What’s the point of having a video production if the audience can’t see what’s happening? You want the subject of your video to be well-lit. That’s a no brainer. But how are you going to do that?
The Great Outdoors
The easiest way is to shoot outside on a sunny day. The sun makes for some of the best lighting conditions you can ask for. If your camera has a manual iris or shutter speed, make sure to adjust those to compensate for all the light. A sunny day is also when you want to use the neutral density filter on your camera because there is also such thing as too much light. An easy way to make sure your footage isn’t being washed out by the light is to adjust it to a cloud. If you can clearly see a white cloud on a blue sky, then your camera is taking in the best amount of light. In most situations, adjusting your camera to the clouds will ensure ideal lighting outdoors.
Don’t you love when the sun shines directly into your lens and ruins the shot? A trick you can try to lessen that effect is basically giving your camera lens some sunglasses. Who knew video production could be so stylish! A lens hood designed by your camera’s manufacturer is the best bet. If you can’t find a suitable option, a flare buster attached to your camera’s accessory shoe will do the trick. For a Chicago videographer, the flare buster may be the better option for better lighting. Instead of just shading sunlight, the flexible device can also be used to attach filters and reflectors. Shop around for some good options and your video production is guaranteed to improve.
Bringing it Indoors
However, shooting outside doesn’t always work. If you’re shooting inside, there are a number of Chicago videographer methods to insure good lighting. For one, make sure your white balance is set for indoor lighting or all your footage will come out orange. After that, it’s time to have fun and experiment. There’s no sure fire method to produce good lighting, but there’s one thing to be careful of. One of the most popular mistakes made by amateur filmmakers and videographers is shooting in front of a window or light source. This tends to drape the subject in its own shadow. Don’t let this happen to you. While it’s tempting to have a person sitting in front of a window for an interview scene, that backlighting is a real killer!
In all seriousness, there are some things you can do to combat the dark foreground of a backlit scene. You can use strong lighting on your subject. Easy. If you’re looking for something a little more budget-friendly, try locking your exposure on your subjects with your camera’s settings. What happens when a scene is lit from behind is that the camera’s metering system measures the brightness and shifts toward the brighter part of the scene. Locking the subject in place will still give you the nice lighting without throwing shadows all over your subject.
If you have any more questions about lighting or need help with your video production or editing contact Video One Productions at (773)252-3352 or irwin@video1pro.com.
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