Light meter?

[Mitch]

I will be doing weddings with a 10D. Is it necessary to use a hand held light meter for weddings? If so, in what circumstances, that is, for which kind of shots would a wedding photographer actually use the device? any suggestions for a model and brand name of light meter?

[Littlebike]

I have been wondering the asme thing, not so much for wedding but in general.

Are hand held light meters superior to in Camera?

Spot meter or not to spot meter?

[IIIMik3]

well, i would not say superior, or atleast, not completely. It all depends on the shoothing situation. The camera uses a reflected light meter, where as a handheld flash is an ambient light meter. I'd say for most cases where the light is controlable, an ambient light meter will give a more accurate reading for the exposure.

[robertwgross]

Here is an exercise for the student:

Pose the bride in a white gown and a groom in a black tuxedo, side-by-side.

With your camera firmly on a tripod, meter the scene using your choice of full, partial, or whatever. Note the exposure values.

Now meter the scene using a spot meter. Note the difference in exposure values. What happened?

Some of this applies to flash photography, and some of it applies to available light.

Now, if you are really good, you will note how much difference there is, on the average, from one set of B&G to another set, and you will see the trend. Then you can simply guess and do manual exposure compensation by eye.

---Bob Gross---

[Vegas Poboy]

According to most of the reviews the one thing the 10D lacks is a true spot meter. I'm attending classes presently and all of the pro's recommends using a meter. If you're going to set up strobes its a great help to getting your ratios right.
True you can do some tweaking & adjusting in PS but taking good photos saves time in editing.
A short cut take some test shots with lighting on and adjust the camera from what you see on the LCD.

[Malaxos1]

I have done a number of weddings using an Olympus E10. I have had great results and have become very good at using the camera's spot meter. Well i have since got rid of the E10 and have bought a D Rebel. I will have to wait and see how I do since I don't have a spot meter any more. I may just meter off a grey card. If anybody has any tips I would love to hear them...Dean

[Belmondo]

For most of us, the built-in metering is more than adequate. In highly specialized circumstances, you might be better off using a meter, but in digital photography, it's so easy and inexpensive to bracket a photo, why bother with all the meter nonsense.

One definite advantage to using a spot meter that I've learned: it makes you look like you really know what you're doing.

Whenever I break out my Pentax Spotmeter, someone always gives me a knowing nod of approval. If I only knew how to use the darned thing -----


Looking good!!!

Tom

[MediaMagic]

Mitch wrote:
I will be doing weddings with a 10D. Is it necessary to use a hand held light meter for weddings? If so, in what circumstances, that is, for which kind of shots would a wedding photographer actually use the device? any suggestions for a model and brand name of light meter?


Well, you're definately a braver man than I am. I wouldn't do a wedding, well, maybe for Dell employees I would make an exception.

I do shoot a few of portrait sessions these days and at first I used the in camera metering system. The shots looked decent but were very average looking. Then I started playing around with a handheld meter with a spot attachment. My shots started to really pop and sizzle. I think it boils down to being able to see what you want to emphasize in the frame and then exposing in the best manner to bring that out while protecting other areas from being blown out (by letting you know you need to adjust something, e.g., the angle of the shot, the power output of the flash, etc.). I guess that's not as important with digital as it is with film, but I think the meter gives you more creative control over the exposure and will help protect you from trashing some shots. If nothing else, it's a magnificent learning tool - you begin to visualize the shots and just kinda know how to adjust and compensate as a direct result of metering prior shots.

I realize this post doesn't answer your specific questions about weddings, but, a picture is a picture is a picture. You have a subject, you have a background, and most importantly, you have sources of light and its reflections (off subject and background) to the camera. A good meter will assist you in capturing that light in the best possible "light". It's a tool I wouldn't be without now in any situation and a spot meter will give you information about a scene that the in camera system simply can't deliver. And, as someone else mentioned, at least I *look* like I know what I'm doing. :-)

A pro with his/her knowledge using the built in metering system can still out shoot me using every tool I have in my arsenal on every shot, which is a bit disheartening at times. But, I think that wealth of knowledge that sets the pro's apart from the rest of us begins with learning to use tools, such as a good light meter, and transforming that use into a mental encyclopedia of information available instantly at their disposal.

My meter is an economical yet very versatile Sekonic L-358 and I purchased the 1 degree spot attachment to go with it. I have had this meter for roughly 6 weeks and my skill as a photographer has increased considerably in that time frame. There is no doubt that there is a direct connection. There is a bit of a learning curve to get to the point where you are using the meter effectively (and I still have much to learn), but the time and effort involved will become directly apparent in the shots you take.

Good luck with your weddings!

David

[Webster]

When thinking about exposure, remember that if you shoot RAW, you'll be able to pull lots of detail from areas that have been underexposed, but if you overexpose the white dress, chances are you'll never pull out the detail you want. If there's anything light colored in any pictures I take, I always use EV -1 or more.

[Malaxos1]

Photos that I have taken that have some blown out highlights are great candidates for B&W conversion. It is a little cheat trick that I have discovered and my clients never know...Dean