Everytime I watch one of your videos i'm like "He's gonna say IT, he's gonna say IT!!!" because by now, I know there are levels to this.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

LOL! Love it! Sometimes I cant help myself.

Ab, you are an excellent educator! You are organized, provide examples of what you are teaching and your presentation skills are top notch. As I was watching the part in your video about mixed lighting I thought about how it applies to outdoor environmental portraiture. Many on the net who shoot outside portraiture are preaching that the shutter speed simply doesn't matter when using flash, but your in studio demonstration clearly shows how it works. You do a lot of work to present these videos to us. Thank you!

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

Thank you, Rick. I really appreciate the feedback. I was wrong about one thing in this and its that 18% Grey is the fourth grey patch. Sorry, I missed that detail. Again I appreciate the feedbvack.

@thomastuorto9929

4 ай бұрын

@@AbSesayPhotoSee, and I thought it was the third from the left. As always, excellent vid. Really, always a pleasure!

Thank you so much!!! Always a pleasure to watch your videos

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Appreciate you. Thank you Andre.

This is so helpful. Thanks for sharing, Abe! Looking toward to seeing your next video!

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

Thank you. I also have a playlist of past videos as well.

Thanks for the tutorial. I ordered my first light meter a couple of days ago. I can't wait to try some of the techniques.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Definitely let me know if you have any questions.

Using a meter always gives me the reassurance that I need to have the perfect exposure! Very informative video! Thanks man

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Thank you, and you are very welcome. Appreciate your feedback.

Bravo! I never watch any KZread videos twice in a row, the information is so thorough I watched it twice. #nicework

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Man, this really makes my day. Thank you so much!

Wonderful breakdown, thanks!

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Thank you

Thank you! A fabulous tutorial!

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

You're welcome. Appreciate you.

Most informational video. Love it ❤

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Great, Ab! I think where I live, I’m the only one that still use a Light Meter. Thank you for this video.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

THey are rarer these days but they will always be a part of my kit.

Excellent video , thank u

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Yor very welcome steve.

Awesome!

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Thank You.

Great presentation. Well done. Thanks.

@AbSesayPhoto

2 ай бұрын

Thank you.

Thank you for the video.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

You are very welcome.

Absolutely the best light meter video that I've seen. Class is now in session. You taught us things that we didn't even know that we didn't know-🤣🤣. Thank you!

@AbSesayPhoto

22 күн бұрын

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.

Thanks for the information. Still trying to decide if a light meter is a good way to go. I like your break down.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Any questions let me know. I learned lighting with one, and its imperative for my workflow.

@LevonMyles

6 ай бұрын

@@AbSesayPhoto Thanks Ab

@fredwindholz828

5 ай бұрын

Great video AB! I noticed you had the dome retracted when meter g the model. I always thought that when meter g a 3 dimensional subject you keep the dome out and when metering a flat object you use the retracted dome. What is the correct rule?

THANK YOU !!!!!

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

Your welcome

I watched this video, and it provided a little more clarity on metering, but in practicality, whether you use ambient sunlight or a continuous LED light, the principle is the same. I remember watching a bunch of Joe Brady videos using pocket wizards and a Sekonic 358, as well as a ton of Gavin Hoey videos. The 858 can give you a flash percentage contribution as well, which can be used with any source of ambient light. Without question, using light metering makes a huge difference in a properly lit photo.

@AbSesayPhoto

4 ай бұрын

Agreed Katie. Well said.

Great video! Thank you very much for that. If you do not mind, I would like to ask a question about the telezoom reflector. At 11:05 you are metering up and down the model to make sure the light is falling off and is not bright on her chest or on her head. Does that imply that the center spot of the reflector is aimed above the model's head in order to get that continuous fall off?

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Great EYE! Yes, it's aimed so the bright part is at the top of her head and slightly above.

Found videos, thanks still would appreciate your own channel. you are a great instructor. its nice to see your work flow.

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. I am working on a youtube channel as well. I really enjoy my Adorama Family as well.

Sooooo gooooddd

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Thank you.

🔥🔥🔥

@AbSesayPhoto

23 сағат бұрын

Thank you

Bravo

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

Thank you.

Great presentation and the model is stunningly beautiful.

@AbSesayPhoto

2 ай бұрын

Thank yoiu.

Great video Ab. I noticed in the video that you were using the L-858 most of the time with the dome retracted. Does this give you a more accurate reading when using strobes? Or maybe dome out when metering mixed lighting?

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

I like to keep the dome retracted because I measure each light individually. and it blocks any stray light that may be coming in from the side, but not adding to the exposure on the surface it is hitting.

Thank you! Do you calibrate your meter? Any ideas on how to “validate” the calibration? I went to a photo workshop and was puzzled since the same settings in different camera brands produced different results (canon, nikon and fuji).

@davidausterberry3297

6 ай бұрын

The lenses don't have equal light transmission. That's why cinematographers use T-stops (transmission) rather than f-stops.The f-stop is the focal length divided by the diameter of the entrance pupil of the lenses. Different lenses designs have different light losses,= whereas the f-stop assumes 100% light transmission.. For a given f-stop a prime with 4 elements will have different transmittance to a zoom with 15 elements. That's why you saw different results with different lenses.

@ThatManDWill

6 ай бұрын

​@davidausterberry3297 So is it safe to say that you can't use a light meter for video exposure?

@jimowens8105

6 ай бұрын

It would seem logical to photograph an 18% grey card using aperture priority and compare your camera's settings against your light meter result. This would of course only apply to constant light. For flash It would then be possible to take a picture of same grey card using flash. Set your camera to ttl for one image and another set your flash manually based on your light meter. Then compare the images in your software of choice. The luninance values shoud be identical. Calibrating the meter would be a question for the manufacturer.

@PaulAnthony2009

6 ай бұрын

I've had similar experiences, so I use light meter to get me in the ballpark and then fine tune with my eyes.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

@@davidausterberry3297 Well said.

Hi,do you use the optimize exposition (+1 diaf 1/3) ,always or never ? thanks a lot for your answer, Ab.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Hi Claud, I don't fully understand the question. Is there another way you can ask it., I apologize for any inconvenience.

@claudeperiez985

6 ай бұрын

Hello AB, Sorry, I was not very clear in my question: do you optimize the exposure of + 1stop 1/3 to the shooting when y you use your flashes, having set a linear profile for your GFX, on Capture One(ex: aperture chosen on your GFX 100 II:f5,6 and programmed aperture on the main light f5,6+1 stop 1/3 :f9) to expose the most "to the right" to get the maximum information in the highlights, then develop the Raw? IF YES, when do you do it? If NO ,why don’t you use this method? Thank you for your answer,AB. I appreciate ,at most to the point,your clear and effective explanations that you state in your videos... Best regards Claude (from France).

Do you use the ColorChecker passport at all or just the full size? What are the pros and cons of both?

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

I use the passport on a regular basis. The passport is more portable gives you more charts comes with a protective case, and is great for small still life shots. The larger one is great when you want to be pulled back a bit farther or shoot a wider angle as it will be larger in the frame.

Thanks Ab, very informative and as always I learned a lot! Of course I still have a question... I have an L-508 Zoom Master which I bought used in the 90's and it is still rocking. However, I am interested in the new technology to know if it offers any improvements. I see that you are using a stylist to adjust the L-858 and the L-478. Is this just for the video so the audiance can see the adjustments or is there another reason?

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

Is for the video. When initially doing the shots the videographer let me know with my hands it was impossible to see the screen. It's pressure sensitive so stylist works better than fat fingers, but fat fingers still work but some people complain about the screen not being as sensitive as an iPhone.

@jimowens8105

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the reply Ab and for all the fantastic content 👍. That's what I thought would be the reason. I use Flashpoint lights with my camera in an elevated position so my logic goes like this... The 308 is a step down from my 508. The 478 is a slight improvement, but it can't control my transmitter, so I'd use a Godox app on my phone which I am doing now. The 858 can do it all and control my transmitter.

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

@@jimowens8105 yes the L-858 will trigger the Godox light, but you have to put the camera trigger in App or they actually have a Metering mode so that the transmitter on the camera doesn't reset the lights from the adjustments you made on the meter.

I wish that Sekonic will update the Sekonic l-858 to change the iso settings like the Sekonic l-758 settings because as of right now this Sekonic l-858 I just spent my money on is not for filmmakers it’s for photographers. And Sekonic still haven’t posted a video or anything about how to operate it for filming. Just a bunch of photography stuff I mean what is the issue?

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Hi Quinn The meter was designed with filmmakers in mind. It has a Cine and DSLR Cine mode and allows for you to enter different frame rates as well as shutter angles. Plus is 3 stops more sensitive than the L-758 in incident light mode. I do wish it had the two iso buttons to quickly switch back and forth, and I'm also a huge fan of buttons as well. Ab- Sekonic

Modelling lights don't turn off when the strobe flashes? I wonder if that was affecting my photos more than the ambient light, when I was using a slow ss. Something I was surprised was when you said the middle image is the correct exposure, it looked a little dark to me. I would have thought that between the middle and the one on the left would be more correct. We had a lot of trouble with exposure in our lighting class. Especially between shooting and printing - we weren't allowed to edit. Things always print darker.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

For some strobes, you can have the modeling light turn off as soon as the strobe flashes, but it stays on in many. Plus a tungsten modeling light wouldn't turn off fash enough if using a high ISO. THe middle exposure is technically correct, but you have the lenses which can be off by up to half a stop, and then the processing of the image is also a major factor. I would say that artistic exposure is purely subjective and an art form. For instance night scenes in movies some scenes may be under by 1 to 2 stops for creative effect. When you git it right you get the highest dynamic range from the camera to play around with later in the post.

I love that he put the cost in the comments!!

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Good to know. Thank you for the feedback.

Do you have any workshop for setup lights in the studio

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

I am planning a workshop for this year. Probably in the spring. I will be at Shutter Fest this year.

Can you do a video where you discuss the break down of the modeling lamp/light? So many flash units are coming with the modeling lamp.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Hi Levon. Great question. Most modeling lights simply give you an idea of where the light is pointing. You can turn it on or off change the brightness depending on the brand. Most LED modeling lights are not user accessible if they were ever to not work, but the life of an LED is very long. Most incandescent modeling lights allow you to easily swap them out.

All videos I see about light meters deal with models or subject that don't move a lot. How do you use a light meter when photographing moving subjects? Sports? Concerts?

@MyF1Scuderia

26 күн бұрын

Short answer, You Don't! Metering for Studio photography with light's is completely different than fast moving Subjects in Sports or Constant changing lighting environments such as Concerts or Runway Fashion where you can only use ambient light! any flashes you'll probably be shown to the door. You better be on top of the game so to speak and know your camera and as fast as you can adjust your f/stop & shutter speeds on the fly! Your ISO should be pretty constant in these types of environments whether is day/light or Night/dark. Have Fun & Keep Shooting

@AbSesayPhoto

22 күн бұрын

I guess its a simple answer but each situation has instances that can be complex. A meter simply tells you the amount of light hitting a location. You can use a spot meter to tell you what exposre it would take to make whatever you see 18% gray, and then you have to do the math regarding how much you should over or under expose. If something should be white you would normally over expose 2-3 stops or if it shoudl be black you would under expose by the same amount. This is a very course description of the zone system. Tryign to give a short answer to question that has many different situations or factors to consider. Sorry for it being somewhat incomplete.

Offtopic: What kind of stand or fixture do you use for attaching the iPad? Could anyone from Adorama or the photographer elaborate on that? Thanks. ;)

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

It's a magnetic pad. I will check on the brand.

@marcperino

5 ай бұрын

@@AbSesayPhoto that would be nice. This looks interesting. Thank you.

Hi. Maybe a tutorial on using the light-meter?

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

What would you to see specifically? This could be a series for sure. But starting with the foundation of exposure and the basic use in this video is important, but I agree there is a lot more.

@ernestotapiav

6 ай бұрын

@@AbSesayPhoto well, like basics of how to use one? I have a seikonic 308DC, for about 8 years with me. And no idea how to use it.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

@@ernestotapiav this video didn't help at all on how? I was trying to explain that you plug in your ISO and shutter or when metering flash the meter will give you your aputure. Or plus in your iso and aperture and the meter would give you your shutter speed. I would recommend an in-person workshop. Or maybe ask a local photographer to show you in person. It can be much easier that way.

Unless they changed the color checker values 18% is the value of that fourth grayscale box. White/90%, light neutral gray/60%, light-middle neutral gray/36% THEN middle gray/18%. The whole box. Not in between.

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

Great catch. I thought there was a slight difference, and looking again by eye you are correct, I will triple-check with Calibrite. But I do belive you are right.

Good to summarise, Ab, "exposure" first and then cut to "light meter basics". What's next? Dome up or down, and how to point the dome, especially when up? Note that ISO is not an acronym or abbreviation but a word (from the classical Greek "isos" that means equivalent or same). So, when you say I-Ass-Oh it's not good - easy to remember, right? EyeSo. You find "iso" in words like "isobar" that meteorologists use on their weather maps to connect points of equal pressure, or "isotherm" for a line connecting points of equal temperature. What most people don't know, is that the ISO institute (that defines everyday and scientific "units") never defined "correct exposure". This means when we compare today's cameras that we can get differently exposed images if we take one brand/model's measurement and set that on the other one. Naive fluencers then would say that one of them over- or under-exposes and that's [male bovine excrement]. So it's not true - they also forget the difference between f/stop and T-stop, plus the aperture breathing that matches your lens's focus breathing (for which we applied a "bellows extension correction factor" way back before TTL metering when shooting medium or large format). These are important with a discrete meter, though, still today. In the past, Kodak de facto defined "correct exposure" and other film manufacturers followed that (generally). Today, your Sekonic meter is the best keeper of Kodak's gold standard of correct exposure. This drives to another point, Sekonic have a calibration target (or at least had one) and this allows you to calibrate your camera - important when you use different brands next to each other. In doing so, you could also calibrate your lenses as a way to figure out their T-stop. And you could set up tests to figure out the exposure correction needed when focusing closer by than infinity. Dynamic Range is also a use case for the Sekonic meter and a calibration target with the matching software to interpret it. What we call Dynamic Range (DR) in digital today, is the camera's operating range in light levels in the same way the camera has an operating range in temperatures. But DR is not available completely in one shot. What actually is available in one shot is the camera's Contrast Envelope (CE). And it's good to figure that out for one's camera, and transfer the measured CE to the Sekonic meter. My 758 had the camera's CE on its display since I calibrated it.

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

Very Smart, great advice. I've been told this many times, and for some reason, my mouth still spits out I S O. I'll try harder for sure. There is definitely a lot to review. I did go over dome up vs dome down in the previous video, but I do need to work on a full series for sure that is linear.

@jpdj2715

6 ай бұрын

@@AbSesayPhoto - You called this video "basics" and and it is, so this lays the basis for a sequel. It does not have to be linear in time, Ab, you might just call this video light metering part 1 and the older one part 2. These could be bundled into a playlist. Etc.

@CyclopsPhotog

6 ай бұрын

​@absesayphoto I'd like to see more on three calibration of the meter. Thanks for all the great videos.

@jimowens8105

6 ай бұрын

Great video Ab.👍 FWIW... I am old enough to remember selecting film based on the ASA/DIN standard of sensetivity. This was replaced in 197? (just to confuse us) by the International Organization for Standardization ISO 5800:2001. This is the same organization that sets standards for Quality Systems, Environmental, Safety, Mechanical, Electrical Yada yada yada. They use the acronym ISO, which to my knowledge is the source of the sensor sensativity settings in imaging cameras. @@AbSesayPhoto

@AbSesayPhoto

6 ай бұрын

@@jimowens8105 I like to say there are Levels to this, and man your knowledge is clearly on another level. Thank you for sharing.

Probably a bit too over the top for someone wanting to step into very simple light meter use, but the time lapse in this video at about 12" was really nauseating. Lots of information for me to digest however. FWIW I'm looking at a Sekonic L458.

@AbSesayPhoto

5 ай бұрын

Sorry if it was a bit over the top. Metering is one of those things where once you make it over the hump it all starts to make sense. Sorry about the timelapse I totally understand. If you have any questions I do check back often.

@danielcohen9656

5 ай бұрын

@@AbSesayPhoto The content is amazing, that's why I sat through the time lapse! 😂 Might have gone a tad quick for me, but it was wonderfully explained and I'll go through it again when I'm holding the L458 soon!