Hello, We’d Like to Meet You!

© Matt Hill

We’re looking for some cool people to get to know. Who?

First off, if you use a Sekonic meter and are making movies, videos, commercials or whatever with HDSLRs, we would love to get to know you. You could be using a light and/or color meter. We’ve got some cool stuff coming and would love to make new relationships so perhaps we can do some cool stuff together!

Secondly, if you are someone who is passionate about controlling light in still photography and has a penchant for education, we’re looking for contributors for articles on light and color metering.

How do you contact us? Links on this page. Looking forward to meeting you!

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Posted in Send Us Your Story  

Ramon Guzman’s Sekonic L-98

January 6, 2012   Posted by Sekonic Blogger   Leave a comment

Sekonic users love to hold onto and use their gear for decades. They also like to let us know about their gear. Ramon Guzman has written us about his vintage gear. Here is the story in his words.

“I bought the light meter and a Nikon F camera in 1965, while I was stationed with the Air Force on the Island of Okinawa. I’m glad to let you know both the camera and your light meter still work. The L-98 meter I had not used for at least 20 years, but I decided to give it a try. I put in a new battery, and to my surprise, it still works. It sounds like a commercial, but it’s a fact. I wish to congratulate Sekonic for making such a high quality and reliable product.”

Ramon Guzman's 1965 Nikon F and Sekonic L-98. ©Ramon Guzman

He also wrote, “I’m considering purchasing a new Nikon D90 or D7000, and you can [be] rest assured if I do, I’ll be extremely happy to purchase another Sekonic light meter again.”

Thank you for sharing your story, Ramon. We bet you’ll like the advancements we’ve made in the last 46 years!

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VIDEO: Profiling the Sekonic L-758DR with the Exposure Profile Target II and DTS

December 27, 2011   Posted by Sekonic Blogger   Leave a comment

We’ve released a new video on how to calibrate the Sekonic L-758DR with the Exposure Profile Target II.

Don’t miss Joe Brady as he details all calibration issues with this advanced meter. Watch it to ensure you get proper readings to make your photos perfect.

See the full video on our YouTube channel.

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Ryan Walters on the Importance of a Meter

December 5, 2011   Posted by Sekonic Blogger   Leave a comment

We last heard about cinematographer Ryan E. Walters of Portland, Oregon on the Sekonic site, he was featured in the Sekonic ProSpeak series. He’s now running a highly-educational behind-the-scenes blog called Lighting Alchemy. If you have any interest in making sure your exposures are right on the money, there’s no excuse not to check out this valuable and free resource.

Ryan E. Walters on the job with his L-758Cine.

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Posted in cinematography, resource, video   Leave a comment

Ask Phil: A LumiDisk and L-308s Question

November 2, 2011   Posted by Sekonic Blogger   3 Comments

MAC Group’s Phil Bradon, Product Marketing Manager for Sekonic in the United States, will answer selected questions sent to him at AskPhil@Sekonic.com.

Alexandre Maller asked the following question:

I own a great L-308S, and I have a question. What is the exact purpose of the optional Lumidisc? Is it for a more directional measure in incident mode?

Hi Alexandre,

You’ve answered your question. To the meter, the white surface of the incident light receptor is the subject. The hemispheric-shaped Lumisphere approximates the 3-D nature of a face and reads light striking it from 180-degrees averaging what it “sees.” The flat disk allows the metering cell to only “see” light directly in front of the meter. It is used to determine the brightness of lights in a multi-light setup. This difference in brightness is the building blocks for lighting ratios. If the main light is two times brighter (f/8) than the fill light (f/5.6) the ratio is 1:2. The Lumidisc is also used to measure light falling on a flat surface light a painting or a green screen for video shooting.

Please get back to me if you have any other questions about Sekonic meters.

Best regards,
Phil Bradon

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Posted in Ask Phil   3 Comments

Kevin M. Connors’ Premiere Photography Practice

October 25, 2011   Posted by Ron Egatz   2 Comments

Growing up in Buffalo, New York, after high school, Kevin M. Connors headed for sunny Arizona State University as a Geology major. He did his graduate work in Education, and tried teaching for a few years. “I needed my job to be based upon what I did, not how long I warm a seat,” he explains. Leaving the classroom behind, he got into college textbook publishing, followed by developing college-level software for fifteen years. Then, everything changed.

Always owning a camera, Connors had a darkroom in high school. After a career centered in academia and moving everywhere from Arizona to Chicago to Pacific Grove, California, he turned 40 and became a professional photographer, setting up a studio, Coast Highway Photography, in Solana Beach, just north of San Diego.

©Kevin M. Connors

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Posted in commercial photography, L-358, L-758DR, landscape photography, portrait photography   2 Comments

Marije Weterings and the Girl Next Door

October 10, 2011   Posted by Ron Egatz   Leave a comment

The Netherlands may not be the first geographical location which comes to mind when you’re thinking about fashion photography. You also might not think a person shooting for only three years, and without formal training of any kind, would be a highly competent fashion, portrait, and commercial photographer.

Marije Weterings will make you rethink both of those assumptions. Fluent in Dutch, French, German, and English, Weterings is a photographic autodidact. “I was in college for a bachelor in business intelligence—getting information out of computer systems,” she says. “I worked in I.T. for a couple of years, and then I got a — not a burnout but a bore out — I was bored in my work.” Borrowing a camera and shooting photos superior to the other people she was shooting with was the wake-up call she needed. She soon got a camera of her own, and began a new career.

Meel MarijeWeterings 0567

©Marije Weterings

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Posted in fashion photography, L-758DR, portrait photography   Leave a comment

Photo Assistant Basic Training

October 4, 2011   Posted by Sekonic Blogger   Leave a comment

Photographers Matthew Jordan Smith and Brian Smith will be hosting the Photo Assistant Basic Training workshop. This event will feature panel discussions, gear demonstrations from industry experts, and hands-on training will be held in Atlanta, New York City and San Francisco. Sekonic, PocketWizard, Profoto, X-Rite, Sony and Adobe are among the sponsors.

This two-day event runs from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day. For full details, dates and registration information, please visit the American Photographic Artists site.

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VIDEO: Vincent Laforet on Sekonic and Light Metering

September 28, 2011   Posted by Sekonic Blogger   Leave a comment

The gentleman whom many consider the forefather of the HDSLR short film revolution, Vincent Laforet, is featured in a new video on light metering as it applies to digital filmmakers.

The film has just been posted to the Sekonic site, YouTube, and Vimeo.

Be sure to not miss this short video. It’s complete with some great moments taken from Laforet’s films and some informative behind the scenes footage taken on his Famous Footwear “Neighborhood” spot. Laforet himself speaks about the importance of light in any motion production, and how, if the lighting is bad, no matter the quality of any other production value or the caliber of the acting and screenplay, viewers’ attention will be diverted and the scene will fail.

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Posted in cinematography, L-758DR, video   Leave a comment

Christopher Grey on Greenscreens

September 27, 2011   Posted by Sekonic Blogger   Leave a comment

Photographer Christopher Grey has published an excerpt on the Sekonic site from his excellent book Lighting Techniques for Beauty and Glamour Photography.

The chapter Grey has reproduced on the Sekonic site details how to set up a greenscreen, light it and your subject, and remove the greenscreen digitally from your final image. It’s comprehensive, and full of real world production tips to avoid problems you might run into when shooting a model in front of your homemade greenscreen.

Be sure to check out Grey’s own photography at his site.

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Posted in how-to, portrait photography, resource   Leave a comment

Portrait Lighting Workshop with Bobbi Lane

September 20, 2011   Posted by Sekonic Blogger   1 Comment

Photographer Bobbi Lane will be hosting a Portrait Lighting Intensive Workshop on Saturday, October 1st and Sunday October 2nd from 9am to 6pm at E.P. Levine, 219 Bear Hill Road, Waltham, Massachusetts.

Sekonic users and readers may remember Lane from her popular video which appeared on our site last year.

Continue reading →

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Posted in News, portrait photography, Sekonic, seminars   1 Comment