Light meter a must for Studio?

[beachbum]

it is possible to shoot without one - if you are VERY familiar with your stuff - i know of one top commercial photog that doesn't use one - but that is because he has been using one for the past twenty years shooting film and he KNOWS his lighting ratios and what kind of f-stop to expect from his lights with diff light modifiers and at what distance and at what power level. Shooting digitally just "confirms" with what he knows. He can get his lighting set up done (e.g. 3 lights) within the first 3-4 test exposure.

But that is him.

for myself, if i am not critical abt the output - then it will not be essential - guestimation is enuf.
but if i want to operate at the top level, then it becomes essential.
And for photogs interested in learning abt lighting ratios - it is essential.

 

[Cheesecake]

it is possible to shoot without one - if you are VERY familiar with your stuff - i know of one top commercial photog that doesn't use one - but that is because he has been using one for the past twenty years shooting film and he KNOWS his lighting ratios and what kind of f-stop to expect from his lights with diff light modifiers and at what distance and at what power level. Shooting digitally just "confirms" with what he knows. He can get his lighting set up done (e.g. 3 lights) within the first 3-4 test exposure.

But that is him.

for myself, if i am not critical abt the output - then it will not be essential - guestimation is enuf.
but if i want to operate at the top level, then it becomes essential.
And for photogs interested in learning abt lighting ratios - it is essential.

erm...
top level? hmmm... food for thought.

my bottomline is... u do not need a lightmeter in studio fotography.

 

[huggable]

So it looks like the skill level, and experience of the photographer plays a vital part.

 

[Cheesecake]

So it looks like the skill level, and experience of the photographer plays a vital part.

understanding of the equipment and how exposure work is a must.

 

[VR Man]

There are 3 different types of meters that are used in photography.

1) Light Meter
2) Flash Meter
3) Colour Meter

1) Light meter. NECCESSARY for measuring the "natural" available light before any supplementary photographic lighting is added.

2) Flash meter. A specific type of light meter that are used to measure the strength of the very short, bright burst of light emmitted from a flash unit.

3) Color meter. Measures the color quality of light relative to the film type bing used. It records color temperature, any color cast, and calculates he filters needed to balance the color of the available light to the particular film type in used. For digital, the use of custom white balance, grey card/GMB colorchecker card and photoshop will take care of the above, thus making the color meter redundant.

Light meters and flash meters are normally combined these days.

Sekonic or Minolta are the 2 leading brands. Sekonic and X-Rite have a bundle that allows the light/flash meter to talk to their color management system. I have only read the advert, no experience with the setup.

I would suggest you head down to the library or bookstore and pick up a good book on studio photography. Read up and decide if a light meter is a must for studio.

Everyone has their own style of working. At the end of the day, you have to develop a workflow that works for you.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I personaly would use a flash meter regardless of how experienced I get as I move along.

Always remember, "You are only as good as your last job".

 

[shinken]

Always remember, "You are only as good as your last job".

:thumbsup: wise quote :thumbsup:
sigh...