Depending on who you ask, the most important aspect of video
is one of two things: audio or lighting. While cases can be made for either
side of the argument, you definitely need both to make your videos the best
they can be. So today for Tech Tuesday, we’ll be taking a look at why lighting is important and
what options are available to you for assembling your own lighting arsenal.
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Light is ridiculously important in capturing quality imagery on your camera—it does not work without it. Try shooting a video on your phone at night, you’ll notice a lot of extra noise. Low light conditions force your camera to increase the ISO to capture enough light, giving that grainy effect.
This effect is extremely evident in phone cameras due to the sensors in phones being a lot smaller than professional-grade cameras. In short, the
more light available to your camera, the better the quality of your
photos and video.
Lighting is more than just increasing
image quality. It’s also a tool for storytelling by setting the mood.
When shooting videos, one key rule to always abide by is to
show, don’t tell. Lighting is one tool in your arsenal to do that.
While lighting equipment is an absolute necessity for any
professional filmmaker, there is one source of light that is 100% free for
anyone to use. I’ll give you a hint—look up (for those of you inside, it’s the
sun). That’s right, that big ball of fire in the sky is your best friend when
it comes to shooting video. Whenever shooting in the daylight is logistically
sound, do it.
However, there are certain times of the day for shooting
video in prime conditions, that being sunrise and sunset. These are the Goldilocks
hours where the lighting is just right—not too light, not to dark, not too soft,
not too harsh. Although, if you’re like me, there’s only one hour per day
because I’m sure as heck not getting up before sunrise. Peter McKinnon has a great video showing the importance of light as well as some other helpful tips.
For those moments when the daylight just won’t cut it,
having your own lighting kit is extremely useful. Talking about all the
technical specifics of lights could be its own post so for now, let’s keep it
simple.
From what I’ve researched, there’s no better alternative for
a beginner than LED light panels. They don’t require a lot of power, the heat
output is minimal compared to other lights, they often have built-in dimmer
switches for better control, and their flat nature makes it easy to apply gels for
different temperature effects.
As far as the minor details go when looking for your own lighting setup, look no further than here. But for those that want a pre-built solution, check out DSLR Video Shooter and his $150 lighting setup below.
As far as the minor details go when looking for your own lighting setup, look no further than here. But for those that want a pre-built solution, check out DSLR Video Shooter and his $150 lighting setup below.
Hopefully by now you know just how important lighting is when shooting video and photography. And unlike other Tech Tuesdays, you don't necessarily need the tech to utilize it.
Be sure to leave any questions in the comments below. Now get out there and keep shooting.
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