Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/03/06

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: meter's shmeters..step away from the meter!
From: "Dan States" <dstate1@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2001 03:11:12 -0000

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/
> >
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>

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