ABSTRACT
In regard to the overall type of photographs, whether the composition be an individual room or an overall structure, and where ambient lighting is limited, the camera’s light metering can be fooled or inaccurate. For example, one may be faced with one extreme, in which the scene is basically void of ambient light. The camera will not likely be able to meter the light and unable to come up with a proper exposure. Certainly in this case supplemental light must be added to the composition in order to record an image. At the other extreme, the scene will have adequate ambient light to record an image, but because the scene is mostly black in color, the camera will overexpose the composition. The overexposure occurs because the camera wants to turn the black, soot-stained surfaces the color of 18% gray, thereby overexposing the composition. Consequently, fire photographers must be able to adjust for both extremes, and recognizing how one’s personal camera interprets light in these situations will assist them in making the appropriate corrections to the camera’s exposure evaluations. Not all cameras are equal, and although they all are searching for 18% gray, they do not always arrive at that value in the same manner. Therefore, those photographing fire scenes should definitely practice with their equipment and obtain a general idea how their equipment reacts to different photographic challenges found at fire scenes.
