Use your iPhone as a light Meter?

Yes!

Well, here is a cool app. The Pocket Light Meter by Nuwaste Studios turns your iphone into a light meter. Now I know there are many photographers who believe you no longer need one and some have worked out a workflow that avoids its use. Well, it doesn’t actually avoid it as they are often still taking advantage of the camera’s light meter. Some are simply taking a close guess and then using the LCD screen on the back to get it as right as they need.

As you shoot more, you start to get a feel for the correct exposure and can often get things into the ballpark with just your mark I eyeball and some good thoughts. Things like the sunny 16 rule also help. However, there are many times where the role of a light meter can only be performed by a light meter. This app will not replace the professional light meter, but it is still very useful for developing a measurement of the ambient light.

In addition, enthusiast and beginning photographers often ask me in my classes about determining the exposure. Quite often the question is “how do you know where to start?” Well, they’re right to get a feel for exposure you need experience, but not just experience, experience with data. This can often (and really should ) be developed through taking lots of photographs until you get a feel for the light and, more importantly, a feel for how you like the light. On the other hand, this app can help develop that feel for the light, as you can measure many different lights levels, even when you are not shooting.

It’s very simply to use, with a self-explanatory interface and, even better, it’s free.

If you’re a photographer, a videographer, or just have an interesting in understanding photographic light.  This is a very cool app.

Five stars from me….