Eighten Percent Grey...

I wanted to mention the Blackpool and the Flyde end of year student show not because I will be going (I am washing my hair), or that I have decided to gate crash the event for free booze and a can of Red Bull. Oh no. The simple reason was the title, that is, Eighteen Percent Grey.
Nineteen years ago after my modelling career fell apart the due to the onset of male pattern baldness and a dislike of local fashion, I was a student at Blackpool, young and clueless..
The first thing we where taught (and the only thing I really remember other than 1p a pint night at somewhere along the seafront) was how to use an 18% grey card. No matter what the subject matter was, when you placed that grey card in the frame, it was always a grey card. 'A grey card is a grey card, is a grey card..' Thats what Gordon used to tell us. Meter off that grey card and you knew that you would have shadow and highlight detail no matter how busy the image appeared to be.
Simple, brilliant and full proof.

I wonder how many students these days are aware of such practices as the art of the grey card. My guess is very few. Of course these days I tend to point at a slab of concrete or the back of my dirty hand..

Info on the show can be found here.