Thirty-five years ago a young Ron Plasencia walked into Click Camera in Springfield, Ohio and bought a Sekonic L-28c light meter. A serious hobbyist and lover of photography, Ron has been shooting with his Sekonic ever since.
Things have changed in the past thirty-five years. East Tennessee has been his home for twenty years, and he currently resides near the Smoky Mountain National Park, where much of his nature photography is captured. Ron has also ventured into high school portraiture and team sports photography. Even his old favorite camera retailer has changed, with Click Camera becoming part of the Dodd Camera family. Through it all, one thing has remained the same: Ron’s Sekonic L-28c. “This instrument has been the most consistently reliable photographic accessory I’ve owned,” he states. “I use it to calibrate the in-camera exposure meters of all the other cameras I’ve ever owned.”
Currently shooting film with his 1979 Mamiya M645 J and digitally with an Olympus E-3, Ron still relies on his Sekonic meter. “When I shoot the E-3, I use the L-28c to measure the light for all my scenic and landscape work, and to tweak all other critical exposures. The Sekonic is always consistent.”
“I’ve shot at Smoky Mountain when there were twenty other photographers lined up. I was using my Sekonic and some young guy asked what I was doing,” Ron laughs. “I ended up giving a lesson right there on what light meters are, how they work, and how they can help serious photographers.”
Although Ron’s L-28c is still going strong, he’s not stuck in the past. “My next Sekonic will be the L-358 to assist me with studio lighting.” Recently retired from his job as a teacher for at-risk children, there’s no slowing him down. “I plan on doing serious portrait work,” he says.
Along with his portrait work, Ron will continue his nature and sports photography. He’s also partnering with several other photographers to begin local photography seminars, and will have links posted on his sites to classes he’ll be offering. No stranger to teaching photography, Ron has been holding classes at a local art center for the past five years.
Although the original leather case of his L-28c has recently been retired like Ron himself, the meter shows no signs of stopping, and neither does Ron. “Thank you, Sekonic, for a super product,” he says.
Ron’s Nature Photography: Photoartique.com
Ron’s Portraiture and Sports Photography: One Man, One Camera
Written by Ron Egatz
You must be logged in to post a comment.