TTL vs Trial and Error vs Light Meter… Which Is Better?... LIVE!

Join me LIVE for an exciting home studio session where I compare three methods to achieve the perfect exposure with a speedlight.
As a photographer, choosing the best way to nail the perfect exposure can make a huge difference in the portrait experience for you and your model. Should you rely on trial and error, use the convenience of TTL Flash (Through The Lens), or trust the precision of a light meter?
Straight up I can say there’s no way is the only correct way, each method has its own advantages and challenges. In this live session, I’ll break down these techniques to help you understand which one is best for your needs.
Find out which method gives the best results for your portrait photography. Whether you're a beginner or an improver, this live demo will provide valuable insights and practical tips to enhance your photography skills.
Join the live conversation and help steer the session or just sit back and enjoy the photography show. See you there!
#PhotographyLive #Speedlight #TTLFlash #LightMeter #StudioLighting #PhotographyTips #LiveDemo #PortraitPhotography #PhotoTutorial #LearnPhotography
KZbin: / @gavinhoey
Instagram: / thegavinhoey
TikTok / thegavinhoey
Website: www.gavtrain.com/
Watch me on: / @adorama
Gear Links:
Flashpoint Zoom Li-on III R2 TTL Speedlight www.adorama.com/fplfsmzloiii....
Flashpoint Zoom Li-on X PRO R2 TTL Round Speedlight www.adorama.com/fplfsmzlxpo.html
Glow HexaPop 24" II Octagonal Softbox with OTA Adapter www.adorama.com/glsbhp24v2.html
Sekonic L-308X-U Light Meter www.adorama.com/sksk401305.html
Flashpoint R2 Pro 2.4GHz Transmitter www.adorama.com/fprrr2proo.html

[@DavidVelezPhotography]

Thanks, Gavin & crew! Always look forward to your videos.

[@GavinHoey]

Thank you David 👍

[@KatieF307]

Gavin, I think it is great that you demonstrate all of the different things one can do to take a photo, and then demonstrate the pluses and minuses of each approach. I also love the fact that you do not come right out and try to push folks towards having to buy a 250 dollar beauty dish, a flash unit that is 3-6 x the cost of a decent flash unit (think Profoto vs Godox), and you make all of this fun. Folks should also look at some of your earlier presentations in the "Take and Make Great Photo" series on KZbin. I learned a ton from those videos. Thank you!

[@charlieschmidt9668]

Love this one. . . Thank you so much !

[@quietset7639]

Late for the live!! Gavin I love your work. Greetings from Mexico. I learnt a lot from you. You are my favorite teacher in the world.

[@GavinHoey]

It's never TOO late and thank you 😊

[@woodbutch4]

and once again I'm an hour late for the livestream. Austin, TX where it's hot. 101F

[@GavinHoey]

Well you are just a welcome and thank you for the comment 👍

[@Michel_Vanaken]

Hello recorded Gavin! For the person who wanted a repeater, there's an option with Godox, I guess : get a receiver (the box that allows your camera brand speedlight to work with the Godox system). It has a hotshoe and you can put a second transmitter in it (on a different channel, obviously). Then set the far away flash on that second channel. It *might* work (never tried it, the short range mode is more than enough for me).

[@GavinHoey]

@@Michel_Vanaken It's been so long since I needed an external receiver that I forgotten about them. Good idea and I guess that might work but I've also never tried (or needed to try) that.

[@photoman3579]

I'm so pleased to see you again hope its regular again now weekly perhaps...!

[@montazownianr1]

As I mentioned before, this test could be interesting outdoors.

[@GavinHoey]

Watch this space... Or rather Adorama TV's space 😉

[@montazownianr1]

@@GavinHoey I have a subscription ;)

[@fotogfitzfoto412]

A technique called "binary chop" systematises "trial and error". Essentially, you shoot at (say) maximum power and then at (say) minimum power. Then shoot again at half the difference between the power settings. Check if it's the correct exposure for you. If too hot, halve the difference between the current setting and the minimum power; if under-exposed, halve the difference to the maximum power. Repeat until you have the 'correct' exposure.

[@quietset7639]

Wooow. Im buying the light meter.

[@GavinHoey]

I'd be lost without mine, which is probably why I have 4 of them 😁

[@KatieF307]

In the discussion of TTL, one needs to be aware that TTL involves reflective metering to the camera. The meter looks at the overall picture, mostly the background, and it will try to adjust lighting to an overall average based on what it thinks will be the right amount of flash power to move a black/really dark background to 18%gray, or make a whitened/light background 18%gray. The problem is that you lose the true lighting that you see with your eyes. Regardless of what the camera thinks it needs to do to the picture, the background is still black, white, or whatever shade it truly is. Where light meters help is to identify the real light hitting the subject. It provides the data for a more accurate and consistent amount of light when you take a reading. If you do not change the power of the flash, change the distance, or change the aperture, you can shoot as many shots as you want, and have consistency from shot to shot. The same can be said for trial and error methods with manual camera settings. I find TTL fine for some things on a run and gun, but you need to get used to how to read the overall camera-metered shot. I do not use the exposure compensation. I just center the in-camera meter, then I darken the exposure in manual mode by 1-1 2/3rd stops for a predominantly dark or black dominated image, or increase exposure by 1-1 2/3rds stops for a light/white dominated image. One caveat is that if you are photographing a wedding, meter the bride correctly, and base everything based on what makes her look the best. The rest will fall into place. Same tip for white balance on the wedding gown. If you shoot in the same studio all of the time, you will get used to your set distances, or you may map out where you place your lights. You will get a fairly consistent idea of how much light power you will need. A simple way to ensure consistent distance from light to subject on the road if you are doing flash, is to tape or tie a piece of twine/string that measures 6-8 feet to your light stand. Stretch out the string, place your subject, and start wearing out your shutter. The nice thing with the Godox environment is that you can use TTL in studio, and once you have things set, you can hit the TTL to manual button, and it will convert the system. Then you can change from there. I still find that the use of a light meter speeds things along on most of my shoots. I do not have to guess. Chimping at the back screen LCD takes time, and still may not be accurate.

[@PhillipMcCallum]

Good m owning from Brisbane,

[@gerhardsteinhofer]

Thank you Gavin for your videos. I've learnt a lot from you. Wouldn't it be better for creating a coloured background (by using gels) to use the black curtain instead of the white wall? Wouldn't the colour be more saturated with the black background? Greatings from Austria!

[@GavinHoey]

The darker the background the deeper the colour, so you are right in that regard. But in this test I wanted to compare the speed of set-up with a different lighting position, so achieving a dark background by using the inverse square law (light fall off) was the route I choose 👍

[@gerhardsteinhofer]

@@GavinHoey Thank you!

[@gabrielewulf-z7f]

Hai from Hamburg

[@kennethnielsen3864]

Hello recorded Gavin and Hoey family.

[@GavinHoey]

Hi Kenneth 👋

[@PhillipMcCallum]

Could you use a wifi shutter control or phone instead of removeing the flash control

[@GavinHoey]

Not with the Godox system (to the best of my knowledge). The transmitter only transmits and doesn't receive, so any changes you make with a second controller are instantly overridden by the transmitter on the camera when you press the shutter ☹️

[@mdturnerinoz]

I just shoot until I get it right. I had a light meter for a while, and I spent more time getting it set right to give me results. Besides, with modern software, you can fix almost ANY problem in post. Do you want to be a photographer or a tools expert?

[@ipadista]

In this case wouldn't the photography work be pretty much the same, so the choice would more be between lightning setup post-processing work.

[@GavinHoey]

I'd much rather avoid a problem in the first place then fix it after it's occurred 👍

[@squidskunk]

Reno NV 99F

[@lim2001burger]

Hello 👋 clan Hoey

[@GavinHoey]

Hello!

[@photo2000]

Light meters are highly useful for film photography, in digital they are a waste of money. You have an LCD display, and it can give you an excellent indication of where your exposure is at. There is no saving of time by using flash meter. A light meter, meters to mid grey, so you have to understand what that is and how it relates to your subject. And even with flash meter, you still have to pop flash multiple times to fine tune output... might as well do that by taking images and seeing the result of change on LCD

[@GavinHoey]

You're right in lots of ways and yet, somehow, I disagree (gotta love photography, right). LCD screens lie, just change the brightness or take it outside and the perceived results will be different. A flash meter slows me down, buys me thinking time and gives me a constant result saving me time at the other end. But as I said at the end, whatever works for you is the best choice.

[@photo2000]

@@GavinHoey yeah, I'll have to place an argument with that. LCD is going to give a far better exposure guide than a mid grey average exposure reading. Once you've set the LCD or EVF to be be a correct brightness, I don't know why it would be changed 🤷‍♂️. Outside!? Use EVF or LCD Loupe... I actually use a towel over my head and camera to block out ambient light. Simple, effective. I have no doubt photographers out there, including yourself, find the hand held light meter an easier workflow to meter flash and or ambient light. I had one hung around my neck when I was at Uni shooting 5x4 film. It was an essential piece of kit. But I havn't used it once in over 20 years, and have at no point felt my setup of scene was slow, and my metering inaccurate. There are many beginners who mirror what educators, such as yourself do, without question, and setup their kits and workflow accordingly. I am providing an alternate view, with justification (this is important for educational purposes!) to possibly save someone starting out a few hundred dollars... which may be better spent on flash modifier or towards an extra flash 🤷‍♂️. For clarity, I am not arguing for arguments sake... Your channel and all KZbin content is engaging and highly educational. But when I see content, from an objective standpoint, that is what I consider to be redundant or wrong, I like to provide a viewpoint. So that people who are learning know there are alternate views. ✌✌

[@WhoDis1959]

Thanks for that info.. can you do an video, with your technique, and results..I think that would be the best way to help those who are influenced by teachers like Gavin..looking forward to seeing it..thanks in advance