Old timer at the camera swap told me to stop using a light meter and trust my gut.

I ignored him for 6 months until I shot a whole roll of Portra 400 at golden hour with the meter off and every single frame was dead on, so I guess he was right, but has anyone else found their meter just lies to them sometimes?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethanderson2d ago

Man, I COMPLETELY disagree with that old timer! Light meters exist for a REASON, and throwing that tool away is like a carpenter ditching his tape measure because he "feels" the wood is exactly 4 feet. Your gut is great for a lot of things, but it's not a precision instrument, especially when you're dealing with tricky mixed lighting or you're trying to nail a specific look with slide film. If you're shooting Portra, sure, it's forgiving, but try that with Velvia 50 where a half stop off ruins the whole color balance. Your meter isn't "lying" to you, you just need to learn how to read it properly and spot when it's being fooled by a scene.

skyler_kim152d ago

Lol @sethanderson you said it perfectly, meters just need practice.