photography question

[destrekor]

So I'm going to be doing the photography for my sister's wedding. Due to the fact that I have a film camera, and don't want to have every shot be staged for a series of 3-4 shots to make sure I have the right exposure, I am looking into a flash meter.
However, what about scenes that just require the use of a flash? I have a flash that I attach to my camera (Nikon N65), and it has an automatic exposure method, iirc. But I don't wanna put too much faith in it, since its a reflective metering system, and I am not gonna be able to use a graycard for the shots due to the nature of it being a wedding.

Now, will a flash meter be something good to get? With one, can you input a desired F-stop, and it displays what shutter speed to use? Because I am going to want to take some creative shots using specific F-stops, but would need to use some kind of metering system to make sure I use the right shutter speed to get the desired effect.

And with that in mind, say I use a flash light meter (as opposed to a spot meter, which essentially requires a graycard or finding a neutral tone in the scene to meter off of) and it gives me a shutter speed to a desired f-stop, but that shutter speed would be impossible to use due to it being too low (ex. 1/60th) to pull off without a tripod... is there a rule of thumb for how much a flash will change the exposure, say a few stops worth or whatnot?
I gotta dig in to my old photography book I picked up awhile ago, but I'm not sure how much it delves into flash photography and light metering using a handheld meter.
I've had this flash for awhile, but it has goes relatively unused, especially since the photography class I took in highschool was all black and white and flash-less.

 

[SSSnail]

Camera forums >>>>


I have always wanted to do that.

 

[destrekor]

is that the only reply that can be mustered? Come on... I know someone out there in ATOT land knows a thing or two about photography.

 

[keeleysam]

http://forums.anandtech.com/ca...tid=65&flcache=2154986

Film is closer to digital than it is to the crazies of ATOT.

 

[destrekor]

can a mod move this then? Or do I have permission to double dip, in both the waters of ATOT and the Digital Camera forum?

edit:
thanks!

 

[virtuamike]

Originally posted by: destrekor
However, what about scenes that just require the use of a flash? I have a flash that I attach to my camera (Nikon N65), and it has an automatic exposure method, iirc. But I don't wanna put too much faith in it, since its a reflective metering system, and I am not gonna be able to use a graycard for the shots due to the nature of it being a wedding.

Good idea

Originally posted by: destrekor
Now, will a flash meter be something good to get? With one, can you input a desired F-stop, and it displays what shutter speed to use? Because I am going to want to take some creative shots using specific F-stops, but would need to use some kind of metering system to make sure I use the right shutter speed to get the desired effect.

You input ISO, and the flash meter will give you F-stop. Flash meter in flash mode doesn't give shutter speed because flash duration is usually much faster than your sync speed (it'll be different for each camera, consult manual).

If you want a shutter speed reading for ambient light (say to match exposure on the background), then switch your meter to the appropriate mode and take a reading.

Originally posted by: destrekor
And with that in mind, say I use a flash light meter (as opposed to a spot meter, which essentially requires a graycard or finding a neutral tone in the scene to meter off of) and it gives me a shutter speed to a desired f-stop, but that shutter speed would be impossible to use due to it being too low (ex. 1/60th) to pull off without a tripod... is there a rule of thumb for how much a flash will change the exposure, say a few stops worth or whatnot?
I gotta dig in to my old photography book I picked up awhile ago, but I'm not sure how much it delves into flash photography and light metering using a handheld meter.
I've had this flash for awhile, but it has goes relatively unused, especially since the photography class I took in highschool was all black and white and flash-less.

How low you go with your shutter will depend on how much or how little ambient you want to capture (if there is any). There are no rules to how much flash will change an exposure since environments can vary so much.

 

[OdiN]

You are going to want to take several shots of posed groups anyway, as someone will blink, not look at the camera, something, etc.

 

[virtuamike]

Originally posted by: OdiN
You are going to want to take several shots of posed groups anyway, as someone will blink, not look at the camera, something, etc.

Yah, but blending film exposures = very work

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: virtuamike

Originally posted by: OdiN
You are going to want to take several shots of posed groups anyway, as someone will blink, not look at the camera, something, etc.

Yah, but blending film exposures = very work

Who said anything about blending?

And you can also have your film scanned and digitized.

 

[destrekor]

okay, besides any of what has been mentioned... how about my original questions?