The blue water and spring vegetation contrast beautifully with the white swan. Matrix metering, final focus… steady… Click! Got it! Ten days later your slides arrive in the mail and, sure enough, a beautifully exposed white swan, blue water, and background.

The solid white snow is broken only by occasional willow branches and ptarmigan tracks. As you slowly study the area around you, you notice a glistening black eye barely 30 feet away. A Willow Ptarmigan camouflaged in the snow, almost invisible, raises his head and “skylines” himself. You slowly set up your tripod, camera, and long lens. Matrix metering, final focus...steady...Click! Got it! Ten days later your slides arrive in the mail, and...dull, gray, featureless, underexposed junk!

	© Bob Adkins, Field Contributor

White–on–White
White–on–white is one of the toughest exposure problems a photographer will ever face. The northern states, Canada, and Alaska experience varying amounts of snowfall each winter, a number of southern, coastal, and southwestern states have vast expanses of white sand beaches or deserts, and at certain times of the year the grain fields of the Great Plains are “white unto harvest.” Bodies of water often generate early morning fog, blanketing everything with white. Nearly everyone in North America may be faced with white backgrounds at some time during the year.

There are also a number of white or nearly white animals in North America. Some, like polar bears, are residents of the high arctic and are accessible only by means of expensive tours. Others, like Rocky Mountain goats, live in mountainous regions where winter photography is a treacherous undertaking. However, from my home in Alaska I have relatively easy access to white ptarmigan, swans, snowshoe hares, ermine, and Dall sheep, plus gray–bodied bull caribou with white manes. Nearly every region of the country has one or more white or light animals, so white–on–white isn’t an uncommon situation. Some species may be exotic or endangered, such as the endangered Whooping Crane, and others may be numerous but localized, such as the White Ibis or Snowy Owls. Still others, like swans, snow geese, and white pelicans are relatively widespread and common.

The basic principles of white–on–white photography remain the same, whether you are photographing ptarmigan in a snowy mountain pass in Alaska, or great white cranes on a white sand beach in Florida.

© Bob Adkins, Field Contributor

All reflective meters are based on the medium shade of gray that is halfway between black and white. That shade of gray reflects 18% of the light that falls on it, and is often referred to as “18% gray.”

Of course, all colors have a medium shade that also reflects 18% of the light that falls on them. Grass is approximately 18% green, spruce bark is roughly 18% brown, clear blue northern sky is 18% blue, ripe bananas are about 18% yellow. I’m sure you get the picture. Light meters are purposely made to expose these colors correctly, because these colors make up the majority (90%) of things around us.

The light meter in your camera may be an ultramodern matrix metering system, taking readings from many different parts of your viewfinder and analyzing them by computer to get an exposure reading. It may be a center–weighted meter and arrive at its reading by sampling a fairly large circle in the center of your viewing screen. It may be a spot meter, reading only a very narrow portion of your screen. You may have a camera that allows you to choose between these three, or even more, options. No matter what metering system you have, don’t expect it to solve your white–on–white problems without some help. Remember, your light meter is only a machine, and can’t do your thinking for you. Your meter is made to evaluate everything it sees as a medium toned subject. Thus it will underexpose light scenes (to make them darker, or medium toned), and it will overexpose dark scenes (to make them lighter, or medium toned).

The Other Ten Percent
White–on–white falls in the ten percent of photographic situations that don’t include medium tones of some kind. There are three main categories in this ten percent. We’ll discuss white–on–white here, and leave dark–on–dark and dark–light (high contrast) for future articles.

© Bob Adkins, Field Contributor

In Scenario #2 the meter sees a white ptarmigan, and a white background, both very light toned. Since the meter is calibrated to produce medium tones, the image is underexposed and comes out gray instead of white. We need to give the exposure additional light, and we need to give it the correct amount of additional light.

The big question is: How do we determine the correct amount of light if we can’t trust our light meter?

© Bob Adkins, Field Contributor

But, you say, I’m surrounded by white snow (or sand, or fog) and little else. Where will I find a medium toned object?

First of all, you could invest $5 in a “18% Gray” Card, and meter it. Carry it in your camera bag or backpack, and use it.

Secondly, you could meter the palm of your hand and open up one stop (remember, the meter wants to make your palm gray, and it’s actually lighter, so you need to add more light)

Or, you could meter your camera bag or backpack, if it’s a neutral color or camou.

Meter your own clothing or that of a companion. Faded blue jeans will give you an accurate exposure reading. Your girl friend’s navy blue sweater will not. The metered object must be medium toned.

Metering any of these objects will give you a correct base exposure reading for white–on–white situations.

Method Two—Sunny f/16 Corollary or Sunny f/22
On a bright sunny day you can dispense with using your meter at all. Set your camera to manual, dial in the Sunny f/16 Corollary, and you’re ready to go.

Remember, Sunny f/16 says that in bright sunshine a front–lit medium toned object bigger than a breadbox will be correctly exposed by using f/16 @ 100/ISO or equivalent.

Its corollary, Sunny f/22, says that a white or very light colored object should be exposed by using f/22 @100/ISO or any of its equivalents.

My experience has been that Sunny f/22 works well when the surface of the snow is relatively soft and dull. On really crisp cold days when the sunshine really “sparkles” on the snow surface, I’ll often go further by dialing in +1/2 stop exposure compensation, although I think this may be more a matter of personal preference than a matter of correct exposure.

© Bob Adkins, Field Contributor

Method Four—Incident Light Metering
The safest and most accurate method of getting correct exposures in white–on–white situations is to invest in an incident light meter. Incidence meters measure the light that is actually falling on your subject, not the light that is reflected from the subject.

The operating instructions for my Sekonic 398M say that when taking a light reading in bright snowy conditions the indicated exposure reading should be reduced by one stop, and then gives an example of metering a typical snowy scene. The example agrees exactly with the Sunny f/22 Rule for white subjects.

Variations in White
There is a great deal of variance in snow’s light reflecting characteristics. Bright sunny skies, cold temperatures, and new fallen snow will reflect much more light (72%) than a slight overcast, thawing temperatures, and week-old snow (60%). A deep snowfall will reflect more light than a light snowfall, because the medium toned vegetation is more likely to show through. Snowfall in the open reflects more light than snowfall in brush or woods.

White sand beaches reflect more light than “yellowish” sand, which in turn reflects more light than “grayish” sand.

The solution to these variations is to start with a “correct” base exposure for white–on–white, and then bracket in 1/3 or 1/2 stops.

Conclusion
Using any one of the above methods, medium–toned reflective metering, Sunny f/22 Rule, compensation by experience, or incidence metering, will get you started on the right path to successful white–on–white exposures. Take lots of pictures to gain experience, bracket extensively for your first few rolls, and keep accurate and extensive notes for each exposure. I review my notes for each roll of film, compare notes with my slides, and look for patterns in exposure variations. I then summarize the results in a small notebook that lives in the sidepocket of my photo backpack, and continually refine and improve my white–on–white techniques.

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Check these links for other ways to improve your photo skills.

Gerlach Nature Photography Photo Workshops & Tours (906)439-5991	with Lonnie Brock and Roger Devore	Helen Longest–Saccone Workshops/Tours/Seminars helen_marty@yahoo.com
Studioball Pro Ball Heads www.StudioBall.com	Cullman Magic Tripods from RTS www.RTSphoto.com

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