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What is the downside to using an incident light meter to set my exposure for video? I've been doing it for about a month and it has been working well for me so far; but I'm a rookie—those of you with much more experience—what can go wrong in video when measuring light with an incident meter rather than using the various camera exposure tools? I'm mainly concerned with ensuring that faces look the same from shot to shot. The problem I'm trying to solve is that my style generally includes a fair bit of back and edge lighting which often freaks out the waveform monitor, the RGB parade, and the histogram so I have been getting inconsistent brightness levels. Using a light meter is also quicker because I can adjust lights and get a reading immediately rather than running back and forth to the monitor to see what has changed.

Hi, I'm new to the forum, so I'm sure that my question -- in typical "noob" fashion -- will be an obvious one; I'll ask it, nonetheless. As a young, aspiring cinematographer, I was recently advised by an experienced DoP to invest in a light meter, which I have done. I've found, however, that my readings will differ between incident and spot; the former tending to have my exposure higher than the latter. I know the difference between incident and reflected light, but am I incorrect to presume that the readings should be the same regardless? Or, am I in fact taking the readings wrongs all together? For spot metering, I will stand where my camera is and aim at the subject's face. For incident metering, I will place the meter in front of the subject, with the lumisphere facing my light source: in the provided example, the light was to the left of the subject's (my mother) face. So, I'm just looking for a bit of feedback regarding my metering techniques. What's the better option? Where should I be aiming the lumisphere when taking a reading? Where should I be aiming the spot? Thank you in advanced, Thomas.