Sekonic Blog

Measuring Light for Pinhole Photography

Ron Egatz — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:31:18 +0000

Bob St. Cyr was granted the Canadian Association of Photographic Arts Maple Leaf and Associate Fellowship Awards for photographic achievement, service and exceptional contributions to photography. Bob has also won national and international awards for his photography. Although Bob is familiar with digital photography and employs it from time-to-time, he primarily prefers to work with medium and large film format lens and pinhole cameras. He also enjoys the challenge of constantly working to better himself not only as a photographer but as a darkroom craftsman from processing his film to black and white printing. His work has appeared in Canadian Camera Magazine, Pinhole Photography, and Photo Life Magazine, among other publications. What follows are his thoughts on measuring light for pinhole photography.

©Bob St. Cyr

Even before I added pinhole imaging to my fine-art photographic practice, I saw the value in having a handheld light metre. My first light metre was the Sekonic L-408, which is a great metre with a fixed 5° spot as well as the incident dome. Some of the things I like about this metre aside from its technical offerings is the fact that it operates with a simple AA battery, is light-weight and of modest size. Eventually, I traded up to the L-508 and finally to the L-608.

Because I work with medium and large format lens and pinhole cameras, I purchased the L-408 again, so I have two meters to work with, depending upon which gear I am working with. However, I tend to keep the L-608 primarily with my Toyo large format gear because of the 1° spot option. Both metres cover most of my exposure needs and do so quite readily and easily.

In my case, using a light metre, has becomes a common part of making images. It is a normal part of my workflow, just like toning prints for D-Max and optimum permanence completes my silver-gelatin fibre printing process. I try not to look at using a light metre or toning fibre prints as a time burden because they are important steps to finishing a print and correctly interpreting light for exposures that help translate my inner visualisation.

Now when working with pinhole cameras, of course, “There is an app for that,” and you can purchase or print off exposure calculators from the Internet. Occasionally I have used these instruments, but over time, I find my metres are what I rely upon to help interpret the light necessary to capture pinhole images upon film and paper. Nevertheless, pinhole photography requires f-stops exposures beyond the Sekonic’s range, so what can I do? Here is where some understanding of how f/stops and exposure times relate to photography, lens and pinhole comes in handy.

©Bob St. Cyr

Typically, I will take readings at the maximum f/stop of the metre, i.e., f/90 or f/128. From here, I consider the f/stop of the particular pinhole camera I am working with and extrapolate the exposure and add a little more time for reciprocity failure. Or, I can take the metre reading for a given ISO and line up the corresponding exposure on a pinhole exposure calculator. For instance, Let us assume the following:

Using the Sekonic L-408
ISO three, direct-positive fibre paper from Ilford
Pinhole camera with an focal length of 100mm and an f/stop of 250
Early evening overcast at the ocean

I take a metre reading at f/90. I know that the next f/stop is f/128, then f/180 … f/250 … f/360 …. The correct exposure for f/250 is plus three stops from f/90.

At f/90, the meter suggests an exposure for, say, for four minutes. I know I need three stops above the metre, therefore f/90 @ four minutes = f/128 @ eight minutes = f/180 @ 16 minutes and finally it equals f/250 and 32 minutes plus a few more minutes to compensate for any reciprocity failure and the darkening of the sky at dusk. Remember that in photographic exposure calculations as the f/stop doubles so does the exposure time. I usually just make a quick calculation in my head, but you can also match f/90 @ four minutes with a corresponding exposure time for f/250 on a pinhole exposure scale. One other important step (which I don’t always do), is to keep notes in a small notebook or audio with a recording device for later reference when looking at prints or film. In the case of a difficult lighting situation, thankfully both of my metres allow for multiple spot readings which can then be averaged.

When working with black & white papers and films, I have some exposure latitude, but when photographing with transparency film, I have little room for exposure variation and thus, the Sekonic becomes even more valuable because the cost of purchasing and processing transparency film is very high. Even with metering, pinhole photography is not an exact process, which makes it somewhat artistically unique, challenging but enjoyable. I believe there is something significant to be said for the immediate unknown … for patience … for critical thinking … for anticipation when waiting for paper or film to be processed.

The light metre is a tool that provides a good starting point from which to extrapolate an exposure. I do not always get this right, but when I do, the results are very satisfying. And by reviewing my notes, and the lighting conditions, I can somewhat fine tune my lighting protocols for given scenes under a particular type of lighting. Clear sunny days are probably the easiest to metre, since the exposures are generally consistent. I think light interpretations with the assistance of my Sekonic metres helps me as an artist relate what I see to others through images people can hold in their hands.

I also use a Mamiya C330f, a lens camera for which a hand-held light metre is very important since the camera has no metre itself.

©Bob St. Cyr

This image was made on Ilford’s direct positive 4×5 fibre paper. The exposure took 37 minutes f/250 with the camera’s focal length was 100mm.

See more of Bob St. Cyr’s work on his site, PhotoBob’s Atelier, and RedBubble. Follow him on Twitter and Flickr.

The meters Bob still relies on are discontinued. The latest version of Sekonic’s spot-reflected and incident meter is the L-758DR.

All images and quotes in this post are used with permission and ©Bob St. Cyr, all rights reserved; story is ©Sekonic. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or repost elsewhere without written permission

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Rob Duncan’s First Shoot Using a Handheld Light Meter

M. Gertz — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:23:25 +0000

If you’ve always relied on your in-camera meter or histogram and are comfortable with your workflow, change can be hard to take. Aspiring portrait and wedding photographer Rob Duncan had been shooting for 3 years before he decided to take the plunge and invest in a hand held light meter, the Sekonic L-358, all in the name of efficiency.

After watching a number of tutorials on Sekonic, Snapfactory, MAC-On-Campus, and AdoramaTV, Rob tackled his first shoot, a portrait session with Alexandria.

As you can see, after all that learning, Rob was ready to meet a variety of lighting conditions with confidence. He says that his interest in the L-358 stemmed from a desire to see just how much he could speed up the setup process. Now, he reports that “not only has it made my workflow quicker it also makes me look a bit more pro…” One of the eye-opening features for him has been the ability to see exactly how much light the flash is contributing when working in mixed light situations.

It’s been made a permanent feature in Rob’s portraiture gear bag and he’s considering getting his hands on the PocketWizard module, the RT-32N, so he can trigger his off-camera flashes.

See more of Rob’s work on robduncanphotography.co.uk. Connect with him on flickr.

All images and quotes in this post are used with permission and ©Rob Duncan, all rights reserved; story is ©Sekonic. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or re-post elsewhere without written permission.

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Barnstorm: The Eddie Adams Workshop XXVI

Ron Egatz — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:28:46 +0000

The Eddie Adams Workshop would like to announce the 26th Workshop, which will be held October 11-14, 2013 in New York. The workshop is an intense four-day gathering of the top professionals in photojournalism, along with 100 carefully selected students.

The workshop’s purpose is to create a forum in which an exchange of ideas, techniques, and philosophies can be shared between both established members and newcomers of the profession.

The only tuition-free workshop of its kind, 100 students are accepted based on the merit of their portfolios from a pool of college students, professionals with three years or less experience, and U.S. military photographers.

Applications will be accepted until May 31, 2013.

October 11-14, 2013
Jeffersonville, New York

All who qualify should apply at www.eddieadamsworkshop.com.

Eddie Adams Workshop on Facebook.

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Tommy Næss’ Season of Portraiture

M. Gertz — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:43:33 +0000

Tommy Næss is an amateur photographer living in Oslo who says, “photography is about catching moments, situations and people – as a part of everyday life as I’m living it.” Seeking a little more structure, Tommy has embarked on a portrait-a-week project in order to get some experience in planning shoots and communicating with subjects.

Using Tri-X black and white film that he develops himself, Tommy is going for a documentary style. Why film? Aside from the slower pace of the work and the style, Tommy admits to being a “hopeless nostalgic when it comes to analogue cameras and techniques.”

Since his Hasselblad 503 doesn’t have a built in meter, Tommy uses one of his handheld meters, either the Sekonic L-308S or L-358. The L-358 is his favorite since its easy to use with one hand.

Tommy is getting some great results and manages to make his subjects look fascinating. This project will take him through to the end of June and he plans to start again this September. Keep up with him at tommynaess.org.

All images and quotes in this post are used with permission and ©Tommy Næss, all rights reserved; story is ©Induro. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or re-post elsewhere without written permission.

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Jorge Queiroz: Graphic Design Meets Photography

M. Gertz — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:27:46 +0000

Graphic designers often make great photographers. They already have a fine tuned eye for composition and color and once they get the more technical bits down, they’re off and running. Jorge Queiroz is no exception. We first ran into his work on flickr, where a Sekonic L-758DR on a poppy lime green background caught our eye.

He says that his graphic design background taught him to “see the details in things” and to see just how much you can do “using just a few objects, working with light, color, shape, and composition.” As an added bonus, he found that it made communicating with art directors easier since he knew the lingo!

While some photographers have tried to distance themselves from the super crisp and clean computer generated look by introducing noise, dust, or using vintage filters, Jorge has embraced it, saying:

“I like very clean, detailed images, with well balanced light and highlights in just the right place. I’m very interested in 3D imagery too and I’m happy when I create an almost artificial looking image, that when you see it you might think that maybe it’s done with CGI, not with a camera.”

Creating this style of imagery demands precision. He got along without using a light meter until he started using multiple light set ups. Then, he says, “everything changed.”

“Guessing the right f stop and the perfect lighting ratio wasn’t a reliable – it was time consuming and worst of all, I wasn’t able to store and reproduce the same lighting scenario on another day. When working with a white product or white background, things get even harder.”

Jorge did his research and got an L-758DR. He writes:

“With the light meter in my hands, things changed and got better! Now I was able to know the right exposure quickly and easily. Best of all, I was in control to check, determine and store the ratio between my key and fill light. All this details are important in creating a good and powerful product image, which unlike more artistic or subjective work, needs to be perfectly exposed – the white needs to be white and the black must be black!”

See more of Jorge’s work at jorgequeiroz.com and connect with him on flickr.

All images and quotes in this post are used with permission and ©Jorge Queiroz, all rights reserved; story is ©Sekonic. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or re-post elsewhere without written permission.

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Ian Brenes Sees the Light

Ron Egatz — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:16:48 +0000

Ian Brenes is a photographer in Vancouver, Washington whom I stumbled on while researching shooters on the Internet. When I found out he is only 21, I felt like I had stumbled in real life. His work is professional and mature far beyond his years. More than that, the writing on his blog is clear, informative, and valuable for photographers of any age. He is impressive, and we will be watching his career with anticipation.

It also turns out Brenes is simply a nice guy. He very happily was willing to break down a session of product photography he did with a pair of problematic footwear. Here is how he surmounted lighting issues and came up with a final shot, in his own words.

I work almost exclusively with off-camera, multi-light setups. Not only do I compose the subject, I compose the light as well. To create a realistic looking image, you have to be able to set your strobes in such a way they emulate the way real light would interact with the subject. With this added level of creativity comes a greater degree of difficulty to achieve an accurate exposure. As someone who aspires to one day get into high-end commercial photography, accuracy is everything. Even with shoots that I do for fun, I hold the mentality that there is no do-over, and so I aim to get everything as close to perfect in-camera as I possibly can. Having a light meter allows me to do this much more efficiently and easily because I am able to directly measure the output of each light source as well as get a 100% accurate overall exposure reading.

To illustrate the difference that metering can make, let’s do a shot comparison of a particularly difficult subject to work with: my Creative Recreation Cesario Lo’s in solar/black (solar being CR’s term for ridiculously bright yellow). Not only are they obnoxiously bright, large portions of the shoes are made out of a very shiny plastic material that reflects light easily. If I could compare it to anything I would say it was like shooting a car – the angles the lights hit had to be just right or else reflections would be cast all over the shoes.

Here is the original image, shot before I had a light meter:

©Ian Brenes

I used a four light setup consisting of a strip box on either side of the shoes, a beauty dish overhead, and a snooted and gelled strobe behind the shoes. I knew I wanted the strip boxes to be the main light and the beauty dish to be the fill. That way, any reflections appearing would be on the sides of the shoes instead of in front. Beyond that, I had to resort to trial and error, setting my camera to the highest sync speed and adjusting the aperture and strobe power levels between test shots. Not at all an efficient process, and as you can see, not very accurate. There are still blown out highlights, underexposed shadows, and the lighting is a bit uneven. Despite being such an unorthodox looking pair of shoes, they came out looking flat and dull. Overall the photo is nothing to write home about.

Now let’s look at the redone image:

©Ian Brenes

Highlight to shadow transitions are much smoother with no over- or underexposed areas. The colors are even, with no washed out areas, and fine details like the textures in the leather and stitching have been preserved. The shoes really pop and have a more three-dimensional look in this version. Although the background is different, I used the same lighting setup as before, which can be seen below:

©Ian Brenes

To create a slightly dramatic look and add to the depth of the shoes, I decided to go with a 4:1 lighting ratio, meaning the key light is two stops brighter than the fill. Again, I wanted to use the strip boxes for the key light because light reflections were pretty much unavoidable. Having the reflections appear on the sides does two things: one, it adds to the 3-D effect; and two, the view of the Creative Recreation logo on the strap and tongue remain unobstructed. I metered both strip boxes to double-check they had the same output, which happened to be f/8 with the camera being set at 1/200 shutter speed and ISO 100. Two stops down from f/8 is f/4, so I adjusted the distance and power level of the beauty dish until it metered at f/4. Next, I took a reading of all three lights to get the final exposure value of f/7.1. Since the gelled flash was set to its lowest power setting and zoomed all the way in, I did not bother to meter it since it did not affect the overall exposure significantly enough to warrant doing so.

The whole process of metering sounds a lot more complicated than it really is; all of it was done in about a minute or two and the results speak for themselves. When it comes to working with multiple light sources I would say using a light meter is a borderline necessity, especially when the subject you have is difficult to light properly. Lighting ratios, especially subtle ones, are difficult to visualize. Unless you have super light sensitive eyes, or get really lucky, you will not nail the exposure on the first shot…or the second…or the third. I have had my Sekonic L-358 meter for only about a month now, but I can easily say it is the most valuable piece of equipment I have invested in for that reason. It allows me to quickly and precisely adjust multiple lights and get a 100% accurate overall exposure the first time, every time — literally at the push of a button. However, as awesome as a light meter is, keep in mind that it is not a magical, cure-all solution. A light meter will guide you on how to expose an image, but it is entirely up to you to compose it.

As I mentioned earlier, I changed the background for the second shot. I thought the first one was too distracting and didn’t have enough contrast with the shoes, so I went with one darker and all one color instead. You probably noticed the change in the position of the shoes between the shots as well. Remember what I said about getting the angle just right so the reflections would be in a specific spot? That is exactly what I did. It took a few tries, but I eventually got the lights and shoes set in a position creating flattering reflections. The final change was the type of lens I used. The first image was shot with a 50mm f/1.2L lens, which I had just received in the mail and wanted to see what it could do. The second image was shot more appropriately with a 70-200mm f/2.8L lens, which allowed for a tighter frame from further away. I attribute the improved sharpness and visible details to the lens change. The 50mm is great – just not so much for shooting products.

In summary, a good imagination paired with a few speed lights and a light meter will allow you to create practically anything quickly and easily. The efficiency and accuracy metering provides is an invaluable asset, especially with the heavy use of off-camera lighting seen in commercial work. Rather than wasting time through trial and error, you are instead able to directly measure and control each individual light, take a test shot, and create a consistent, properly exposed set of images. By getting it right in camera you not only speed up the workflow, allowing you to take on more assignments, you also end up with better quality imagery, thereby wowing current clients and showing potential ones that you’ve got what it takes to make an awesome visual statement for their brand.

You can see more of Ian Brenes’ work under his studio, Clean Shot Imagery, on his blog, Facebook, Tumblr, and 500px.

All images and quotes in this post are used with permission and ©Ian Brenes, all rights reserved; story is ©Sekonic. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or repost elsewhere without written permission.

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Free Webinar: Perfect Exposure & Color in Landscape Photography

Joe Brady — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:27:17 +0000

Join host Joe Brady as he puts the combination of the Sekonic L-478 meter and the ColorChecker Passport to work out in the field to get perfect color and perfect exposure when shooting landscape photography.

In this free webinar, you will learn the benefits a handheld meter has over your camera’s metering and how creating a custom exposure profile can insure perfect exposures every time. Add to this the ColorChecker Passport’s ability to create a custom color profile for your Raw files and you will have the best starting point possible for your image edits.

Joe will also explain how to factor in filter compensations and some tips and techniques to get the most tonal range out of your camera’s sensor.

Perfect exposure and perfect color will give you the best digital image file as you create your Landscape Masterpiece.

This Webinar has been archived.

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Allison Earnest on Lighting for Product Photography

Ron Egatz — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:33:30 +0000

With the launch of Amazon.com in 1995, the online retail experience had arrived to stay. What the launch of that site also heralded was the decline of the tactile shopping experience. Without being able to hold a book or garden tool or necktie, the importance of excellent product photography was more evident than ever.

Allison Earnest has published a book with Amherst Media entitled Lighting for Product Photography. Many aspects of this critical area of photography are covered. The rear cover reads, in part:

Allison Earnest walks you through the process of photographing products for commercial applications, demonstrating how to light even the trickiest of shapes and surfaces for accurate, appealing images. Step-by-step images and ample setup shots show how theory translates into practice, making it easy to master each technique.

With no other book on the market quite like this guide, Earnest has clearly written it with a specific audience in mind. “It’s geared toward photography students and people photographers who wish to diversify their photographic skills and photograph products and ‘things’ for commercial purposes,” she says.

There are 24 case studies walking the reader through the process of how to photograph a variety of products or things, including as white subject matter on white backgrounds, black objects on black backgrounds, metal, embossing, fabric, glass, and much more. The latter part of the book is a step-by-step guide with many photo illustrations and set scenes for “putting it all together” when you have multiple products with props, each having their own photographic challenges.

Gear is covered in this thorough guide, including the Sekonic C-500 and the L-758DR. Earnest also covers how lights can be triggered via the latter meter in conjunction with PocketWizard radio triggers. She writes, “You must use a meter to measure the light falling on the subject.”

Earnest is a fan of shooting, not endless postproduction tweaking in Lightroom or Photoshop. “Our goal is to make a usable image at the time of capture—a shot that is as close to perfection as possible,” she writes.

Learn how to both save yourself time and dramatically increase the quality of your product photography with this critical book on the subject.

You can find Lighting for Product Photography on Amazon.com. Learn more about Allison Earnest on her site.

All images and quotes in this post are used with permission and ©Allison Earnest, all rights reserved; story is ©Sekonic. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or repost elsewhere without written permission.

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Be a Part of Future Presidents by Matthew Jordan Smith

M. Gertz — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:25:43 +0000

“If you had the chance, the opportunity, to inspire a future American president, would you?” This is the question photographer and lighting expert, Matthew Jordan Smith is asking in his new project Future Presidents.

Future Presidents is all about inspiring young children and their parents to dream big. His goal is to travel to all 50 states capturing images that answer the question, “What would you do if you were the President of the United States?”

He’s been to about 30 states so far, but to complete the project and the resulting book, he needs your help! Head over to his Kickstarter page, where you’ll find more details, rewards, and have a chance to contribute to the project.

All images, quotes, and images in this post are used with permission and ©Matthew Jordan Smith, all rights reserved; story is ©Sekonic. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or re-post elsewhere without written permission.

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Work Smarter, Not Harder! Advice from Shoots Imaging

M. Gertz — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:50:22 +0000

“Can it be done without a light meter? Yes, absolutely! Just like you can unlock your front door with a paperclip if you spend enough time on it…”, says the team behind Shoots Imaging, a commercial stock photography studio. In their line of work, they have to be ready to shoot anything and everything. In this article, posted on their blog, they wonder, are light meters another tool in your box of tricks or are they just a bit old school?

Using a couple of photos to illustrate, Sean and Luba use their Sekonic L-308S to get the perfect baseline exposure. Knowing they have a solid base, they can confidently experiment with different ways of shaping the light. To prove their point, they include the photos’ histograms, which are clearly not a good way to determine the correct exposure in this situation.

What do the results look like? Here’s a couple of images from their stock portfolio.

Read the full post on Shoots Imaging.

All images and quotes in this post are used with permission and ©Shoots Imaging, all rights reserved; story is ©Sekonic. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or re-post elsewhere without written permission.

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