Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/03/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Well, I guess I'll name you a couple. Edward Weston made most of his popular stuff sans meter HCB never used one. These guys seemed to slog along somehow. Let me ask you a question, How often does your meter differ from what you THOUGHT it was going to be? If often than I suggest metering carefully. Best wishes Dan > >You will NEVER see a professional photographer, someone who makes their >living at "real" photography and has to "deliver the goods" to the >customer, NOT use a meter. The key to the highest quality photographic >image IS, exact exposure followed by exact development, producing a >transparency or negative that will be perfect for the job or produce a >perfect print for the job. > >You screw up a job, you won't get a second chance. > >Even with a meter, most professional photographers bracket (when possible) >just because there are no second chances. > >A meter is of utmost importance. In many many situations, all of the >experience in the world, will not be enough. After doing this photography >thing for 50 years, many as a commercial/illustrative photographer, I still >religiously use a meter AND I cannot tell you how many times I take >readings at/of a scene and think "is my meter broken?" Only to realize that >my eye/brain is seeing differently than what the light value reality is. > >Also, learning how to interpret what your meter is telling you is just as >important as having and using a meter. > >Jim > > >At 02:27 AM 3/6/01 +0000, Dan States wrote: > >Mark, I am surprised to hear that YOU of all people are one of the poor > >"meter slaves" of photography! Cast off your chains man! > > > >Nikon/Canon etc are making a small fortune on the fallacy that light >needs > >to be 'interpreted'. That tasty F5 with it's mega processor super light > >do-jangy still tells me F6.3 at 500 in the sun...F4 at 125 in the shade. > >Hey, what gives? With all that great technology I was hoping for some >new > >kind of readings! F22 at 1000 indoors! F1.4 at 60 in the sun! > > > >The fact is that you just don't have THAT many variations in light >intensity > >in the real world (thank you to the film latitude gods). Unless the sun > >starts to supernova in our life times I think we can count on it to keep > >kickin out the rays as before. Shine on baby! > > > >Best wishes > >Dan States > > > > > >> > >>The effete amateur esthetic!! > >>Out guessing or ignoring a meter!! > >>That's baloney!!!!! > >>We've had a few others on the list who had this attitude. > >>We pummeled them into submission and they slunked off to the dark rocks > >>they > >>crawled out of!! :) > >> > >>I've used a lot of meters since 1965 and never thought for a second i >knew > >>more > >>about how much light was hitting it than it did. With the exception of > >>Selenium > >>meters i add a stop to in low light. > >> > >>I don't think it benefits people to mistrust their meters. > >>I know lots of excellent photographers many of them pros. I cant think >of > >>any of > >>them who would use a meter which was less adequate in measuring light >then > >>they were. > >>Many of them use meters which not only MEASURE the light but interpret >it > >>(matrix whatever) > >>But the top people i know know how to use the (acurate) information the > >>meter > >>gives them. > >>If they are metering highlights. The then know how much to open up to >place > >>thier highlights there. > >> > >>Mark Rabiner > >>Portland, Oregon > >>USA > >> > >>http://www.rabiner.cncoffice.com/ > > > >_________________________________________________________________ > >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com