Using your smartphone as a light meter

Regardless of what you shoot with and where you shoot, there may come a time when a light meter may come in handy, and if you have your smartphone, you can use that.

I am sure that there are loads of apps around, both free and paid options, but I thought I would just mention these two. They just work and for me, that’s what’s important.

Using a low aperture for getting the shot in tricky light

Using a low aperture for getting the shot in tricky light is often a great way to shoot a scene.

I recently photographed a Red Riding Hood inspired portrait session in a redwood forest. Even though it was shot at 10 a.m., it was so dark on the edge of the forest that the only way to capture detail was to use a low aperture, like f/2.8. My Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 workhorse is a fantastic lens for doing just that.