Precision to the highest degree! At a point where the talent was stunned that he looks that good! Chris Knight is a magician, and for a reason! I got to know Chris when my wife gifted me Chris Knight "The Dramatic Portrait" book. Highly recommend. They even have a video series on this (couple of hours of course is uploaded on RUclips for free, the full course can be purchased from his webiste). Incredible stuff! Just got my Sekonic L-478DR lightmeter. Excited!
This was super helpful! I enjoyed the insight about the histogram and using the grey card...and demonstrating with the a strobe AND continuous light was an absolute treat. Thank you!
If I wanted to be a teacher I would model myself on this guy - forget the internet - easily one of the best teachers I have ever seen - superb session on metering light Chris - thank you.
What defines “optimal” exposure is recording and outputting the same range detail and tone we perceive by eye. The problem with digital sensors is they have a fixed range can’t record detail everywhere in high contrast lighting. The same was true for film. I started using 1° spot meter in 1971 using a Honeywell-Pentax. The value of owning a 1° spot meter is being able to precisely measure the EV (Exposure Value) range from darkest perceived shadow detail to brightest non-specular highlight (What Ansel Adams defined as a “Zone 1” shadow value and “Zone 9” highlight.) On a clear sunny day Zone 1 - Zone 9 will have a range of around 10 EV or a ten f/stop difference in brightness but on a overcast day the same scene will reflect less light and have lower contrast around 6-8 EV. With a bit of experience measuring scene EV range and then evaluating the results in the files you’ll be able to determine the useful EV range of the camera and how the numerical EV range relates to what is seen on the camera and photo editor histogram display. What I started using as exposure test objects when starting to shoot digital with camera histogram are: Gray Card, white terry hand towel and black terry hand towel, draping the towels over the corners of the card held on the stand. Why towels? Texture revealed by shadows and specular highlights on the many tiny loops of fabric. Regardless of what meter used or how it is used the true test of whether exposure is full range “optimal” is recording detail in both with one exposure. The separation between Zone 9 solid white, like the hood of white car and other flat white objects, and the Zone 10 specular reflections from the sun or flash are critical for revealing 3D shape because there are no shadow clues on flat white objects. The white towel and the highlight warning of the camera make it easy to detect and confirm visually whether or not the exposure is preserving that Zone 9 / 10 separation. An error or just 1/3 stop can make Zone 9 objects clip. The next question after setting highlight exposure optimally is: can the DR of the camera’s sensor handle the contrast of the lighting? If one starts by exposing the highlights optimally that will be revealed by looking at the image of the black towel the camera sensor records and the histogram spike it creates. If there is no detail in the black towel and the spike is running off on the left the contrast of the lighting exceeds the range of the camera. In a studio setting it is trivial to match scene range to any camera’s DR: 1) set aperture for desired DOF and place towel / card target at subject distance. 2) place FILL light directly behind and above camera and raise its power until detail is seen in the black towel. 3) if using a back rim light turn it on and raise its power until the parts of the white towel it hits are 1/3 stop under clipping (245-250) and texture is still seen in the playback. 4) Turn on the Key light and raise its power until front of white towel it hits (overlapping the even fill) is 2/3 stop under clipping if using rim light (so it will be 1/3 stop darker) or if just using Key and no back rim light 1/3 stop under clipping with detail retained. What is will the numerical lighting ratio be? That will depend on the DR of the sensor and can be determined with incident readings one light at a time with dome of meter pointed at the camera. Then placed meter in front of camera which is recording full range optimally and point the meter dome at the camera so the same ratio of key and fill hit the dome then compare the f/stop indicated by the meter to the one set in step one. Odds are the meter reading will be different that the f/stop set in step one. Why? Because the gain controlled by the ISO setting of the camera differs from that of the ISO calibration point of the meter. What to do if that is the case? Since the lights are set to ‘optimally’ expose the image using the towels it is more correct than the results you’ll get if you change the f/stop on the lens to match the meter. This is a known problem and why meters have a compensation function. If for example the camera lens is set at f/8 but the meter is reading f/9 you’d want to dial in about a .3 EV correction to the meter until it reads f/8. But why bother if using the towels to set the lights has already created optimal exposure? 🤷🏼♂️ If wanting to “softer” looking shadows on a face? Start with more Fill in step 2 and burn in any you want darker SELECTIVELY in the clothing when editing the image. If wanting darker “harder” looking shadows to not reduce the Fill in step 2 because that will result in nothing but noised in dark content. Instead Fill for normal detail then pull down the shadows GLOBALLY with Curves or Level adjustment and / or SELECTIVE burning in.
Fantastic Tutorial, thank you ✌️. I always need reminding that the strobe only lives within 125th of a second, so the slower shutter speeds don't affect it 🤯💡.
You are correct. As long as the shutter speed is shorter than the duration of the flash, the shutter has no effect on it. I am just answering with more clarification after seeing some of the other comments.
thank you Chris, that's how i learned it at our photo school in the seventies, i'm using a sekonic 308 ever since, now using a lot of times a 478, beautiful meters
for 500 bucks a pop i can not for the life of me figure out why you havent! I am starting a business and would like one but i can not afford it at this moment as money is tight, I'll take one off your hands! xD
Two general rules. To measure the brightness of each light source, you should point the light towards the light source. To get an overall exposure, you should point the dome towards your camera from the subject's position. Wherever the dome is, it will give you the light reading of the light falling on that surface.
great video, but one thing the shutter speed does affect in flash, is the spread of the light, if the slit in a curtain shutter (slr's ) is too small, aka a too fast speed, the short burst of light only scans the sensor, so is an ever shortening band of light in the middle or upper/lower third of the image; leaf shutters ALWAYS open fully so you don't get this problem. But from what people say (RUclips), the shutter speed does allow in ambient, non flash light, so if you just want flash, you set this so no ambient is captured; then the iso takes over, in determining brightness of the scene.
Yeah, you can guess and shoot and guess and shoot (unlike the Chrome Age when film co$t!!!) and you can always ‘fix’ it in post… but the extra effort to get the exposure RIGHT with latest tech is just the PROFESSIONAL way to do things!
It is hard for me to trust my neater, here’s why I point the meter at the light and got a reading, then I more than doubled the power and put the meter and the same place and got the same reading this happened several times so I bought a 2nd m and the same thing occurs. What am I doing wrong
I'm trying to be eveil and critize this but I cant, cant find a single flaw. Well done ! I thought I knew something about exposure but after watching this video I realized I didn't.
Cameras don't only average exposure information. Cameras evaluate the light of a scene depending on what metering mode you select. If you select matrix metering the camera will average out the entire scene. If you select spot metering the camera will only give you a representative light value reading for that spot, which normally only cover a 5% to 1% area where the spot is located. Also the reason why his shots were underexposed slightly even after taking a meter reason is that most lens's aperture readings are not completely accurate. It varies from lens to lens but more often than not your lens often around 1/3rd a stop off (and can vary, depending on the lens). So if you think you are getting F2.8 you are really getting f3.2 or to be more specific T3.2. To solve this issue you would need to use exposure compensation in the meter. Complicated stuff if you're not familiar with it and when the guy in the video is not being 100% clear.
I understand this is a studio and he can add fill flash on the other side so he can measure both flashes and put it in the middle, but if you're outside and have high contrast situations, shouldn't you measure toward the camera to get in the middle of dark and light side of face as if you measure toward the sun other side will be underexposed?
The goal of metering sometimes isn't only for exposure, but also to balance lights. So if the sunny side is over exposed, you can ad light to the other side to balance it out, and use the meter to dial in the ratio or relative exposure difference.
It a judgment call, there is no right or wrong way. If you expose for the highlight Side you preserve your highlights, and if you expose for for the shadow side you may blow our your highlights but see more detail in the shadows. In this scenerio I would expose for the highlight side and fill in the shadows.
im confused with exposure...people on you tube try to compare cameras to justify what they bought....they say that say there is a difference between cropped to full frame to large format....if that is true why doesn't the light meter have a button to switch the camera you are using??
Dear @Sekonic Team, Thank you for all of your Videos. But why is the Myth about the 18% grey still valid? I am using the L-858 (love it sooo much!!) and for Spotmetering in the Specs is written for Spot: K = 12,5 which means Spot is calibrated for 12,5% Grey. This is 1/2 Stop Difference to 18% grey. The Incident Methode is calibrated by Light, C=340 with extended and C=250 with retracted Lumisphere. 18% Grey is not the middle of the Histogram. 50% grey is the middle with Tonevalue 128/128/128. Why not stop and break the Myth about 18% Grey Calibration?? 😊
Qiuck question, probably to you Seconic people - I'm having this situation, where the measurements are giving me underexposed photos, no metter what system I'm using. Had this issue with Nikon DSLR, now I'm having same thing with Sony mirrorless. It's usually -0,5 to -0,7. Am I doing something wrong? I'm using L-508. Thanks :-) To Chris - it's interesting to watch, how gradually you go from explaining technical stuff to focusing on the photo itself. It seems you get drawn to photography, and less and less think about technical aspects ;-)
Do you position the meter with the dome facing the light source? That is correct. Don't aim to the camera. Next, verify your meter's accuracy using an 18% gray card. The peak of the 18% patch should align precisely in the middle of the histogram. If you find that your shots are still underexposed, consider calibrating the light meter specifically for your equipment.
You can contact customer support and have you meter sent in for calibration. To know if it is user error we would need to see how you are meter, what the lighting situation is.
The light falloff is not exponetiell as mentioned. It is quadratic only. double distance => one quarter of light. 4 times nearer, 16 times more light. On a logarithmic scale +1 stop is doubling the light.
You are not right as the photographer controls mostly light falloff with the edge vignetting of the modifier, distance falloff is seldom used alone and sometime as a mix, so math is not able to assess the falloff, only feeling of the photographer
Years ago I made a chart for speed lights and posted it online, which got quite a buzz. It was a guide that works off these principles you bring up, allows the photographer to look at the distance he has his light setup and choose a power setting..it goes something like this. At 32’ Full power, 16’ 1/2 power, 8’ 1/4 power, 4’ 1/16power, 2’ 1/64 power, 1’ 1/256 power ..full disclaimer those distances and power outputs might be off, but could be figured out. Those are perfect exposures, if one needs darker or brighter just move the light distance (easy) or change the power output at the current distance. I haven’t done this with studio lights but your comment reminded me i should make a chart for these as well. Those in the reply’s to your comment show they don’t know how to use lights properly, if a subject is at both 2’ and 4’ away from the light source it will be brighter at 2 and darker at 4, just as if the light is at 16’ and the subject is 16’ and 18’ away from the light it will be more evenly lit because math always works.
@@rzorrilla52 Yes, but only if you capture a photo from that position. ;) I agree with @mibophoto. However, it's possible that he did so out-of-habit to shield the eyes of the model from the bright light, especially if he always uses a flash in his photography.
Chris is using the 18% as a known value so when looking at the picture he is taking of the model holding up the 18% grey card you can see he is getting a correct exposure. The grey card is not part of his metering technique, but a tool to show where a properly exposed 18% grey will appear on the histogram.
@@Roman_4x5 It is naturally confusing for people watching this video. Chris consistently places the gray card behind the meter when he takes a measurement. That's not necessary and seems more like a habit as I mentioned earlier. Photographing a gray card can be useful if you want an extra check to see if you've made a correct measurement, but that shouldn't be necessary with this meter.
We want to mix in some long-form content that slows things down a bit based on the extensive feedback we have received from users. Sorry, this was not for you. Looking forward to your feedback on future videos.
This is easily one of the best lessons on controlling light I've ever watched. I will absolutely be referencing this again and again.
So glad you found the value in the video! We have more video content planned, so stay tuned!
Chris, this was by far one of the best explanations and demonstration I’ve heard or seen on metering. Thank you once again.
Precision to the highest degree! At a point where the talent was stunned that he looks that good! Chris Knight is a magician, and for a reason!
I got to know Chris when my wife gifted me Chris Knight "The Dramatic Portrait" book. Highly recommend. They even have a video series on this (couple of hours of course is uploaded on RUclips for free, the full course can be purchased from his webiste).
Incredible stuff!
Just got my Sekonic L-478DR lightmeter. Excited!
We love working with Chris as well. Glad you enjoyed the content.
This video was eye-opening. I learned so much. I have been following Chris's work for a while, and I love the art he creates.
Thank you.
Chris Knight, Master of methodical approach and adjusting for small differences. Those are some awesome photographs at the end, wow.
Thanks for the shoutout, glad you liked the photos at the end!
Well done Chris! A pleasure creating this with you.
Thanks again!
Love my sekonic L-858d meter and as always wonderful insight, delivery and artistic vision from Chris...
I appreciate your feedback and I'm glad you're enjoying the content.
Maybe the most helpful video I have seen , so many great information
I agree!
Glad it was helpful!
Loved this course…I don’t use a light meter but now I am considering it since I finally understand how to use it thanks to Chris’s teaching.
We're so glad you found what you needed in the video!
This was super helpful! I enjoyed the insight about the histogram and using the grey card...and demonstrating with the a strobe AND continuous light was an absolute treat. Thank you!
Thank you for watching and appreciating the effort put into the content!
Such an informative, inspiring video! Thank you
I'm glad you found the video informative and inspiring!
If I wanted to be a teacher I would model myself on this guy - forget the internet - easily one of the best teachers I have ever seen - superb session on metering light Chris - thank you.
Thank you for your kind words, we will pass this along to Chris!
Good explanation of how to measure, treat and manage continuous and strobe lights! Cheers Chris.
Glad you enjoyed it
What defines “optimal” exposure is recording and outputting the same range detail and tone we perceive by eye. The problem with digital sensors is they have a fixed range can’t record detail everywhere in high contrast lighting. The same was true for film.
I started using 1° spot meter in 1971 using a Honeywell-Pentax. The value of owning a 1° spot meter is being able to precisely measure the EV (Exposure Value) range from darkest perceived shadow detail to brightest non-specular highlight (What Ansel Adams defined as a “Zone 1” shadow value and “Zone 9” highlight.) On a clear sunny day Zone 1 - Zone 9 will have a range of around 10 EV or a ten f/stop difference in brightness but on a overcast day the same scene will reflect less light and have lower contrast around 6-8 EV.
With a bit of experience measuring scene EV range and then evaluating the results in the files you’ll be able to determine the useful EV range of the camera and how the numerical EV range relates to what is seen on the camera and photo editor histogram display.
What I started using as exposure test objects when starting to shoot digital with camera histogram are: Gray Card, white terry hand towel and black terry hand towel, draping the towels over the corners of the card held on the stand. Why towels? Texture revealed by shadows and specular highlights on the many tiny loops of fabric. Regardless of what meter used or how it is used the true test of whether exposure is full range “optimal” is recording detail in both with one exposure.
The separation between Zone 9 solid white, like the hood of white car and other flat white objects, and the Zone 10 specular reflections from the sun or flash are critical for revealing 3D shape because there are no shadow clues on flat white objects. The white towel and the highlight warning of the camera make it easy to detect and confirm visually whether or not the exposure is preserving that Zone 9 / 10 separation. An error or just 1/3 stop can make Zone 9 objects clip.
The next question after setting highlight exposure optimally is: can the DR of the camera’s sensor handle the contrast of the lighting? If one starts by exposing the highlights optimally that will be revealed by looking at the image of the black towel the camera sensor records and the histogram spike it creates. If there is no detail in the black towel and the spike is running off on the left the contrast of the lighting exceeds the range of the camera.
In a studio setting it is trivial to match scene range to any camera’s DR:
1) set aperture for desired DOF and place towel / card target at subject distance.
2) place FILL light directly behind and above camera and raise its power until detail is seen in the black towel.
3) if using a back rim light turn it on and raise its power until the parts of the white towel it hits are 1/3 stop under clipping (245-250) and texture is still seen in the playback.
4) Turn on the Key light and raise its power until front of white towel it hits (overlapping the even fill) is 2/3 stop under clipping if using rim light (so it will be 1/3 stop darker) or if just using Key and no back rim light 1/3 stop under clipping with detail retained.
What is will the numerical lighting ratio be? That will depend on the DR of the sensor and can be determined with incident readings one light at a time with dome of meter pointed at the camera. Then placed meter in front of camera which is recording full range optimally and point the meter dome at the camera so the same ratio of key and fill hit the dome then compare the f/stop indicated by the meter to the one set in step one.
Odds are the meter reading will be different that the f/stop set in step one. Why? Because the gain controlled by the ISO setting of the camera differs from that of the ISO calibration point of the meter. What to do if that is the case? Since the lights are set to ‘optimally’ expose the image using the towels it is more correct than the results you’ll get if you change the f/stop on the lens to match the meter.
This is a known problem and why meters have a compensation function. If for example the camera lens is set at f/8 but the meter is reading f/9 you’d want to dial in about a .3 EV correction to the meter until it reads f/8.
But why bother if using the towels to set the lights has already created optimal exposure? 🤷🏼♂️
If wanting to “softer” looking shadows on a face? Start with more Fill in step 2 and burn in any you want darker SELECTIVELY in the clothing when editing the image.
If wanting darker “harder” looking shadows to not reduce the Fill in step 2 because that will result in nothing but noised in dark content. Instead Fill for normal detail then pull down the shadows GLOBALLY with Curves or Level adjustment and / or SELECTIVE burning in.
Great video with a great instructor!
Glad you enjoyed it!
You got so many great stuff, I highly appreciate your teaching. Please keep sharing.
Thank you. We are definitely looking to do more educational content.
I like the models expressions while Chris was talking. 😊
I appreciate you taking the time to appreciate the little things in the video.
This is awesome. Thank you so much. Best beginners video ive seen on here. But also- have you seen Its always sunny? Mac and Dennis much...
Thank you. Not sure about the "always sunny? Mac and Dennis reference"
Fantastic Tutorial, thank you ✌️. I always need reminding that the strobe only lives within 125th of a second, so the slower shutter speeds don't affect it 🤯💡.
You are correct. As long as the shutter speed is shorter than the duration of the flash, the shutter has no effect on it. I am just answering with more clarification after seeing some of the other comments.
thank you Chris, that's how i learned it at our photo school in the seventies, i'm using a sekonic 308 ever since, now using a lot of times a 478, beautiful meters
Thank you.
I have two Sekonic light meters. I clearly need to start using them more! :)
for 500 bucks a pop i can not for the life of me figure out why you havent! I am starting a business and would like one but i can not afford it at this moment as money is tight, I'll take one off your hands! xD
Thank you for sharing! It's awesome that you have two Sekonic light meters to work with.
Came here to learn about exposure meters, instead learned a lot about ambient light in combination with flash. That's not a complaint.
I bought a Sekonic Light meter after taking Chris Knight's Dramatic Lighting for Portiturue course.
Thank you. It's great to hear.
That was very interesting and useful! Thank you! ❤
Thank you for your kind words! I appreciate your support!
Great video, thank you. On the other hand, I would like to know what software you’re tethering with in this video, is it Lightroom?…
Best video ever
A real gem, thanks.
You're welcome.
Happy you like the video.
Wow. What a course! It really resonated with me. Thank you, Chris and Sekonic.
Our pleasure!
My apologies if I missed it, but did he ever say where to point the meter's dome when taking his readings?.....and why?
Two general rules. To measure the brightness of each light source, you should point the light towards the light source. To get an overall exposure, you should point the dome towards your camera from the subject's position. Wherever the dome is, it will give you the light reading of the light falling on that surface.
good job Andy.
Thanks 👍 we love working with Andy.
Great job! Having gotten Part. 1 out of the way I’m looking forward to seeing Part 2, ie High Speed Sync and other exposure techniques.
We have released part 2
great video, but one thing the shutter speed does affect in flash, is the spread of the light, if the slit in a curtain shutter (slr's ) is too small, aka a too fast speed, the short burst of light only scans the sensor, so is an ever shortening band of light in the middle or upper/lower third of the image; leaf shutters ALWAYS open fully so you don't get this problem. But from what people say (RUclips), the shutter speed does allow in ambient, non flash light, so if you just want flash, you set this so no ambient is captured; then the iso takes over, in determining brightness of the scene.
Thank you for the clarification. We believe Chris was speaking in general terms if you are within the flash sync range of your camera.
Yeah, you can guess and shoot and guess and shoot (unlike the Chrome Age when film co$t!!!) and you can always ‘fix’ it in post… but the extra effort to get the exposure RIGHT with latest tech is just the PROFESSIONAL way to do things!
Agreed. Its better to get it right as soon as you can.
Sekonic,please video about Landscape Photography,thank you!
We'll pass this along to our team, thank you for the feedback!
The warm look looks cool 😅.
Thank you.
I want to be like you when I grow up🙌
We appreciate you. Thank you.
Absolutely love using a light meter. I don't understand the hate behind them. Faster more consistent results. What more can one ask for?
We agree, and appreciate you Juny.
It is hard for me to trust my neater, here’s why I point the meter at the light and got a reading, then I more than doubled the power and put the meter and the same place and got the same reading this happened several times so I bought a 2nd m and the same thing occurs. What am I doing wrong
I'm trying to be eveil and critize this but I cant, cant find a single flaw. Well done ! I thought I knew something about exposure but after watching this video I realized I didn't.
Cameras don't only average exposure information. Cameras evaluate the light of a scene depending on what metering mode you select. If you select matrix metering the camera will average out the entire scene. If you select spot metering the camera will only give you a representative light value reading for that spot, which normally only cover a 5% to 1% area where the spot is located.
Also the reason why his shots were underexposed slightly even after taking a meter reason is that most lens's aperture readings are not completely accurate. It varies from lens to lens but more often than not your lens often around 1/3rd a stop off (and can vary, depending on the lens). So if you think you are getting F2.8 you are really getting f3.2 or to be more specific T3.2. To solve this issue you would need to use exposure compensation in the meter.
Complicated stuff if you're not familiar with it and when the guy in the video is not being 100% clear.
Great explanation! Chris did a great job giving an overview, and we want to keep this video simple for beginners. More advanced videos to come.
Will I need this to photograph art with a 50 mm?
A light meter will help make sure your lighting is even across the painting.
I understand this is a studio and he can add fill flash on the other side so he can measure both flashes and put it in the middle, but if you're outside and have high contrast situations, shouldn't you measure toward the camera to get in the middle of dark and light side of face as if you measure toward the sun other side will be underexposed?
The goal of metering sometimes isn't only for exposure, but also to balance lights. So if the sunny side is over exposed, you can ad light to the other side to balance it out, and use the meter to dial in the ratio or relative exposure difference.
It a judgment call, there is no right or wrong way. If you expose for the highlight Side you preserve your highlights, and if you expose for for the shadow side you may blow our your highlights but see more detail in the shadows. In this scenerio I would expose for the highlight side and fill in the shadows.
im confused with exposure...people on you tube try to compare cameras to justify what they bought....they say that say there is a difference between cropped to full frame to large format....if that is true why doesn't the light meter have a button to switch the camera you are using??
Each camera will have an ISO, A shutter speed, and an aperture. A light meter allows you to enter two values and give you the third.
You’re no Lindsay Adler 😂😂. Just teasing. Great video, very informative
Lindsay Adler and Chris are a couple in the real life !
@@jean-claudemuller3199 I know. That’s why I made the comment with the laughing 😂 emoji
Thanks for the support and the playful tease! Glad you enjoyed the video!
I love my meter!
Thank you for sharing your love for the meter! It's great to hear you're happy with it.
Dear @Sekonic
Team, Thank you for all of your Videos. But why is the Myth about the 18% grey still valid? I am using the L-858 (love it sooo much!!) and for Spotmetering in the Specs is written for Spot: K = 12,5 which means Spot is calibrated for 12,5% Grey. This is 1/2 Stop Difference to 18% grey. The Incident Methode is calibrated by Light, C=340 with extended and C=250 with retracted Lumisphere. 18% Grey is not the middle of the Histogram. 50% grey is the middle with Tonevalue 128/128/128. Why not stop and break the Myth about 18% Grey Calibration?? 😊
Qiuck question, probably to you Seconic people - I'm having this situation, where the measurements are giving me underexposed photos, no metter what system I'm using. Had this issue with Nikon DSLR, now I'm having same thing with Sony mirrorless. It's usually -0,5 to -0,7. Am I doing something wrong? I'm using L-508. Thanks :-) To Chris - it's interesting to watch, how gradually you go from explaining technical stuff to focusing on the photo itself. It seems you get drawn to photography, and less and less think about technical aspects ;-)
Do you position the meter with the dome facing the light source? That is correct. Don't aim to the camera. Next, verify your meter's accuracy using an 18% gray card. The peak of the 18% patch should align precisely in the middle of the histogram. If you find that your shots are still underexposed, consider calibrating the light meter specifically for your equipment.
You can contact customer support and have you meter sent in for calibration. To know if it is user error we would need to see how you are meter, what the lighting situation is.
The light falloff is not exponetiell as mentioned. It is quadratic only. double distance => one quarter of light. 4 times nearer, 16 times more light. On a logarithmic scale +1 stop is doubling the light.
Repass your math… 😉
You are not right as the photographer controls mostly light falloff with the edge vignetting of the modifier, distance falloff is seldom used alone and sometime as a mix, so math is not able to assess the falloff, only feeling of the photographer
Years ago I made a chart for speed lights and posted it online, which got quite a buzz. It was a guide that works off these principles you bring up, allows the photographer to look at the distance he has his light setup and choose a power setting..it goes something like this. At 32’ Full power, 16’ 1/2 power, 8’ 1/4 power, 4’ 1/16power, 2’ 1/64 power, 1’ 1/256 power ..full disclaimer those distances and power outputs might be off, but could be figured out. Those are perfect exposures, if one needs darker or brighter just move the light distance (easy) or change the power output at the current distance. I haven’t done this with studio lights but your comment reminded me i should make a chart for these as well. Those in the reply’s to your comment show they don’t know how to use lights properly, if a subject is at both 2’ and 4’ away from the light source it will be brighter at 2 and darker at 4, just as if the light is at 16’ and the subject is 16’ and 18’ away from the light it will be more evenly lit because math always works.
@@jean-claudemuller3199 Of course, all additional effect have to be added. But the "inverse square law" is always there.
@@therealBocaStudios Can you provide those charts?
Really need this
We are glad you found it helpful!
Chris you look like Davey Havok :)
.
Oops, cameras typically have reflective light meters.
Yes any camera meter through the lens is reflective.
@@SekonicGlobal Yes, I know that. I was pointing out the error in the video.
Sorry my photographic friend, you don't need a grey card behind a flash meter with the 18% dome facing the light source.
Gray Card can be used as a sanity check when viewing histogram and in post for White Balance Adjustment for that specific lighting setup.
@@rzorrilla52 Yes, but only if you capture a photo from that position. ;) I agree with @mibophoto. However, it's possible that he did so out-of-habit to shield the eyes of the model from the bright light, especially if he always uses a flash in his photography.
Chris is using the 18% as a known value so when looking at the picture he is taking of the model holding up the 18% grey card you can see he is getting a correct exposure. The grey card is not part of his metering technique, but a tool to show where a properly exposed 18% grey will appear on the histogram.
Sorry my photographic friend, but he never said or suggest that you need it.
Comprehension problems 😂
@@Roman_4x5 It is naturally confusing for people watching this video. Chris consistently places the gray card behind the meter when he takes a measurement. That's not necessary and seems more like a habit as I mentioned earlier. Photographing a gray card can be useful if you want an extra check to see if you've made a correct measurement, but that shouldn't be necessary with this meter.
the meter has not helped me understand anything. it just gives me the answer like a hand-held calculator
How can we help you. What are you trying to understand?
really sorry but this is one of the most boring videos that I have ever watched....a lot of talk and mistakes!
We want to mix in some long-form content that slows things down a bit based on the extensive feedback we have received from users. Sorry, this was not for you. Looking forward to your feedback on future videos.
Amazing, well done.
Thank you so much for your kind words!
It was painful to listen to the explanation. If you used, every time, the actual f numbers, you would not get lost in illustrating your point.
We hope we have other content you enjoy. Chris is an amazing teacher and huge asset to the photo community.
just beautiful learned a lot @chrisknightphoto .
Thank you so much! I'm glad you found the video helpful.
@@SekonicGlobal its incredible I saw his at studio last week I said Oh My God!!! this is amazing definitely wow great I can even measure shadow :) .