A light meter will help you to properly light subjects in photography and film.
Photography and film both deem it necessary to get the proper amount of lighting. A device called a "Footcandle Meter", commonly referred to as a "Light Meter" can be used to measure the "footcandle" or "lux", the "lumens" and the "candlepower" of a light source. With the knowledge of these key lighting elements, you can adjust your lighting, flash and camera aperture for optimal camera exposure depending whether the subject is predominantly light or dark. Using a light meter can be done with little difficulty.
Instructions
1. Set up the area to be illuminated. Create a controlled environment for your light, so you can control the amount of light that gets into your area. External light from sunlight or windows can vary, resulting in unbalanced results. Utilizing your own light sources will ensure that you are in control of how the results turn out.
2. Measure for incident light. Any light that falls on the object directly from the light source is "incident" light. Hold the meter in the path of light as close to the subject as possible and measure the distance from the light source. With too much incident lighting, a light subject can easily over saturate a scene, and too little incident light on a dark subject will not show up properly and recess into the background. Most meters will have an option to switch between incident or "spot" lighting and "reflected lighting," and will have an ideal lighting range on the meter.
3. Measure for reflected light. This refers to any external light that illuminates an object indirectly. Using the meter as close to the desired subject as possible will give you an accurate reading of both how illuminated a subject is and how light-reflective the subject is. Backdrops with similar color schemes to that of the subject will drown out the subject in too much or too little reflected lighting.
Tags: incident light, light source, light that, from light, from light source