Set Your Shutter Speed or Aperture Priority This is an important step and will ensure that our devices are in sync.ģ.
Light meter iso#
If you are shooting analog, calibrate to the ISO of your film. We must calibrate the ISO in our hand-held light meter to that of the camera settings. You can choose between ambient light (for any non-flash, continuous light), cordless flash, and flash with sync cord (for strobe lighting). This mode relates to the light source you are using in your scene. Now that your device is set to take an incident light meter reading, we must also set our metering mode. For most devices, this is achieved by sliding the Lumisphere so that it covers the light-receiving sensor. Start by powering on the light meter and, if necessary, select photo mode.įor taking an incident meter reading, it’s important we set up our device accordingly. Understanding how your handheld light meter works is essential. Centre Weighted metering gives priority to the light in the centre of the viewfinder. Many readings are then used in an algorithm to generate a balanced exposure value. Matrix Metering measures the light from across different grid areas in the viewfinder. A Spot Meter measures the reflected light in one specific area (or spot) within the scene. This type of reading is called Spot Metering. Here, you should take three readings, from the brightest to darkest areas in your viewfinder. Yet, there may be situations when measuring the reflective light is beneficial. We already know that an incident meter reading will give us the most precise reading. © Jeremy Knowles How Do I Use a Light Meter? To measure the light of an external flash source, you must use a handheld light meter. The built-in meter in your camera cannot measure the intensity of the flash. And for this reason, they often favour using incident light meters for accuracy.
Light meter skin#
For portrait photographers, capturing skin tones is crucial. When using an incident reading, you always get an accurate exposure calculation. Incident metering doesn’t suffer from this same problem. To compensate, we must over-expose the image in our camera settings. In this case, the snow is rendered as grey instead of white. The reflective meter inside your camera is calibrated to middle grey, and so you will often end up with an underexposed image. But in certain conditions, such readings can result in over or underexposed images.Ī common example is when photographing a scene that includes snow. This means that the calculation intends to achieve a tonal range of 18% grey across the image. This is because the meter inside your camera measures light in relation to middle grey. The reflective readings in digital cameras can sometimes cause inaccurate exposure calculations. There are two main reasons why you should use a handheld meter when shooting on a DSLR camera. © Jeremy Knowles Should I Use a Light Meter When Shooting Digital? This type of reading is far more accurate, as it evaluates a more discrete area and considers only the intensity of light falling on the subject. Incident meters are external devices that measure the light falling on a subject. This calculation is based on the number of mid-tones in your scene. It will then calculate which camera settings to use to create a balanced exposure. This type of light meter will first measure the amount of light reflected by the subject. Reflective meters are often built into camera bodies. There are two types of light meter: reflective and incident. Without a light meter, we would not be able to judge how light or dark a subject is with our eyes alone. Simply put, a light meter is a photography tool used to measure light.