A little illumination on light meters in photography

Light meter matters in photography. As such, we’ve put together a quick guide to help you understand it. Check out these three articles to learn how to use them, what they do and why your camera’s meter isn’t always enough. They might just give you the info you’re searching for!

How to use a light meter for studio portraits

A light meter is a tool used in photography to measure the amount of light in a scene. In studio portrait photography, it can help ensure correct exposure and consistency in lighting. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use it in a studio portrait setting, including how to measure ambient light, measure flash light and set aperture, shutter speed and ISO values.

Using your smartphone as a light meter

You can use a smartphone as a meter to measure the amount of light in a scene. The built-in camera app on a smartphone can determine the correct exposure values, including aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. In turn, you can use it with a standalone camera to achieve the desired exposure. This step-by-step guide shows you how to do it!

The meter incident: Don’t trust your camera’s light meter

Built-in camera meters can be inaccurate and should not be relied upon as the absolute source for determining the correct exposure. As such, it’s important for photographers to understand how the built-in meter works and to be aware of its limitations. Metering errors caused by the subject’s reflectance and limitations in low light conditions happen more commonly than you think. This article emphasizes the importance of using a secondary meter or spot meter or conducting tests. This way, you can calibrate the camera’s built-in meter to ensure accurate exposure in different shooting conditions.

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