getting up to speed with metering

rince · Jul 28, 2011

Hi,
I am still fairly new to film photography and especially to metering anything else than flash exposures in a studio. I find myself struggling a lot with the meter in my camera and therefore would like to use my Sekonic L-358. Again, I have not much clue about what I am doing...yet... therefore I am looking for some books that help me get a better understanding of metering ambient light. So if you have a favorite book about metering you would like to share, I would be very grateful!

Thx in advance
Dennis

CGW · Jul 28, 2011

Visit the Sekonic site and click on "Classroom."

David Brown · Jul 28, 2011

I truly appreciate your asking for a book recommendation. In this case, however, I don't have a specific recommendation other than what might be found in a basic photography text. However, Google is your friend: (try: "light meter technique")

http://www.sekonic.com/Classroom/MeteringTechniques/IncidentvsReflected.aspx

http://www.kodak.com/cluster/global/en/consumer/products/techInfo/af9/index.shtml

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/guide-to-using-a-hand-held-light-meter-4748

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/meters.shtml

et al ...

Sirius Glass · Jul 28, 2011

The most common problem that I have seen people make with light meters [I worked in camera stores for a few years], is that people would meter the sky or too much of the sky. That will make the photographs under exposed, and so they would lower the ISO [ASA, DIN] to compensate. But that type of compensation just leads to less accurate exposures in general. Aim the light meter down to avoid taking a light reading of the sky instead of taking a light reading of the scene.

Steve

rince · Jul 28, 2011

David Brown said:
I truly appreciate your asking for a book recommendation. In this case, however, I don't have a specific recommendation other than what might be found in a basic photography text. However, Google is your friend: (try: "light meter technique")

http://www.sekonic.com/Classroom/MeteringTechniques/IncidentvsReflected.aspx

http://www.kodak.com/cluster/global/en/consumer/products/techInfo/af9/index.shtml

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/guide-to-using-a-hand-held-light-meter-4748

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/meters.shtml

et al ...

Thank you David, those links look very promising!

rince · Jul 28, 2011

Sirius Glass said:
The most common problem that I have seen people make with light meters [I worked in camera stores for a few years], is that people would meter the sky or too much of the sky. That will make the photographs under exposed, and so they would lower the ISO [ASA, DIN] to compensate. But that type of compensation just leads to less accurate exposures in general. Aim the light meter down to avoid taking a light reading of the sky instead of taking a light reading of the scene.

Steve

Thank you Sirius, I will try and follow that advice

Newt_on_Swings · Jul 28, 2011

The trick is to spot meter parts of your subject that are close to 18% grey in light reflectance (if you have the time). I also started to use my meter less taking one incident reading an area where my subjects would be and working the exposure compensation for bright sunlight, or shade, this speeds up your reaction time much more, and makes you less dependent on a meter and more on your eyes and brain (you dont have to whip out the meter every shot). Another helpful hint is to meter concrete sidewalks, they are about 18% grey as well.

Sirius Glass · Jul 28, 2011

Newt_on_Swings said:
The trick is to spot meter parts of your subject that are close to 18% grey in light reflectance (if you have the time). I also started to use my meter less taking one incident reading an area where my subjects would be and working the exposure compensation for bright sunlight, or shade, this speeds up your reaction time much more, and makes you less dependent on a meter and more on your eyes and brain (you dont have to whip out the meter every shot). Another helpful hint is to meter concrete sidewalks, they are about 18% grey as well.

When I use a spot meter I take three measurements

The brightest that I want to be darker than pure white
The darkest shadow that I want to be lighter than pure black
The part that I want to be my medium gray in the print

If I am pressed for time, only the last measurement.

Steve

markbarendt · Jul 28, 2011

Dunn & Wakefield Exposure Manual.

Lee L · Jul 28, 2011

markbarendt said:
Dunn & Wakefield Exposure Manual.

A little outdated where equipment is concerned, last edition 1981, but very sound on the fundamentals, and technical but readable. A British publication that didn't see wide distribution in the US. I'd recommend it as well. Don't know where rince is but Amazon USA used prices are highly inflated (near $60 and up), but Abe Books has some from US and UK dealers at reasonable prices.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=dunn&sts=t&tn=exposure+manual&x=0&y=0

Lee

rince · Jul 28, 2011

Thank you everyone! It is amazing how helpful everyone is. I am looking forward to continue learning from each and everyone of you! I will spend the evening reading through the recommended links and see that I get some of the books ordered.

Dennis

Steven K · Jul 29, 2011

And Bryan Peterson's _Understanding Exposure_ is a good read if you'd rather not be dealing with too technical a manual.

Steven

benjiboy · Jul 29, 2011

I Recommend this book http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Expos...1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311928983&sr=1-41,it's it's inexpensive, well illustrated and one of the most comprehensive and easy to understand books on the subject I've ever read.

markbarendt · Jul 29, 2011

Lee L said:
A little outdated where equipment is concerned, last edition 1981, but very sound on the fundamentals, and technical but readable. A British publication that didn't see wide distribution in the US. I'd recommend it as well. Don't know where rince is but Amazon USA used prices are highly inflated (near $60 and up), but Abe Books has some from US and UK dealers at reasonable prices.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=dunn&sts=t&tn=exposure+manual&x=0&y=0

Lee

Starting at $5
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...?ie=UTF8&qid=1311938700&sr=8-1&condition=used

Mine is the 3rd edition, 1974. You are right on the equipment stuff being out of date but that's a minor issue. The concepts are what matters.

Lee L · Jul 29, 2011

markbarendt said:
Starting at $5
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...?ie=UTF8&qid=1311938700&sr=8-1&condition=used

Interesting. Different results if you search on both authors' last names + book title in Amazon.com (US site). Thanks for the less expensive results.

I find Hick's Perfect Exposure descriptions of how to use an incident meter to be somewhat vague, inconsistent, and overly 'tweaked'. Incident metering usage is scattered across a few places in the book in only a few paragraphs, and he seems to be oversimplifying and recommending the 'duplex' incident metering technique with a hemispherical receptor in situations that Dunn and Wakefield (and the other books and professionals that I've worked with) find it to be no more effective than a single reading with the dome pointed at the camera. Then again, Hicks also argues for using two spot meter readings in conjunction with an incident meter reading to come up with the best possible exposure. I find that a bit over the top.

Lee

benjiboy · Jul 29, 2011

markbarendt said:
Starting at $5
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...?ie=UTF8&qid=1311938700&sr=8-1&condition=used

Mine is the 3rd edition, 1974. You are right on the equipment stuff being out of date but that's a minor issue. The concepts are what matters.

I've had this book for more than twenty five years Mark, I agree the equipment is out of date, but this the most comprehensive book on the subject I have ever seen, and is still my favourite.

Svi · Aug 1, 2011

I recently bought the already mentioned Perfect Exposure by Roger Hicks and Frances Schultz. You can get a very good idea of the book contents by visiting their site. Look into the Photo School section in rogerandfrances.com

A good starting point is the article Meters and Metering Basics in the Recent Articles section

rince · Aug 1, 2011

Thank you everyone again. I while I was waiting for the ordered books to arrive, I found that there was even a pretty good explanation in Ansel Adam's 'The Negative' . One of those books I read years ago and forget to much of it again ...

guitstik · Aug 1, 2011

Meter, we don' need no stinkn meter. Sunny 16.

markbarendt · Aug 1, 2011

guitstik said:
Meter, we don' need no stinkn meter. Sunny 16.

Funny you should say that:

http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

Surprisingly accurate once you learn what it is telling you or insert descriptions that make better sense in the users head.

2F/2F · Aug 1, 2011

Hi,

With your meter, you just have to change the mode from the one you use in studio (synch flash) to ambient, and you are set.

Also, don't point an incident meter downward unless the light that you want to expose for is coming from below. The advice to do that was for reflected meters, like the ones in cameras. But you already have a far superior tool to the in-camera meter, so I would just use it.

markbarendt · Aug 1, 2011

rince said:
Thank you everyone again. I while I was waiting for the ordered books to arrive, I found that there was even a pretty good explanation in Ansel Adam's 'The Negative' . One of those books I read years ago and forget to much of it again ...

I have the same meter as you do. Don't have the spot meter attachment, don't see the need for my work.

I use the "normal" dome out, pointed at the camera method for most shots. I duplex, dome in, when back lit. You'll see what that means when you get Dunn & Wakefield's book.

I developed 8 rolls Saturday from my RB and metered that way; every frame was exposed "just fine thank you", not a single screwy exposure in the lot.

Verify the right ISO/EI is dialed into the meter then trust what it tells you.

getting up to speed with metering

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