Back in the days of film, where there were no image previews and every frame cost money to take, light meters allowed you to ensure that an image would be properly lit and the results would be what you expected. With digital, you can now check the results instantly and make adjustments right away with no penalty. So, while light meters are not necessary anymore, they can still be quite useful. This great video tutorial will show you how to use one properly.
Coming to you from Daniel Norton Photographer, this excellent video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of using a light meter. No doubt, with the ability to instantly see your results, digital has made light meters a lot less necessary than they used to be, but many professionals still enjoy working with them and prefer the workflow they create. They can be particularly useful for replicating setups consistently or for ensuring that multi-light setups are in balance. Check out the video above for the full rundown from
If you would like to continue learning about how to light a portrait, be sure to check out "Illuminating The Face: Lighting for Headshots and Portraits With Peter Hurley!"
1 Comment
Two extra tips...
Some meters (like the one in the video), allow you to offset the meter to match the lens. Stills lenses are marked in F-Stops, which is a bit annoying. It would be much better to have them as T-Stops for absolute accuracy.
F-Stops on a lens are a theoretical aperture based on optic size and stuff, but can often be different to the T-Stop. (It's why expensive film lenses are usually marked in T-Stops).
So the ACTUAL exposure with one lens at F5.6 may be different to a different lens at F5.6
I've made a little card on my meter bag with notes for the offsets of each lens. For example, my Canon 70-200L Mk2 needs zero offset, but my lovely Sigma 105 ART requires +0.5 stop offset.
It takes a little time to do but worth it. Use a quality grey card and follow absolutely to the letter, the instructions how to use a grey card from Kodak. (Or get a Kodak grey card and the instructions are included). There are waaay too many myths out there of how to use a grey card, and most are wrong. You need to get the angle of card exactly right and set the histogram precisely to the Kodak instructions - this is the same for any 18% grey card). I shoot tethered and process in Capture One, so I use the histogram in C-1 rather than the camera. And you're not going to be setting the grey peak in the centre... :)
And of course if your lens vignettes when wide open, bare this in mind for exposures.
2nd tip:
If you are using a meter like the one in the video, it will have a useful % display. 100% means ambient light is negligible so don't worry about it. 50% means there is as much ambient as there is strobe. (And 60-70% is a very useful balance when working with ambient light outdoors for a natural but modelled look. Or 30% for when you just want the strobe to be fill light).