Light meter with Flashpoint XPLOR 600 and outdoors

[gossamer]

Hi,
I have a D500 with a 24-70mm and just got a Flashpoint XPLOR 600 with an 38" parapop and a Sekonic L-308S-U Flashmate. I was doing some testing with a subject to try and create some basic profile pictures.

Is there any expectation to be able to use this combination outdoors, during the day, and have the flash be powerful enough to trigger the light meter?

I had the subject just a few feet from the flash with the octobox and the light meter just below the subject's chin. It didn't trigger. I made sure it was working by putting the light meter inside the octobox, close to the flash.

I adjusted the light to nearly full power and it still didn't register. Can someone explain to me what the norms are for this type of situation?

I didn't really have enough time to really play around with exposure; I eventually just set it to aperture priority and used whatever light the Flashpoint produced.

Should I just use my SB700 as a fill flash for situations like this?

 

[tirediron]

Metering strobes out of doors can be tricky. My Sekonic L758 will only register the strongest strobes, whereas my old Minolta Flash V will pick up a lot lower output, so it really depends on the situation. My "trick" is usually to crank the light up to half or full power so that it will trigger the meter reliably, and then just adjust from there.