Light Metering

Another huge thing that I learned at the workshop is how to use a light meter. I feel like saying, "scrap all my other rolls, now I am cooking!" Okay, so I am excited. Almost as excited as when I first sent in a couple rolls to Richards and was convinced they would come back looking like the best stuff in the whole world only to have my high hopes dashed to pieces. The only reason my hopes are not that high again is because I love to learn from my mistakes and not get on that roller coaster! I thought I knew how you use a light meter because I have used one before, but Jon taught us how to expose for the shadows so that you aren't losing any detail in the shadows and it basically is the same as overexposing the film by one stop. Before I was metering in camera and so I can't really say how the actual exposure was turning out, ya know? It seems like getting really good at exposing film correlates highly with getting really comfortable with your light meter. So I bought one! Hurrah! Jon told us about a website called keh.com where he buys all his used stuff on the cheap. I bought a light meter that retails for $600 for $250 in the bargain bin! Once I get that I am really tempted to practice using it with my digital camera as well to compare the results and get my exposures spot on. I can look at the back of a camera but still sometimes struggle with exposure, HELLO!!

Oh yah, how to use the light meter, so Jon would how the light meter at a 45% angle toward the ground and that was the trick. Seeing him do it over and over the whole workshop was very cool. I think I could do it when I get mine. Simple yah? Very cool!