light metering

[Film dino]

It would be interesting to know how people on the forum meter scenes with a handheld- for example do you take reflected readings from both shadow areas & highlights or do you habitually only take an incident reading on your main subject?

IMO taking 2-3 readings at the beginning of a session- whether using built in or handheld meter, is usually good enough if one knows the brightness range.

 

[Dave H]

Using an incident meter has led me into a phobia about using the Aperture Priority on my cameras, so much so that now I only use it in emergency situations.

 

[back alley]

It would be interesting to know how people on the forum meter scenes with a handheld- for example do you take reflected readings from both shadow areas & highlights or do you habitually only take an incident reading on your main subject?

IMO taking 2-3 readings at the beginning of a session- whether using built in or handheld meter, is usually good enough if one knows the brightness range.

i mostly take relective readings but sometimes incident too if the mood strikes.

my main method is to meter in all directions but my final readings are with the meter pointed downwards, usually at the pavement and i go with those readings.

joe

 

[FrankS]

my readings are with the meter pointed downwards, usually at the pavement and i go with those readings.

That's how I do it, too!

 

[richard_l]

Using an incident meter has led me into a phobia about using the Aperture Priority on my cameras, so much so that now I only use it in emergency situations.

AP is a deterrent to accurate exposure unless one centers an appropriate area in the finder, sets the exposure lock, then recomposes the scene before firing the shutter, all of which just amounts to setting the exposure manually. However, thanks to center-weighted averaging and the wide lattitude of most film, AP can often determine an acceptable exposure even when used naively.

 

[Fred]

Normally I take a single reading, If possible incident for protraits etc. Reflective otherwise. If it's flat cloudy light I angle down a tad.

 

[Roman]

I usually take a single incident reading before shooting - only with difficult light situations (liek concerts with bright lights on stages, or scenes with very different light on an unreachable subject) I use reflective - though in those situations a spot-meter would be best (which I don't own).

Roman

 

[hoot]

Today was overcast and I took some photos at a street festival in daylight. Metered once upon arrival, and didn't meter again all day. As Frank said, it's a liberating experience. In strong sunlight it's a bit more of a bother, since walking from sunlight into the shade necessitates remembering to change the aperture, and by how much. If I ever bought a metered camera again, I'd leave the batteries out.

 

[FrankS]

Ahhh, but the whole point of my original post was that using a camera's built-in meter like a hand-held meter and pre-setting the exposure (instead of chasing the needle for each exposure) is the ultimate in convenience with no sepaprate meter to handle and carry. My M6 with built-in meter rocks!

 

[hoot]

Frank - ok, I get ya. Thing is, I meter against the light rather than with the light. An interesting experiment to try would be mounting a light baffling white cap onto whereever the camera's built-in meter is installed, and using the entire camera as an incident meter.

 

[Hektor]

It,s called an "Expodisc" - currently available in various sizes, - v.good on digi's for white balance as well as exposure measurement. you would put in on the lens with a ttl metering camera.

 

[Roman]

Frank - ok, I get ya. Thing is, I meter against the light rather than with the light. An interesting experiment to try would be mounting a light baffling white cap onto whereever the camera's built-in meter is installed, and using the entire camera as an incident meter.

Such caps for incident metering were available for the selenium cell meters on Rolleiflexes (and possibly other old cameras as well).

Roman

 

[Paulbe]

Hello Frank and thanks for bringing up a great topic--metering!

I have a question on incident metering--my understanding of which is very hazy. Like the pictures I take!

As I understand it, to be accurate, an incident reading should be in the same light as the subject--with the meter pointing towards the camera. Clearly this is not always possible--for example--a photo of the top of a building from ground level. How do you get around that?

One technique I read was to point the incident meter towards the subject and then turn the meter around 180 degrees and take another reading.

If you cannot get the the meter to the subject--what technique do you use?

Many many thanks for your help!

Paul in Atlanta

 

[FrankS]

As long as you are standing in the same light as the subject and point the meter in the same direction as you would if you were right up to the subject, the light reading will be the same. The same light means that if the subject is out in full sunlight or hazy sky, then you, with your meter, should also be out in full sunlight or hazy sky. The light would be different if only one of you or the subject was in shade, and the other under the open sky. (Slightly simplified)

 

[Nikon Bob]

Frank

When I use my FM2n, sorry no metered RFs, I point it's centre weighted meter at something approximating 18% grey (pavement, grass etc.) set the camera and shoot. If the subject is backlight I add a stop or two. With snow I meter the snow and add a stop or two. I shoot print film which also helps my rather sloppy metering and it mostly works out. I can see where a built in meter in a RF can be very convenient but I get just as good/poor results using a handheld Sekonic for incident readings.

Bob

 

[RJBender]

I've heard of using a disposable Styrofoam coffee cup over the end of a lens (TTL meter) to get an incident light reading. I never tried it and can’t vouch for the accuracy of this technique.

R.J.

 

[ch1]

Light shoes

Light shoes

A very small meter that lips onto the camer's hotshoe is a pretty good alternative to both a hand held meter and a built in meter because it allows you to adjust the camera's setting without raising the camera to your eye to see the built in meter. The problem with these meters however, is that even though they are fairly small they do add bulk and they occupy the hotshoe which may be needed for an accessory finder.

Perhaps this would solve the "shoe problem"?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...016&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Regards,
George

 

[dim]

I begun with a gray card and now i’m using a handheld meter.

While I was using the gray card I had a reading with it and shoot as long as the there was no light change. Light changes? Another reading. And so on. That was pain…

What I do now, when on street mostly, is that i take three readings with the handheld. One reading in strongest light, another one in thin shadow and a third on heavy shadow. I mark these down in a small sticky paper. I put the paper at the back of my camera and while walking judge the condition. That doesn’t always work. But as i shoot more and develop and print more i come to realize how many stops i must add or subtract (I’m talking about ½ to 1 stop). And keep shooting and adjusting…practice makes perfect.

 

[VinceC]

Some thoughts:
FrankS' original premise was also what I found in my personal experience. I began photography by "chasing the needle." I eventually learned to hunt for and find neutral gray in the scene. Shooting slides, I started using a handheld meter and felt I was really beginning to understand light and how to meter it. Just as important is to understand that there often isn't one exact exposure for a scene but trade-offs that give you varing results and moods. I'm now comfortable with any metering method -- in camera, out of camera, incident, reflected, no meter at all -- because the meter had become just one more tool.

Truth be told, I have hardly ever used a meter for the past 10 years and don't currently own one that I consider to be pocketable enough to carry around. So I fully agree with the observation that a meter is one of those things where, once you learn how to use it, you don't need it.

I wouldn't knock 18-percent gray cards. If they shout "photo-school student" then so be it. There's a lot to be said for going through that step in your learning process if you really want to become technically proficient. If you're worried about appearance, you should still feel free to use the card in the privacy of your own home, at least until you reach that gestalt moment where you understand why a picture of a black wall and white wall will meter into the same neutral-gray picture if your in-camera meter is left to its own devices. In photojournalism I used to also run into the "how do you meter for black people?" question. Once you know the answer to that, toss the gray card (or slip it into a little-used pocket of your camera bag).

And don't forget the old rule of thumb -- with negatives, expose for the shadows, with slides, expose for the highlights.

 

[back alley]

how many can meter well indoors in varying light?

that's my weak area.

joe