Hey, I had good advice. You need to know the light you are working with, to know what to plan and expect. Know what ISO you should be shooting at, which is probably fairly high considering your f-stop leverage on your consumer grade lens.

Don't blame us for lack of response, you talk out of two sides of your mouth. In one breath you say 'ah shoot, I don't have a light meter', in another you say 'maybe I'll use a dummy mode'. How are we supposed to respond? Are you aware that using a light meter and using dummy mode are at distant opposite ends of the spectrum? Your 'question' is thus vague and confused.

You're welcome.