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Old 07-07-2010, 10:17 AM
bloodhound31
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has Using a light meter improved your photography?

For those terrestrial photographers using light meters, how much has your photography improved since you started using it?

If you have used one for a long time, are you now at a point where you don't need it anymore, because you can accurately get your settings right through experience?

How much of this experience can you put down to the use of a light meter?

Baz.
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Old 08-07-2010, 06:02 AM
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troypiggo (Troy)
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G'day Baz. Haven't got a lightmeter myself. My take on them is they're most useful where you're using quite a bit of light from different sources. Multiple flashes/strobes, fashion/glamour type shooting.

What type of shots are you thinking of using it for?

You can go a long way using the in-camera meter and practice. If you're combining flash and ambient it's a little more complicated, but still achievable. You'd be better off for learning to expose manually with manual flash settings too.

Suggest you spend some time reading through http://strobist.com
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Old 08-07-2010, 08:45 AM
bloodhound31
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Thanks Troy,

I just KNOW I will be getting into more and more complex lighting situations, so I have purchased one with all the rest of the kit. I bought a good one that I can grow into and I have just spent the last 48 hours on the internet reading and watching tutorials on their use. It looks like a lot of fun.

I have been using the light meter in the camera quite effectively, but as far as the maths is concerned I am a total zipper-head. Ive seen H just do it in his head on shoots and I have no idea what he's on about or even how he can do that.

Counting down the days!! YEEHAARR!!
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Old 08-07-2010, 09:12 AM
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suma126 (Shane)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bloodhound31 View Post
Thanks Troy,

I just KNOW I will be getting into more and more complex lighting situations, so I have purchased one with all the rest of the kit. I bought a good one that I can grow into and I have just spent the last 48 hours on the internet reading and watching tutorials on their use. It looks like a lot of fun.

I have been using the light meter in the camera quite effectively, but as far as the maths is concerned I am a total zipper-head. Ive seen H just do it in his head on shoots and I have no idea what he's on about or even how he can do that.

Counting down the days!! YEEHAARR!!
its more to do with practice and more practice just like army training.i bet h couldn't jumping out of helicopter with out practice. I'm in the same boat as you i wonder how they do it but i will get it one day.
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Old 08-07-2010, 09:30 AM
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Octane (Humayun)
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As Troy mentioned, multiple light source situations is when a light meter would really help. The rest of the time, the spot meter in the camera coupled with the latitude that a properly exposed RAW file gives you is plenty to work with.

H
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Old 08-07-2010, 04:52 PM
bloodhound31
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Thanks Humayun, I agree. I think the problem with a light meter is, it might be telling you to use f8 on your waterfall for example, but you might want to close the aperture up for more motion blur, overriding what the meter recommends because you want an effect.

I'm betting they have their place though and I will be glad I have one when the time comes.

Baz.
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Old 08-07-2010, 06:54 PM
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The truth be known I did not think one could buy these anymore, and with modern technology are they sill useful.

These days the camera dose it all for you unless you want to compensate, so to speak.

Leon
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Old 08-07-2010, 07:14 PM
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Octane (Humayun)
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Leon,

There's really neat systems available nowadays, which not only give you light readings to 1/10th (if not more) of a stop, but, will also fire multiple flashes for you remotely so that you can take a reading at your subject and adjust your camera to suit.

With being able to take a shot and preview it on the LCD before turfing/keeping the image, unless you're really pressed for time, or have a complex lighting setup, you're right, the camera in spot metering mode should be plenty. We can push RAW files quite well nowadays, so that's more latitude right there.

H
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