Mark. This is one thing i never really had a handle on,up until 2 years or so ago. Having read many posts on the subject in those 2 years, made me realize how much i did NOT know about taking good pictures.Now that i understand light/metering better,i am taking better pictures(IMHO<G>) I too carry an ambient meter and now a spot as well.However now i seem to spend more time looking through meters than the camera. LOL Having proved to myself the metering differences in the camera and ambient i can now carry on trusting these readings and my own judgments.(I did this over the winter by taking one shot metered by camera and one by external meter.The difference is quite visibile) Thanks to all who have helped in this matter over the years.
Dave > Mark Cassino wrote:(snipped) > > > I take a lot of photos. Most of them suck. Some are OK and once or twice > > a year I take one that seems to be good. > > > > Some time ago I went shooting with a friend who uses a Nikon F5. We were > > heading out to a lighthouse that was covered in ice - black steel, white > > ice, overcast sky. When we arrived I made some comments - mostly thinking > > out loud - about how to best meter for the situation. My friend just > > laughed and told me that his F5's metering was so great that he did not > > need to worry about stuff like that. I wound up taking a spot meter > > reading off of a surface that looked to be 18% grey, and based my overall > > meter readings on that. My friend did not have to worry about that - he > > was free to just shoot away and trust his camera to get it right. But at > > the end of the day, his shots were totally screwed up, mine were right > > on. Reflecting on it, I realize that the idea that not thinking about the > > correct exposure somehow liberates one to focus on composition is > > absolutely absurd. I mean, as a photographer, if you are not thinking > > about light, what *are* you thinking about? These days I carry an ambient > > light meter with me at all times. That's not because Pentax can't meter > > accurately. That's because no reflective light meter will be as accurate as > > an ambient light meter. Understanding light - a goal I hope to achieve > > some day - would be a far greater advantage than anything you can buy in a > > camera system. > > > > - - - - - - - - - - > > Mark Cassino > > Kalamazoo, MI > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > - - - - - - - - - - > > Photos: > > http://www.markcassino.com > > - - - - - - - - - - > > -- > "Honour - that virtue of the unjust!" > -Albert Camus > >
