A Newbie's lighting/metering question

Hi... I am a photography student... just finished my first semester. Over the last couple of months I have been purchasing items as I can to get a portable studio going. My most recent purchase was a strobe light with stand and umbrella. (I actually got 2, but I broke 1 of them so I am now down to 1 until I can get it fixed. ) I have played with the lights only one time and I am having 1 major question that I hope someone can help me with because I really don't know... here goes...

When I hook my master strobe up to my camera, does the camera meter read for the flash (even though it's not on when I meter) or will the shot be overexposed? Does that make sense? Gawsh I hope so. I want to make sure I am metering for the flash and not for the fact that there's no light/little light in the room. If the camera doesn't meter for the flash, is there someway to turn a strobe (or some other light) on so you CAN meter for it before taking the shot? This probably sounds like a stupid question to some of you pros so I apologize, but if I don't ask, I'll never know. Thanks!

f8ed4photography wrote in post #4467447
Hi... I am a photography student... just finished my first semester. Over the last couple of months I have been purchasing items as I can to get a portable studio going. My most recent purchase was a strobe light with stand and umbrella. (I actually got 2, but I broke 1 of them so I am now down to 1 until I can get it fixed. ) I have played with the lights only one time and I am having 1 major question that I hope someone can help me with because I really don't know... here goes...

When I hook my master strobe up to my camera, does the camera meter read for the flash (even though it's not on when I meter) or will the shot be overexposed? Does that make sense? Gawsh I hope so. I want to make sure I am metering for the flash and not for the fact that there's no light/little light in the room. If the camera doesn't meter for the flash, is there someway to turn a strobe (or some other light) on so you CAN meter for it before taking the shot? This probably sounds like a stupid question to some of you pros so I apologize, but if I don't ask, I'll never know. Thanks!

The meter driving the camera viewfinder scale reads the ambient light only.

When in a bright ambient light situation, it will perhaps read the correct exposure which will occur even without flash, and flash will have no affect on what it shows.

When in a low ambient light situation, it will perhaps read the underexposed exposure which will occur without flash, and flash will have no affect on what it shows.

The in-camera meter is designed for CONSTANT light and is incapable of reading BRIEF duration light. You MUST use a 'flashmeter' to read flash, since it is designed to read brief duration light. Handheld meters like the Sekonic 758 are designed to read constant ambient light in one of its metering modes, and brief duration flash in a different metering mode, allowing it to read both types of light.

There is unfortunately no way for a strobe to be turned on in a manner which would permit an ambient light meter to read it (with any accuracy and correlation to its instantaneous light output)

f8ed4photography wrote in post #4467447
Hi... I am a photography student... just finished my first semester. Over the last couple of months I have been purchasing items as I can to get a portable studio going. My most recent purchase was a strobe light with stand and umbrella. (I actually got 2, but I broke 1 of them so I am now down to 1 until I can get it fixed. ) I have played with the lights only one time and I am having 1 major question that I hope someone can help me with because I really don't know... here goes...

When I hook my master strobe up to my camera, does the camera meter read for the flash (even though it's not on when I meter) or will the shot be overexposed? Does that make sense? Gawsh I hope so. I want to make sure I am metering for the flash and not for the fact that there's no light/little light in the room. If the camera doesn't meter for the flash, is there someway to turn a strobe (or some other light) on so you CAN meter for it before taking the shot? This probably sounds like a stupid question to some of you pros so I apologize, but if I don't ask, I'll never know. Thanks!

You did not define the "strobe light" type that you purchased. Unless it is a Canon Speedlite or one of the few third-party clones, there's no way that the camera can do anything about exposure control.

For "studio" flash systems, it is best to get and use a handheld meter that can measure the light from flash sources. The one I use is very popular among folks on the forum - the Sekonic L-358. Not only can it read either continuous light or flash, but it can show you the relative amount of each type of light in a particular setup. It also can do either reflected-light or incident readings. Incident readings are far superior in many situations including studio work because you are reading the light falling on the subject instead of what's reflected off the subject.

f8ed...
(It would be nice if you put a human name in your signature so we know what to call you.)

There are many different flavors of flash metering, but they basically boil down to three categories:
1) Manual flash - You adjust the camera exposure yourself, and adjust the flash power yourself. Studio flash falls into this category, although hotshoe units can be used this way also. Usually people use a flash meter to adjust things, but with digital, a lot can be done through trial and error.
2) Non-dedicated automatic flash - The flash unit has its own sensor and regulates its own output. You need to choose an appropriate setting on the flash and dial in matching settings on the camera. Some hotshoe units have this capability.
3) Dedicated automatic flash - The camera communicates to the flash unit and tells it what to do. TTL and E-TTL modes are in this category.

Thanks very much Skip, Wilt, and Curtis. Curtis, I added my name to my sig per your request. I haven't learned a whole lot about lighting yet. My photog I class touched on it, but only slightly. Hoping my photog II class during the spring semester will touch on it more. I need to get a light meter, I knew that before I ever posted this thread, but looks like I'll have to do a little trial and error until I can get it. (Christmas with 5 kids has me pretty strapped right now) Thanks so much for all your suggestions and help. I will definately take notes.