Is this a normal way to meter during the golden hour

[That_Look_Photo]

I was scouting out places to shoot and found a nice place. I even saw a photographer shooting a model outside. I asked him if the hotel gave him the ok to shoot here and he got all defensive and said I have been shooting for 25 years and I know what I'm doing. Anyway this guy held his meter back behind the model . Now remember the sun is setting and he tells the model it's the golden hour lets get this right he tells her. He starts to take shots with his flash going.

Does that seem right ?

[glamourpics]

I was scouting out places to shoot and found a nice place. I even saw a photographer shooting a model outside. I asked him if the hotel gave him the ok to shoot here and he got all defensive and said I have been shooting for 25 years and I know what I'm doing. Anyway this guy held his meter back behind the model . Now remember the sun is setting and he tells the model it's the golden hour lets get this right he tells her. He starts to take shots with his flash going.

Does that seem right ?
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Your description is not clear. If her back was toward the sunset and he was shooting her front, then it is probably correct to incident meter her front and balance the flash to be pretty close to the transmitted light exposure of the sunset. Some modern cameras can do this pretty automatically. But without knowing what he metered and what he was doing, it is impossible to figure out if he was doing things 'right.'

[That_Look_Photo]

The whole way he did everything seemed wrong to me. The model look flawless very beautiful. But he was a mess. The model was facing the sunsetting with a great golden light on her front. He go's and meters be putting his meter in the small of her back behind her. He looked at it and made the comment about the golden hour. Then he starts shooting with a flash. I have herd about shooting out of the box but I see nothing right about the way he was shooting. What is the point of metering her back only and then having the flash going off to change the effect of the golden hour light ?

Mike

[jtsmith]

I learned a long time ago never question someone's technique until you see the final product. Using flash is not uncommon as the sun is still directional at a certain height even at golden hour. One could use flash to try and fill in the shadows the sunlight is creating. The flash will be at a lower angle and it will try and fill in those shadows, etc.

I have no idea why he is metering from the backside. I don't know what you mean by the small of her back. Perhaps he just wanted to check out her butt and he was making some excuse and you caught him.

J T

[johne]

Metering at the small of her back seems a bit strange, but using a flash seems right. I always use a strobe when shooting a sunset scene at the beach. It helps be to balance the light on the model with the light from the sunset.

John

[eldor]

That's a fabulous shot, John! Wow! Would you mind telling us what kind of flash it was? Surely not an on-camera one! Softbox? Beauty dish? If I had to guess I'd say it was just a flash in standard reflector slightly up and a bit to the left of camera.

Sure wish I'd have beaches and sunsets like that here (Montreal) and of course some of that incredible talent you have wouldn't hurt either.

Very best regards...

Eldor

[johne]

Originally Posted by eldor

That's a fabulous shot, John! Wow! Would you mind telling us what kind of flash it was? Surely not an on-camera one! Softbox? Beauty dish? If I had to guess I'd say it was just a flash in standard reflector slightly up and a bit to the left of camera.
Sure wish I'd have beaches and sunsets like that here (Montreal) and of course some of that incredible talent you have wouldn't hurt either.
Very best regards...
Eldor

Hey Eldor, nice to hear from you. Thanks for the compliment.

I used a PhotoFlex 48" x 24" softbox with a gold interior, fired by an Alien Bee 1600 powered by the AB Vagabond battery pack. The softbox was held about 6" above the sand on a horizontal axis, right along side of me.

Best regards,
John

[That_Look_Photo]

Originally Posted by jtsmith

I learned a long time ago never question someone's technique until you see the final product. Using flash is not uncommon as the sun is still directional at a certain height even at golden hour. One could use flash to try and fill in the shadows the sunlight is creating. The flash will be at a lower angle and it will try and fill in those shadows, etc.

I have no idea why he is metering from the backside. I don't know what you mean by the small of her back. Perhaps he just wanted to check out her butt and he was making some excuse and you caught him.

J T

I will have to try the flash next time. I would think you would loose the look of the golden hour by filling the target with a flash. And your right about questioning his technique. I guess what I am doing is asking because it makes no sense to me.

Mike

[CaptainKen]

Rolando has an excellent article on dragging the shutter and using flash during a sunset. It's been a long time since I read it so I can’t remember if he talks about using a gel over the flash to warm it to match the temperature of the sun set. This might help to clarify things.
http://www.glamour1.com/tips/article...set_beauty.php
Below is my only attempt at dragging the shutter. It was taken in our back yard with the sun filtering through some pine trees. If I had used a warming filter her face wouldn't be so cool compared to the warmth behind her. It's not as dramatic as a beach sunset but at least when we get to the beach I'll understand the principle.

Ken

[Doug_Lester]

I dunno, but it sounds as though he was goiing for a backlight set up. If that's the case, then he would need to know the light falling on her back in order to adjust the fill flash properly.