Basic light meter questions

I'm relatively new to photography. Just curious how/when you use a light meter if one is available:

1. Do you always want to use a light meter (if available) when doing outdoor portraits?
2. Do you always use a use a light meter (if available) when shooting photos in low light situations without lighting indoors?
3. Do you always use a light meter (if available) when shooting photos in a controlled lighting studio environment?

Thanks.

Are you referring to a 'hand held lightmeter', in addition to the light meter which is integrated into your digital camera?!

Always, always, always strive to have my Sekonic L-758DR with me and use it religiously.

I always have my Sekonic L-358 when I have my camera and I use it much more often than the meter in the camera. The camera is almost always set to "M" mode. I never use "auto ISO" while in manual and, in fact, I'm not even sure if I could because I've never tried.

Wilt wrote in post #17472003
Are you referring to a 'hand held lightmeter', in addition to the light meter which is integrated into your digital camera?!

Sorry, I should have been more clear, yes, I mean a handheld light meter and not the one built into the camera.

Thanks.

SkipD wrote in post #17472037
I always have my Sekonic L-358 when I have my camera and I use it much more often than the meter in the camera. The camera is almost always set to "M" mode. I never use "auto ISO" while in manual and, in fact, I'm not even sure if I could because I've never tried.

I just recently tried auto ISO on the new 70D cameras that I just bought for video...confused the heck out of me. I'm sure it's not that difficult, but I'm not seeing enough of a reason to fool with it further...especially since I don't really want any auto exposure changes in video anyway.

southwestform wrote in post #17472001
I'm relatively new to photography. Just curious how/when you use a light meter if one is available:

1. Do you always want to use a light meter (if available) when doing outdoor portraits?
2. Do you always use a use a light meter (if available) when shooting photos in low light situations without lighting indoors?
3. Do you always use a light meter (if available) when shooting photos in a controlled lighting studio environment?

Thanks.

When I'm operating in "photo-journalist mode" in natural light, I make judicious use of Av auto mode with the spot-meter pattern. I meter what I want to appear 18% gray, lock that setting, then recompose and shoot.

When in "studio mode" (in some way controlling the the light), I use my Sekonic 758, generally using reflected spot mode outdoors and incident mode indoors.

southwestform wrote in post #17472001
I'm relatively new to photography. Just curious how/when you use a light meter if one is available:

1. Do you always want to use a light meter (if available) when doing outdoor portraits?
2. Do you always use a use a light meter (if available) when shooting photos in low light situations without lighting indoors?
3. Do you always use a light meter (if available) when shooting photos in a controlled lighting studio environment?

Thanks.

As many forum members have learned to their regret point #3 always is true. The use of an incident and flash meter is extremely important in a studio environment to achieve the desired lighting effects.

Invest in one of these two light meters, learn how to use them and see your images improve. Metering and controlling llight is far better than guesswork.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …olaris_Digital_​Meter.html
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …&InitialSearch=​yes&sts=pi

#1 Yes, reflected light meters are fooled by skin!
#2 Sometimes, yes when 'indoors' in critical situations like shooting photos at a wedding, no when 'indoors' simply means snapshots of family gatherings
#3 Yes, sometimes an incident meter is enough, sometimes a handheld one-degree spotmeter is needed because the photo will be part of an offset press printed piece

I only use a light meter (Cybercommander) when using studio strobes. Otherwise, I just use the camera's meter and chimp.

How often do you use the light meter to calculate a technically correct exposure and then make adjustments for creative purposes? I'm just curious if you stick with what the light meter tells you like a rule or just use it as a guideline and go from there.

Thanks.

southwestform wrote in post #17474648
How often do you use the light meter to calculate a technically correct exposure and then make adjustments for creative purposes? I'm just curious if you stick with what the light meter tells you like a rule or just use it as a guideline and go from there.

Thanks.

Among experienced photographers who understand how to use varying power ratios of light on a face, this is a common technique.

http://digital-photography-school.com …e-or-break-your-portrait/

http://www.studiolight​ing.net …for-portrait-photography/

Meter readings greatly ease the use of portrait illumination patterns.

http://www.sekonic.com …rait-lighting-setups.aspx

southwestform wrote in post #17474648
How often do you use the light meter to calculate a technically correct exposure and then make adjustments for creative purposes? I'm just curious if you stick with what the light meter tells you like a rule or just use it as a guideline and go from there.

Thanks.

I know what I want my light meter to tell me in order to get the creative outcome that I want. For instance, if I want a very mild light ratio, I know what I want the light meter to show, so I adjust the lights until they meter the way I intend.

It's like a carpenter cutting a board. His tape measure doesn't tell him what the length of the board ought to be. The carpenter uses the tape measure to make sure he's cutting the board to the length he intends it to be.

southwestform wrote in post #17472001
I'm relatively new to photography. Just curious how/when you use a light meter if one is available:

1. Do you always want to use a light meter (if available) when doing outdoor portraits?
2. Do you always use a use a light meter (if available) when shooting photos in low light situations without lighting indoors?
3. Do you always use a light meter (if available) when shooting photos in a controlled lighting studio environment?

Thanks.

1. Usually. But I also take test photos and check the overall balance of ambient to strobe/flash and the histogram, and ETTR. I'm more interested in getting the right balance between natural and artificial light (which can be difficult to measure with a meter when using strobes for fill) and then capturing as much detail as possible without clipping, but also without needing to boost exposure in post and increase noise. Then I adjust in post for proper exposure.

2. Assuming you mean shooting some kind of active, moving subjects in variable ambient lighting: No. I use the camera's meter and chimp until I get a compensation value that works for the environment, then shoot in the auto exposure mode that works best for the subject, checking the captured images and histograms as I go to refine.

3. No. I might double-check my memory or use a meter to setup ratios for an unusual lighting setup, but generally I know how my equipment performs and try to set things up the same way and at the same settings and distances for each type of lighting setup. I do tether to Lr and check my images on a larger, color-corrected screen.