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Why use light meters?

With the handheld light meter, you take control of the lighting of your subject, which gives you optimal settings for a well-balanced exposure.

Photo Tobias Fischer

”Why should you have a light meter?”

Då and då the question arises from photographers who think that the camera's built-in meter in combination with the camera's frame is a basis for judging exposure.

To answer på the question of why light meters are needed, we must first look at the difference between digital and analog photography. Basically, it's really only one thing that differs, previously så film was used as a recording medium, today the recording takes place digitally via a sensor plate. Up to the point då the exposure takes place according to the same rules and procedures as always. Image composition, optical laws, exposure, etc. äre the same regardless of whether you shoot with an analog or digital camera.


Lightmeter in camera

Light meter built into camera

Pretty much all cameras measure the light reflected from the subject through the lens. Many camera models can vary the way to measure the reflected light, e.g. center vgd, spot or matrix light metering. Thanks to this possibility, correct exposure can happen in many cases but far from all.

Camera - Display

Screenshot on camera

The camera's frame is often used as a reference for lighting and lighting. In most cases, it is directly inappropriate because the camera display is not calibrated in color or brightness, which means that only strong deviations can be explained. When the image is then viewed on a calibrated screen, it can deviate greatly from the blank image.

Camera - Histogram

The histogram of the screen

With effort, the camera's histogram can help when judging exposure, but since the histogram only shows the tonal differences across the entire image area, the photographer must be very experienced to be able to interpret the information. The histogram will vary greatly depending on lighting and how much of the image surface the subject fills.

Postproduction

Image processing in computer

Processing an incorrectly exposed or poorly lit image in a computer is time-consuming and if parts of the image lack information due to öover/underexposure äis this reproducible. If a small tonal range is selected in the image processing program, the result will be ”choppy” with ojämn tone curve.

LIghtmetering - Direct or Reflected light

Work with light meters

By being careful with how you use light metering, you can always find balanced and well-exposed images regardless of lighting conditions and environment. The camera measures the reflected light and assumes that the subject reflects 18% of the light (like a green card), which is rarely the case.
A hand-held exposure meter usually has two mät methods, reflective as well as directly towards the light source. In reflective light measurement, the same problem can arise. as with the built-in meter but thanks to the ability to measure the light directly against the light source, via the light meter's diffuser, the correct exposure value can be measured is taken up regardless of the subject's color and degree of reflection. The difference between reflective and direct light marking is most evident in images with high contrasts and main subjects that are dark or light.

Lightmetering - Camera

Lightmetering - Hand held

The image example above shows the difference in image results when measuring the reflected light with the help of the camera's built-in exposure meter and when measuring it the incident light (measurement against the light source) with a handheld exposure meter. The camera assumes that the white car reflects 18% of the light, which causes the exposure to be incorrect. The same thing happens when the car is black, the camera assumes that it reflects 18% and the end result is overexposed.

Light intensity falls off inversely with square of distance

The light decreases with the square of the distance

The light decreases with the distance from the light source and with a handheld light meter this can be easily measured. brought up. If the subject is near the light source, the loss of light occurs quickly behind the subject and thanks to measurement of the incident light (directly towards the source of light), the light intensity can be determined on #229; different distances. By displaying the measured light value in EV (Exposure Value), it is easy to see how many white-stops differ between subjects and different locations/distances 229;nd in the background.

Studio setup - Lightmetering

Reference light - Main light

  • Make sure the camera and exposure meter are set to same ISO number and flash sync speed
  • Välj a blender på camera adapted to subject, in this case f8
  • Meter the main light with a handheld exposure meter and adjust the flash until the meter reads f8. The main light then becomes a reference for setting other light sources

Fill light

  • In lighting with low contrast between main light and fill light, set the flash to - 1 EV in addition to the reference flash
  • In standard lighting, set the flash to - 2 EV in addition to the reference flash
  • In lighting with high contrast between main light and fill light, set the flash to - 2 EV in addition to the reference flash.

Edge light

+ 0.5 — + 1 EV in addition to the reference light

Lighting på background

The brightness setting depends on Desired effect For a completely white background without the risk of overexposure in the subject, set the output power to + 1 EV in the f 229;lling to reference light.

LIghtmeteríng - Contrast

Contrast Saturation

When measuring existing light, the contrast difference in the subject can be easily measured by holding the measurement buttonls held down at the same time as the meter is moved across the entire dry motif. The result is then displayed according to the light meter's display with highest-lightest measured blue number or EV value.

Lightmetering - Zone system

Zone system with exposure meter

By using the zone system, the final result of the image can be judged before exposure. With the help of an 11-step zone system, one can evaluate the light fields in the subject and see that shades in sunny days and dark #229;gdays återges correctly. Edition from the fact that the main motif corresponds to 18% reflection, zone V, and then different parts of the image can be individually measured, starting from the main motif, and tonal 229; nothing is established.

Summary

With a hand-held exposure meter, the photographer will intuitively learn to know and first the relationship between ISO sensitivity, shutter speed and aperture value as well as possible filter and correction factors. This knowledge creates solutions to create a perfect exposure result.

Fourths

  • Correct exposure in all environments and for all subjects
  • Get to the right end result without a lot of time-consuming trial-and-error
  • Measuring of flash light and existing light, indirect or direct
  • Easy to repeat the same result from time to time
  • By metering the light before exposure, full attention can be directed to the subject during the actual shooting
  • No alternative exposures krävs
  • Computer work can be reduced and time saved.

We hope the article helped you answer på the question we asked initially, "Why should you have a lös exposure meter?" You can work without a lös exposure meter 228;ter but it seems illogical and irrational because a hand-held light meter saves time, gives evidence for correct exposure before the picture is photographed and gives you professional security towards the client and model!



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