Shooting in the Moment Versus Using a Light Meter

In this tipster, we take a look at a common internal struggle for film photographers, whether to rely on your gut or use a light meter to get the best exposure.

For those experienced photographers or those who just want to shoot and not think, the Sunny16 rule is a good guide to get the best estimate for a good exposed image. On the other hand, light meters are a more accurate way of measuring the correct shutter speed and aperture in order to capture a certain scene. Though many cameras have built-in light meters, some of these are non-functioning or inaccurate due to old age, so some photographers prefer to use an external light meter or a phone app. From experience, sometimes using a light meter takes up time and results in me missing the moment. This is why for today's tipster, I tried both methods – relying on my intuition, and using a light meter, to see which situations are best for each technique.

With this exercise, I used my Nikon S2, Lomography Color Negative 400, Lomography Lady Grey 400 (pushed to two stops!), and an external light meter as I went around the streets of Makati to capture some everyday scenes for this tipster.

Use a wide aperture for low light

Generally, shooting film in low light is a difficult task. But as someone who frequently shoots film at clubs, it hasn't been a big problem for me. My rule of thumb is to open up the aperture and hope for the best. For more static shots such as the ones below inside the record store and of the construction site, I decided to use the light meter as I wanted to be able to try and get an accurate exposure but for more of the street scenes I chose to use a lower shutter speed and just hoped to capture something.

In the end, the f/1.5 wide aperture of my lens really helped out for these scenes. I think the only drawback is the focusing with the rangefinder, as with this aperture setting the room for error is really low so some shots were not in focus. Using a light meter would be best in these situations, especially if you want to play around with different apertures and shutter speeds, but a general tip is to use the widest aperture you have.

Don't think, just use flash

Adding a flash to your setup for night or low-light photography will do wonders. The extra light will allow you to be more at ease with capturing moments spontaneously rather than always checking your light meter for the best settings. A good flash will allow you to shoot as if you have sunlight allowing you to use smaller apertures like f/8 which allows more things to be in focus. For getting more details and more things in focus, especially for indoor lighting or night time street photography, a flash will save you time and let you enjoy the shooting process.

Trust the sun

As long as the lighting is good then most of the time you can just shoot freely following the Sunny16 rule. If you know what aperture to use under different lighting conditions then you don't need to think too much when it comes to shooting under the sun. I didn't need to rely on technology to ensure that I was making the right decisions when shooting and I felt more confident that I would be able to get a good shot and proper exposed images.

Double check in the shade

When it came to unsure lighting conditions this is where the light meter came most in handy. When shooting with a mix of sun and shade, or with light peaking out during an overcast day it's best to check your light meter to get a more accurate exposure. Of course, this means you might take a bit longer to shoot but sometimes that is what film photography is all about – slowing down and embracing the whole process.

For me, it really depends on the situation at hand. For when you have the time to slow down and want to get the best exposure, using a light meter makes sense but maybe for those times when you're on the move and you have enough experience to be confident, you don't need a light meter to get optimal results. In the end, being able to trust your instinct and knowledge of aperture and shutter speed is great. But when unsure there's nothing wrong with technology validating your intuition.

Comment down below and tell us how you prefer shooting!

written by rocket_fries0036 on 2025-01-07 #gear #tutorials #street-photography #tipster #flash #light-meter #lomography-color-negative-400 #lomography-lady-grey-400 #sunny16