SUMMARY
Willem Verbeeck embarked on a 3,000-mile cross-country drive from Los Angeles to New Jersey, documenting the journey with three film cameras: a Canon EOS-1N, a Leica, and a Mamiya 7. The trip provided practical lessons in exposure metering, particularly in extreme brightness like White Sands, where he overexposed by two stops to compensate for the reflective gypsum. Verbeeck emphasizes that understanding how negative film handles highlights and developing the instinct to read scenes rather than solely trusting meters is crucial for both film and digital photography.
TAKEAWAYS
A 3,000-mile trip across America was documented using three film cameras.
Exposure techniques for extreme brightness, like overexposing in White Sands, were detailed.
Shooting on the road fostered better technical instincts for reading light.
Negative film's ability to handle highlights better than shadows was highlighted.