How to Use a Digital Light Meter
Whether you are a professional photographer or just like to take good pictures, proper lighting is an essential component for success. Changing light at a location, or altering light for different effects can be difficult if you do not accurately measure the light intensity on your subject. Using a digital light meter takes the guess work out of camera settings to capture that perfect shot.
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Things You'll Need
- Manual (or manual override option)
- Digital or film single-lens reflex (SLR) camera
- Light source
Instructions
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Compose your photograph by looking through the eye piece on the camera and focusing on the object you want to capture. Determine whether you are using available light, a flash or studio lighting. Set the digital meter to ambient if you are not using a flash or studio lights, and digital if you are. This setting is necessary for accurate incident and reflected light range measurements.
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Set the ISO (film speed) according to the type and amount of light you will be using on the digital meter. Low settings (100, 200) are common for flash and studio lighting, while higher settings (400, 800 and up) are generally used for outdoor and stop-action photography.
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Using the meter, measure the distance between the camera and the object you want to photograph. With some older meters, you need to place the meter at the object for an accurate reading. Newer digital meters allow you to measure by looking through a viewfinder to pinpoint the center of your composition. Other meters allow you to view and focus on one point through a viewfinder to assist in creating or altering the depth-of-field or light intensity for visual effects.
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The LED screen on the digital meter will display the proper camera shutter speed and aperture settings for your photograph based on your lighting and desired effects.
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Tips & Warnings
Using a tripod to mount your camera on and a remote shutter release will eliminate most incidents of movement that may cause your photos to come out blurry.
Using an ISO higher than 800 can result in grainy photos if you do not have the proper lighting. You can set many digital meters to determine the ISO before or along with the other camera settings if needed.
