Basic lightmeter technique

NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
edited February 26, 2010 in Technique
Does ne1 have a link to good basic lightmeter technique?

Thanks.

Neil
"Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

http://www.behance.net/brosepix

Comments

  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,159 moderator
    edited February 23, 2010
    Reflected?
    Incident?
    Ambient
    Flash?
    All?

    What use?
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited February 23, 2010
    NeilL wrote:
    Does ne1 have a link to good basic lightmeter technique?

    Thanks.

    Neil

    a quick simple answer would be................... YES...............

    Here is what i found with a simple google search for basic lightmeter tutorials..............

    !- google search results : http://tinyurl.com/y8htjhq

    2- Luminious Landscape Tutorial............ and from here l Ill let you search and learn as you desire....................

    Nice to see someone truly interested in the use of a handheld meter.....
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 23, 2010
    ziggy53 wrote:
    Reflected?
    Incident?
    Ambient
    Flash?
    All?

    What use?

    Thanks for your reply, Ziggy!

    I recently bought a Sekonic L358. I think using a lightmeter is one of the next steps I need to take to improve the quality of my photos. I *think* I know how to use it, but would like just to run over the basic things of calibration with camera, taking readings and interpreting them in different situations, in some solid instructional material.

    I will be taking some promotional shots for a hairdresser who is opening a new salon. I have the lighting worked out, and will go to do a dummy shoot in the next few days, before finally doing a shoot with the models. I will be using one light, with a reflector, and another light to light a background. I might also use a ring light for face shots.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 23, 2010
    Art Scott wrote:
    a quick simple answer would be................... YES...............

    Here is what i found with a simple google search for basic lightmeter tutorials..............

    !- google search results : http://tinyurl.com/y8htjhq

    2- Luminious Landscape Tutorial............ and from here l Ill let you search and learn as you desire....................

    Nice to see someone truly interested in the use of a handheld meter.....

    Much appreciated, Art! I'll look a these. I did of course do a bit of a search myself, but what I found was arguments for using a meter, explanations of terms, but nothing like: first, do this, then do that, and so on, with the reasons and decision options along the way.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,159 moderator
    edited February 23, 2010
    NeilL wrote:
    ...

    I will be taking some promotional shots for a hairdresser who is opening a new salon. I have the lighting worked out, and will go to do a dummy shoot in the next few days, before finally doing a shoot with the models. I will be using one light, with a reflector, and another light to light a background. I might also use a ring light for face shots.

    Neil

    If this shoot is during the day, you may need to consider light coming from any windows. I would suggest turning off any other lights, except for any visible tungsten fixtures where I would install daylight compact flos. You want to keep to a single color temperature if at all possible (unless this is for B&W printing.)

    The Sekonic L358 is a classic multi-purpose light meter and capable of handling your needs.

    Specific to your needs is this video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozHMjxJbNQo

    Also review these links:

    http://ilovephotography.com/L358.html
    http://super.nova.org/DPR/Ratios/
    http://www.sekonic.com/classroom/classroom_2.asp
    http://www.sekonic.com/classroom/classroom_21.asp
    http://www.sekonic.com/classroom/classroom_Video-ProFiles.asp
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,159 moderator
    edited February 23, 2010
    I moved this to the Technique forum and I hope to hear from the Technique community as I bet we have many with similar questions and issues.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 23, 2010
    ziggy53 wrote:
    If this shoot is during the day, you may need to consider light coming from any windows. I would suggest turning off any other lights, except for any visible tungsten fixtures where I would install daylight compact flos. You want to keep to a single color temperature if at all possible (unless this is for B&W printing.)

    The Sekonic L358 is a classic multi-purpose light meter and capable of handling your needs.

    Specific to your needs is this video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozHMjxJbNQo

    Also review these links:

    http://ilovephotography.com/L358.html
    http://super.nova.org/DPR/Ratios/
    http://www.sekonic.com/classroom/classroom_2.asp
    http://www.sekonic.com/classroom/classroom_21.asp
    http://www.sekonic.com/classroom/classroom_Video-ProFiles.asp

    Thanks for these links, Ziggy, though I have had a look at everything on the Sekonic site. I do understand the meaning and use of incident and reflective measurements. While it was very interesting to hear those guys talking about their work and see their pics, those vids do not demonstrate basic techniques for the lightmeter. I did also see a youtube vid, which showed making just one pic with a different brand meter, which obviously was limited.

    I'll check out the other links, and I much appreciate your kind help.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 23, 2010
    ziggy53 wrote:
    I moved this to the Technique forum and I hope to hear from the Technique community as I bet we have many with similar questions and issues.

    Fair enough, thought you probably would.thumb.gif

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited February 24, 2010
    ziggy53 wrote:

    Specific to your needs is this video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozHMjxJbNQo

    That's a great little introduction. thumb.gif
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 25, 2010
    Yeah the vid is good for seeing someone showing the meter fitting into the workflow of an actual shoot, and it's clearly explained. Thanks again, Ziggy.

    One thing that got by was that at the start he wanted an aperture of f8, but in the end he was accepting apertures up to more than f14 from the meter. So what happened to his original target aperture, and isn't f10 and above getting into a risky area for image quality?

    Couldn't he have adjusted ISO to control aperture better while still getting the right percentage of flash and the target 1/60sec shutter speed?

    Another puzzle to me is why he set the flash settings using the controls on the flash rather than on the camera, in the flash menus?

    And a third thing which is not clear to me is why you would choose flash on manual rather than eTTL?

    Any help for me to understand these issues would be great. Thanks!

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited February 25, 2010
    NeilL wrote:
    And a third thing which is not clear to me is why you would choose flash on manual rather than eTTL?

    Neil
    This one is easy. Any time your subject and lights are static, you'll achieve far more consistent results using manual flash. ETTL changes flash levels all over the place with the slightest change in framing of the scene, and seemingly sometimes for no reason at all. You'll also want to use manual if you're using non-ETTL flashes of course, like studio lights or cheap after-market flashes (which I do). And of course if you're using ETTL, you have no use for a flash meter whatsoever.

    -joel
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 25, 2010
    kdog wrote:
    This one is easy. Any time your subject and lights are static, you'll achieve far more consistent results using manual flash. ETTL changes flash levels all over the place with the slightest change in framing of the scene, and seemingly sometimes for no reason at all. You'll also want to use manual if you're using non-ETTL flashes of course, like studio lights or cheap after-market flashes (which I do). And of course if you're using ETTL, you have no use for a flash meter whatsoever.

    -joel

    Thanks, joel, yes I see your point.

    However, I still don't entirely understand since when using eTTL you can still use the camera in manual, so you decide on ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Why not use the lightmeter to help you?

    I suspect something in my thinking is ass about (excuse the French) but don't know what? The reason I needed to get down to basics.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,708 moderator
    edited February 25, 2010
    NeilL wrote:
    Thanks, joel, yes I see your point.

    However, I still don't entirely understand since when using eTTL you can still use the camera in manual, so you decide on ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Why not use the lightmeter to help you?


    But the light output from the flash in ETTL WILL VARY depending on the reflectivity of the subjects that it is pointed at, or precise framing - even though the aperture, ISO and shutter speed are fixed. But the exposure will VARY due to the varied output from the flash in ETTL.

    As Joel said, and I have said repeatedly, when YOU ( the shooter ) control where the subject sits or stands, and the distance from the flash to the subject is fixed, non-changing, shoot with the camera in Manual mode and the Flash in Manual mode as well. You will get the most consistent frame to frame exposure you can get.

    Use ETTL for candids of moving kids, people, etc where you cannot dictate their distance from the flash, and the distance varies from second to second.

    Both Manual and ETTL flash are great tools, but each have their advantages. Take advantage of them!
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited February 26, 2010
    NeilL wrote:
    However, I still don't entirely understand since when using eTTL you can still use the camera in manual, so you decide on ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Why not use the lightmeter to help you?
    When shooting the camera in manual exposure, you have two issues to control, ambient light, and the flash. For controlling the ambient light, I always use my in-camera light meter. You're right, you could use the flash meter to help you there, but the in-camera meter is more expedient. The flash meter is most useful in measuring the amount of flash. So if you're in ETTL, you've just eliminated the purpose of it.
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 26, 2010
    Thanks Pathfinder and Joel. Yes I certainly understand what you say. Now I have used the lightmeter a few times I am beginning to see the trees from the wood, so to speak. I calibrated it with my camera this afternoon, it was giving me readings which were causing my camera to underexpose slightly, going by the camera's histogram for an 18% card. There's no doubt the meter makes a big improvement to the quality of shots, and I am also setting custom WB whenever possible with a Lastolite 18% card. You really see the best from your camera these ways.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
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