Testing out a light meter

[Rosy]

Hi All

Here's jackson being a good model and letting me test my new Sekonic light meter. Still learning the little gadget but hopefully it wil help me nail a good exposure. Only used 1 light, camera right
CC appreciated
THANKS for looking

 

[Big Mike]

Looks a little bright (on my uncalibrated display) but my histogram viewer is telling me that it's not blown out.

 

[tirediron]

Good start! A light meter makes work like this soooooooooooo much easier! As far as the shot itself goes, I think I would dial down the key maybe 1/3 stop, and then bring in a reflector close, camera left, just to reduce the highlight/shadow ratio a bit. Cute shot though.

 

[Designer]

When you took the light reading, what part of the composition did you measure? Was it an overall reading?

Great modeling there, Jackson!

 

[Rosy]

Question john
when I bring in the reflector and adjust the key light - I should take a reading of that set-up - correct?

 

[Rosy]

I put the meter under his chin and pointed it towards the lens of the camera

 

[Big Mike]

Question john
when I bring in the reflector and adjust the key light - I should take a reading of that set-up - correct?

If I may...I wouldn't re meter in that case. You already used the meter to get close to where you need/want to be. So then you can make small adjustment to get the shot. You could re-meter, jut it would just show that you've made minor changes from the first shot. If you metered again, and then set your camera for the new reading...it would probably cancel out the small adjustment that you made.

I put the meter under his chin and pointed it towards the lens of the camera

I would put it at his face, but point it toward the key light (or point it half way between the light and the camera). That will help you get your key light set correctly. You can then put the meter on the other side of his face, pointing away from the key light, and that should give you a different (lesser) value. The difference between the two readings, is your portrait lighting ratio.

Using a meter to get your camera exposure is the easy part. But what I like using a meter for, is knowing and setting the key:fill ratio.

Lighting Ratios to Make or Break your Portrait

 

[tirediron]

Yes, every time you change your light, you should re-meter the scene. Generally speaking I meter to the camera (that is, with the incident dome facing the camera), but I will often do a comparison by metering to the light and then to the camera, and starting with my exposure somewhere in between. That said, even though I meter every scene, and use those settings to start, I invariably tweak it by 1/3 stop or so in either direction to get the look I want. Remember: Correct exposure is the exposure that YOU want, NOT what the meter says!

 

[Rosy]

THANKS John THANKS Mike