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HENSEL-VISIT GmbH & Co. KG
However, there is not always a uniform distribution of bright and dark areas of equal importance within
the subject.
Incident light measurement is also imperative with inaccessible subjects. For this purpose it is
necessary to select a point that has the same lighting level as the subject. And then a meter reading is
taken that lies parallel with the projected connecting line between the actual subject and the camera.
This very convenient method of light metering at a point with the same lighting level is highly
recommended for outdoor shots. The measurement is performed
with a complete „180°“ turn in front of
the camera so that the reading is taken with the meter pointing towards the camera, i.e. opposite the
actual picture shooting direction.
Incident light measurement, i.e. with diffuser, also gives a precise reading of the brightness range of the
lighting. Both kinds of lighting
– flash and ambient light – are measured with great accuracy by the
incident light method with diffuser.
In addition to this, the Strobe Master also offers the reflected light measuring method. In this mode the
diffuser dome must be taken off and the meter is pointed from the camera towards the subject. The
meter now only measures with an angle of 25 degrees the light reflected by the subject. Consequently,
the reading always depends upon the inherent brightness of the subject!! This means that inherently
brighter subjects are not precisely measured and therefore rendered darker. If readings are to be taken
exclusively by the reflected light measuring method, then it is advantageous for the professional to use
a grey card (18 % reflection) in this mode. The reflected light method is used to measure the subject
contrast which is displayed by the Strobe Master on its analog scale (see Section 3.2.3 Contrast
measurement, page 12).
