How to Use a Light Meter for In-Studio Portraits

[@mhc2b]

So glad I discovered your channel! I am watching your videos in chronological order, so this video is where I currently am (9/24/23). I was weened on hand meters as far back as 1972. I purchased a Hasselblad. Since it was strictly mechanical, I bought a hand meter. In 1985 I purchased my first set of studio lights (Novatrons!!), so I also purchased a Minolta Flash Meter IV, which I still own today, and it still works flawlessly. I did buy a Sekonic L-758DR several years ago, specifically since it also had a built-in 1 degree spot meter. For studio work today, I can use either meter, as they're within 1/10 stop from each other. I practice the same metering techniques as you, including "dome in" for precise strobe measurement. And, I agree whole heartedly with all your reasoning and methodology. Not sure about your L-470, but my L-758 can be programed to measure in full, 1/2, or 1/3 f-stop increments. I set it to 1/3 f-stops specifically so that the meter mirrors the exact same f-stops as my camera, or any modern day camera. This also limits the 10th stop readings to no more than 2/10. After 2/10, the f-stop reading will simply change to the next actual f-stop. My Minolta only reads in full stops, so I get 10th stop readings from 1/10 to 09/10 with it! That said, I'd like to make one suggestion about this tutorial - and that would be, in the future, to elaborate a bit more on the meter's capability of measuring in 1/10th stop increments. Newcomers to flash meters would not be aware that these meters can actually measure in 1/10th stop increments, and may find your discussion a bit confusing.

[@JCImagesBehindtheShot]

Did a quick search of how to use a light meter and, not surprisingly, yours was the best. Exactly what I was looking for.

[@seemamiah]

Thank you so much, this video (out of all the many I've watched 😅) finally taught me how to use a light meter.

[@jaborgraphy]

Recently bought a sekonic light meter, This video gave me a bigger understanding as far as using multiple lights and lighting ratios.

[@SalCincotta1]

AWESOME!!

[@Sunshineleroy]

Yes, I've been using a flash meter (not all light meters measure flash too) for years. You explained using one very well. Thank you.

[@SalCincotta1]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jeffgordon8346]

I'm very new at this, so if this is a dumb question, I apologize. I understand the single light setup. If the meter says 5.6 you set your f stop to 5.6. with 2 lights, 5.6 on the main, and 4.0 on a fill light, how would you set your cameras f stop? If I set it to 4.0, I'll get a good exposure on my fill light, but be overexposed on the main, and blow out the highlights.

[@SalCincotta1]

not dumb at all... just remember - we all start somewhere. :) so... to your question... this is really about lighting ratios. you would expose for the brighter light on your camera. this will put the other part of the image in some shadow - which is by design. check out this video where i talk about lighting ratios - and i think it will make more sense. let me know. Sal

[@nelsono4315]

another on point video, Sal. I've been using a light meter since my film days. And you are 100% right when you say that the image on the back of the camera will lie to you. For me a light meter is worth the cost. Thanks

[@SalCincotta1]

agreed!! thanks for watching.

[@headshotsproHayley]

My 20yr old Minolta light meter isn't even digital! Haha. I've changed the battery in it once and use it weekly in the studio. Great video Sal. Well explained.

[@onekcrane]

Thanks for the explanation of why you keep the lumisphere retracted for this application. I've always used it extended, but your method makes sense for a more directional measure.

[@SalCincotta1]

awesome! that makes me happy to hear

[@k_m6227]

Yes me to use it the same

[@MdKawser-bk9vq]

​@@k_m6227ন চ্রযপ 😊উ 😮 😊😊

[@GB-AK]

Good video about using a light meter. I purchased one a few months ago for multiple flashes and am glad I did. Good point about what you see on your screen. At first I thought my light meter was not measuring correctly but then in light room I realized it was.

[@SalCincotta1]

Right on

[@binaryinfections]

now for the outdoor one ! cant wait

[@ImagesbyCeciSnow]

Thanks for this. Lie many others, I’ve had a Sekonic light meter forever and never used it (properly). Changing for sure!

[@SalCincotta1]

there you go!! get at it. :)

[@kennypringle4580]

I do use a Sekonic 308 light meter for indoor portraits. I like it👍

[@9rider11]

Thanks Sal. Haven't used my Sekonic LiteMaster Pro L-478 in about 9 months. Excellent results when i do use it.

[@SalCincotta1]

agreed.

[@melviname4484]

Excellent video! I am purchasing a light meter right away!

[@Keith80027]

I always use a light meter since the 50's. Both inside and outside. It is so easy to get it right the first time and every time, even with sunlight and flash.

[@SalCincotta1]

love it!

[@maryholt5367]

About time Sal 😜 Thank you!!

[@SalCincotta1]

lol.

[@TheKingmaji1]

I'm so happy to see addition information on the usage of light meters. I've been using one for the past two years and had to really trial and error to try and really use it in my work flow. Always good to get more information on out tools in the kit.

[@SalCincotta1]

glad you enjoyed!!

[@Gpetim]

Wow.... Great information on the usage of the light meter... Tbh I almost skipped the video.😂😂 I have never used a light meter before. I would have to give it a try... Tbanks Sal. I love the video. I hope Sekonic gets you that light meter btw

[@SalCincotta1]

haha. well thats awesome glad you didnt skip!!

[@davidnurse285]

Sal - Your the man. Way to break it down

[@mtleealex]

is about time Mr. Sal, I am using sekonic LX-380, and thanks for your video on this

[@SalCincotta1]

Glad you liked it.

[@josecarlossobrinhoensaiosr904]

Great sal show this video, I also don't let go of my flashmeter for nothing, mainly to combine artificial light with the environment is too top, big hug from Brazil

[@SalCincotta1]

TY TY!!!

[@clarkconway8796]

Leaving the sphere in and pointing to the light makes a lot of sense. I have not been doing it that, but plan on changing my work flow. Thanks for the tip Sal!

[@babs274]

Highly Educative video on light meter use.

[@chrissallis5222]

I’m looking forward to the next instalment using the light meter outdoors that’s something I’ve never done but thinking about it that would be useful sometimes

[@christophera.turner3394]

You’re the best

[@SalCincotta1]

appreciate you!

[@StuH123456]

Sal, been watching your videos and noted your light meter use. Just got a used Sekonic and this vid was perfectly timed to see how (easy) it is to use. Need to give it a try in anger. Thanks!

[@SalCincotta1]

Glad I could help!

[@christophera.turner3394]

Sal can you show how to use the Sekonic 5 degree viewfinder for the 478Dr?

[@SalCincotta1]

i dont have that one... but i will try to get my hands on it.

[@carolinamaristad9369]

Nice video but I still have 1 question!! I just bought the sekonic L 478Dr Lite master pro. I have godox flashes, but I wonder if it works the same. How can I adjust the parameters of the flash to get a right exposure? I got lost... I have never used a light meter before... hope to hear from you❤❤❤ Hugs from Norway

[@SalCincotta1]

no worries. :) yes, they work the same. you are ultimately measuring the light as it hits the meter. you might trigger the lights differently, but its the same process overall. not sure where you are getting lost, but i will help if i can.

[@stevenwoj]

You made it sound very, very easy.

[@matthazlettfilms7569]

Are all the additional lights one stop different than the main light? Or do those very depending on which light

[@SalCincotta1]

any additiona lights you add to the scene depend on the look and ratio you are trying to achieve. this is a great video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKbKlmxpqbytd9U

[@Jwitherow1964]

Your cool and a great teacher thanks

[@SalCincotta1]

appreciate you!

[@vankadaru]

While shooting indoor we will set the exposurex settings to cut off ambient light and then add flash power accordingly how to handle this situation??

[@SalCincotta1]

brilliant.

[@ZPOLLAK]

What would those settings look like if you were trying to shoot at 1.2 with your 85mm? Flash output would be way down, I assume? Is it safe to say that, if you have a F stop in mind, you are trying to match the power levels on the flash to trigger the F stop reading you are looking for?

[@SalCincotta1]

correct. im measuring for f stop based on a sync speed and iso. the unit allows you to adjust what you are measuring for. so if you know you want a certain f stop setting you could measure for shutter speed or iso.

[@binaryinfections]

Pure gold content

[@SalCincotta1]

ty so much!

[@valeriejacobs2833]

Hi Sal. I see you don’t put out the ambient lights when measuring. Is it a better reading when you turn all the lights off except for your pilot lights or does the light meter don’t take those ambient lights into account and does it still give you a clean reading even when other lights are on? Thanks! Loved the video! 😊

[@SalCincotta1]

@@valeriejacobs2833 great question so the flash is overpowering the ambient in the studio, so for example, if I were to take that same shot at those settings and have all the flashes off, the frame would be almost black so flash in this case is overpowering the ambient now that’s not the case in every situation but the goal would be to black out the ambient light typically a light bulb or indirect light in your studio will not be enough to overpower flash does that make more sense? A great test to see if you need to turn off or black out other lights in your space is to take a frame with no flash if you can see your subject illuminated then the ambient light is mixing with your flash.

[@valeriejacobs2833]

@@SalCincotta1 Hi Sal Thank you for your quick reply! That's an excellent suggestion! Until now, I've always worked a bit in reverse, and to be honest less efficient: With the ambient light on and the flash lights off, I looked in my LCD to see if my shot (Live View) at 1/200 and ISO 100 was completely dark so that I could no longer see the subject. So I chose my f-setting based on turning my aperture wheel and selecting the f-setting when the subject got completely dark. From then on, I kept my settings in the camera (ISO 100, 1/200 and for example f/ 9.0 when this meant the subject was 100% dark) and played with the intensity of my flash lights until I got the desired result. Actually, that's just muddling along until it sits correctly visually. I stayed away from my f-setting (aperture), because I wanted to avoid the influence of the ambient lights reappearing anyway as I had 'visually measured' that at f 9.0 in this example, everything was perfectly free of influence from the ambient lights i.e. the subject was not lit at all. But your suggestion also works perfectly. You can start from a limited number of ambient lights and indeed, after light metering with the Seikonic, check whether the ambient light has an impact or not. That seems more flexible to me, as according to my method I am 100% sure that there is no influence of ambient light but I also have zero flexibility in the choice of my aperture value and that is precisely the advantage: playing with your depth of field, even in studio photography. So I think I get what you are trying to say. Best is starting with a bit of ambient light just to make it easier to set everything up but be wary of not exagerating, doing the light meter measuring as you demonstrated in the video and as an extra check just make sure everything is nice and dark with the selected f-setting after measuring by cutting off the flashes/strobes. Thanks very much for the help and I look forward to your upcoming content!

[@artetaphotography]

Hi Sal, the video is perfect, but I do have a stupid question. On a multi light setup, the f stop on the camera, after measurements, should mirror the key light, correct?

[@SalCincotta1]

Not a dumb question at all. That was a correct. Match to key light.

[@Biz_Kellam]

I've owned a Sekonic light meter for two years. I never used it. I was afraid of it, it sneered at me every time I walked past it. Hanging so smugly on my main C-stand, it looked cool and professional. I was a poser. Thanks, Sal. I have tamed the beast. It is really quite friendly now that I have shown it no fear.

[@SalCincotta1]

haha. best response ever!!

[@Sparty12161]

Sekonic for studio work here, it would be great to get a video on using a light meter outdoors. Signed, Grasshopper

[@SalCincotta1]

Got it! in the works!!

[@John-tm9vv]

Great Job !

[@pimnauta3840]

Great video as usual....I still use an old Sekonic L-758 DR and it works fine......😜

[@SalCincotta1]

Nice!

[@gamkagan]

Love your explanations. Can you make a KZbin about reading the histogram

[@anitastevens9969]

Thank you. very straight to the point.

[@SalCincotta1]

ty ty! always my goal!

[@DavidTramacchi]

Thank You!! 🙏

[@mrspike55]

Thank you, very helpful

[@dianagutknecht2395]

short and sweet, thanks.

[@michiuno2238]

great tutorial, Sal. Got one question though: how do you account for the additional light the second light source produces on your model. Let's say you got one flash at 45° camera right and one at 45° camera left. The two flashes add light cumulatively to different parts of the model - depending on the angle. Some parts might get too hot. Do you deal with that mathematically or eyeball it and correct by gut?

[@SalCincotta1]

GREAT QUESTION!! there is 100% additive lighting that will happen. but to that point - it all depends on lighting location... for example... a rear light isnt going to add to the face (unless its reflecting off a wall, etc) but in the case of them being in a clam shell set up, etc - this could add to exposure... for me... i would set up ratios first... ie key light 5.6 fill at 4.0 (so you know the ratio is right) then i would take a reading with both lights on and pop the lumisphere out and measure total light hitting subject, but maintain my ration. make sense?

[@michiuno2238]

@@SalCincotta1 well, sort of. Let's say camera right alone reads 5.6, camera left is at 4. Together they will probably read half a stop brighter than the 5.6 -> 7.1. So you set the camera at 7.1 then? How often does that work vs. how often do you correct by eye afterwards?

[@KevMeredith-bi6um]

Great video, just had a few problems with over exposed images by nearly 2 stops. Do you calibrate each camera you use.

[@SalCincotta1]

ty ty! no... this isnt a calibration issue per se. the reading its giving you is the reading regardless of camera, etc. so... i wonder if something else was off? make sure all the settings match - from ISO, to ShutterSpeed, etc.

[@KevMeredith-bi6um]

@SalCincotta1 Thanks Sal, All settings the same 200 iso 100 f8 but meter showing f4 bump up the power to get f8 and highlights blown out. Think I got doggy meter. 😅

[@SalCincotta1]

@@KevMeredith-bi6um that really could be the case. because based on what you are saying - you are doing it right!

[@k_m6227]

Its so great tutorial . Thank u so much . Months searching for this kind of explain like what u did . God bless man 🙏 . And please more about how we use it in photoshoot .

[@SalCincotta1]

You're welcome!

[@k_m6227]

Please please more like this video about lightmeter.

[@SalCincotta1]

on it!

[@ChrisCremie]

Did you get a new one from Sekonic 😅

[@Jwitherow1964]

How many stops should your hair light be in relation to your key light. Your the man so easy

[@SalCincotta1]

great question... so first keep in mind - "it depends"... how light or dark the hair is... how light or dark the background is... how prevalent you want the hair light to be.. etc. as a general rule of thumb... i typically start with a 1 stop difference and adjust from there... always... as i like to say - season to taste!! enjoy.

[@Jwitherow1964]

@@SalCincotta1 thank you

[@JavRodPhoto]

Finally I can start using mine. But I can’t get it to go to 200 from 250. Do you use yours on 250 ?

[@IvenHolt]

Yeah common #Sekonic send a new model! lol - Thanks for explaining it better than most videos! I've always just used the histogram and so-called "winged-it" but I get why now its so important...especially when using a multi-light setup as I so often do! Now I just gotta find said meter that I bought couple years ago at my first Shutterfest!

[@SalCincotta1]

You bet!

[@manuelpereira7104]

Hello, un saludo cordial desde chile , tengo una Nikon z7ii y no he usado el sekonic, con tu explicación volvere a usar y se que mejorare mucho, agradezco igual que pongas la opción de subtítulos en otros idiomas así ayudas a quienes no entendemos todo el ingles, felicidades y gracias por la gran ayuda.

[@SalCincotta1]

¡de nada! Estoy muy feliz de ayudar a mis compañeros fotógrafos de todo el mundo.

[@ohnoflicks]

“But, but, but…. MyCamera does Everything!!!” LOL. Stupidest phrase ever uttered 😀 thanks for your great video. 😀

[@SalCincotta1]

Thanks for watching!

[@Shotsbyluis]

One thing i learned is that Westcott has an app for the lights that you can use to trigger the lights and more

[@jimhawthorn6932]

Sal, I've been using a light meter (Sekonic) since my film days and it has saved me a ton of money! Now it saves me a ton of time. I would be lost without my meter.

[@SalCincotta1]

Right on!

[@AshwaniKumar-me7cj]

​@@SalCincotta1aa

[@Lpb-qg4ez]

ຕາມ

[@reneweisz9157]

I grew up using lightmeters and know how to use them. I don't use them anymore (still have one) Why not? because lightmeters will not give me the mood that I am after. I set my lights one at a time. But that's just me. The best thing is, is what works best for each indivitual.

[@SalCincotta1]

no lies told!

[@thecreativeclass1276]

I’m a light meter novice. It didn’t occur to me that you had to turn off all the lights off except the one you are measuring. Duh!

[@SalCincotta1]

Glad it helped.

[@chiragdarji1990]

PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO WITH MODEL WITH PRACTICAL WITH LIGHT METER IT WOULD BE GREAT HELP THANKYOU SIR

[@patlecat]

I used a lightmeter since I was 16. It's just a better life with them. But Sekonic is costly alas.

[@SalCincotta1]

good to hear! and no doubt. :)

[@billjaynes9234]

Would be lost in the studio without a light meter!!

[@SalCincotta1]

amen to that!

[@herifury1302]

Next, "How to measure for HSS." 🙏

[@SalCincotta1]

gotcha!

[@charliegreen1989]

@@SalCincotta1don’t you need the top of the range L-858 to measure HSS?

[@SalCincotta1]

@@charliegreen1989 I believe you’re correct… so… looks like I have a trip to bh coming up. :)

[@vincentandrunas6040]

HI, Sal! I liked your light meter video. Good pacing; I see you edited out unnecessary pauses/dead spots to keep things flowing well. Thanks for that! Suggestion, though--in your close-ups of the light meter, your recording camera properly focuses on the meter--but then every time you reach in with your hand, the camera auto-focuses on your hand (which doesn't need to be sharp) and blurs the image of the light meter! You could say I'm being picky, of course--except that it would be so easy to let the recording camera focus on the light meter, and then turn off its auto-focus. Then the light meter would remain sharp. Also, please make up your mind about that beard! Either shave before you do a video, or grow it out a little longer so it looks like you intended it to be a short beard, instead of looking like you forgot to shave! 😉 Again, thanks for the instructive video...!

[@SalCincotta1]

thanks for watching and enjoying the video. ill leave my personal hygiene to myself if its all the same. :)

[@sfn2195]

😂

[@gogorashwan]

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