Which type of meter reads the amount of light falling on the subject?

• A. Incident meter
• B. Reflective meter
• C. Spot meter
• D. Color meter

Answer: (A)

Focuses on the actual light reaching the subject. An incident meter uses a white diffusion dome to sample the light falling on the subject at their location, so the reading reflects the illumination level itself rather than how bright or dark the subject is. This gives you exposure settings that render the lighting accurately regardless of the subject’s color or reflectivity. To use it, place the meter at the subject’s position and point the dome toward the light source (the direction the light is coming from). Because it measures incident light, it isn’t biased by a bright white shirt or a dark coat, which can skew readings on a reflective meter. In contrast, a reflective meter measures light bouncing off the subject, a spot meter reads only a small area of the scene, and a color meter assesses color temperature or color characteristics for white balance.