Lighting advice: Video & Vlogs
Discussion
As per the title. I do some weekly vlogging for a third party company. Part of the vid is me talking to camera. My office desk is next to a large window but as winter draws in the light quality is diminishing.
What recommendations do you have for a straightforward natural lighting solution, for a non-techy please? Budget up to a few hundred quid but always happy to spend less.
Thanks.
What recommendations do you have for a straightforward natural lighting solution, for a non-techy please? Budget up to a few hundred quid but always happy to spend less.
Thanks.
There's a fair bit online about lighting but another option is to wander off to a decent camera shop and ask there. I've got Park Cameras on my doorstep and they're a source of advice if you pick your time correctly.
Vlog lighting is fairly straightforward. Three sources seems to be the advice.
Vlog lighting is fairly straightforward. Three sources seems to be the advice.
This guy seems to provide some decent basic advice on shooting video.
In the comments below this particular vid, there's a link to further advice on budget lighting.
He's also done other videos with more info on what he uses for more expensive lighting and other kit.
In the comments below this particular vid, there's a link to further advice on budget lighting.
He's also done other videos with more info on what he uses for more expensive lighting and other kit.
Hi there - i work a lot as a DOP, so I can lend a little advice.
Im afraid there has to be a certain amount of techy, but i'll keep it simple.
1) Colour Temp
You'll want whatever light(s) you use, to match the colour temperature of the lights in your office or place you are filming.
Generally, daylight in a bluer kind of white light, good old tungsten light bulbs are more orange, and with LED and floursceant lighting can be either or anywhere in between. If the lights you use don't match the ambient light in the place you are, then you'll end up looking an un-natural colour.
2) Amount of lights.
This depends on how much you want to spend and what you are trying to achieve. Standard news interviews, generally speaking use 3.
Key light. This is the main light source, positioned the the other side of the interviewers, so the face is modelled a little bit. (if key light is on the same axis as camera, the lighting can look very flat - no contrast on the face.)
Fill light. 90 degrees to the key light, this is purely to soften the shadows on the face a little. Sometimes not always needed if theres a lot of ambient light. Sometimes a reflector will do, or a piece of white poly board to bounce ambient light back onto the subject
Back light or hair light. Positioned opposite the key light, behind the subject. puts some light on the head and shoulder, from behind, which helps the subject stand out from the backdrop. Imagine a guy in black suit, on a dark background. Pop the backlight on, and a little light on the shoulders and hair make him stand out.
3 point lighting has become a staple of TV interviews for a reason - it works, is reasonably flattering, and gives a 3 dimensional feel to the image, on what is a 2d medium.
For what you want, you could make do with just a Key light. Sometimes ambient or practical lights might be doing the other roles for you. - a window in the background could be working as a backlight, etc
3) Type of lights. For a key light, ideally the bigger the better. A larger light source, is produces a softer type of light, which is more flattering o the face. I use a lot of LED light panels, but often use them through soft boxes. Quick note - you can't really make a light source soft by just sticking diffusion paper on a light. I see people doing it all the time with LED lights. What you need is distance between the light source and the diffusion material - this makes the light source larger, as the light source hits a larger amount of the diffusion material - which makes the 'source' of the light, which is now the diffusion material, larger. This is essentially what a softy box does - it puts a piece of diffusion material, a foot or so away from the light, which gives you a larger and therefore softer light.
There are other ways of softening a light. Are you by a white wall? Aim a light at the wall, it'll bounce back nice soft light. The further from the wall, the wider the light will light, and the softer the light will get (but also dimmer). So you tend to need quite bright lights once you start bouncing light.
4) So what to recommend?
I recommend you go for LED lighting. Theres a lot about, and some are bicolour, so you can dial in the colour temperature to match the colour of the ambient light. A word of caution, some cheap brands use awful cheap LEDS, which have a nasty green or magenta colour to them. Which can create very ugly skin tone.
A word on bicolour LEDS. They are never as powerful as the single colour variety, as half the LEDs are usually not used. I prefer good quality daylight LED lights, and then gel with with orange colour correction gels, to match tungsten lights when needed.
Don't get a ring light - unless you're a beauty blogger or rap star
Id recommend starting by getting a decent LED panel light, a lighting stand, and a soft box to go on front. Position it near the camera, high up, looking down 45 degrees on you, and you'll be halfway to decent vlog lighting. (a lot of people when starting out leave lights at eye level. Light in nature hardly ever comes from side on, and its not a flattering way to light a face).
The brand Apurture get my recommendation - not too expensive, but they use very good colour LEDs in their lights.
Exactly what light(s) to recommend is tricky. If the space you are filming in is dark, then you can get away with less powerful options. But if you are filming in somewhere with bright ambient lighting, then you'll need much brighter lights
This small one is great value for money - Can run off AA batteries, the light quality is good, and output is bright for the size. You can also connect several together. I use these as back lights. Coupled with a K-clamp, you can mount them anywhere. This one is daylight colour temp, but comes with an orange gel for using in tungsten lighting environments.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aputure-AL-H198-Olympus-C...
This next one is a little larger, but still small as light panels go. This one can come in daylight or bicolour. Find a small soft box and this could work well for you. Also can be mains powered.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aputure-AL-528C-Amaran-Bi...
This next one is a bit more pro, and puts out a lot more light - I use this with a large soft box, for doing documentary interviews
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aputure-LS1SV-Lightstorm-...
To sum up:
Make sure the colour of your lights matches the ambient light, use a big soft light source as your key light for yourself, and position it near camera, looking down 45 degrees at you, for reasonably flattering lighting on the face.
Hope that helps!
Im afraid there has to be a certain amount of techy, but i'll keep it simple.
1) Colour Temp
You'll want whatever light(s) you use, to match the colour temperature of the lights in your office or place you are filming.
Generally, daylight in a bluer kind of white light, good old tungsten light bulbs are more orange, and with LED and floursceant lighting can be either or anywhere in between. If the lights you use don't match the ambient light in the place you are, then you'll end up looking an un-natural colour.
2) Amount of lights.
This depends on how much you want to spend and what you are trying to achieve. Standard news interviews, generally speaking use 3.
Key light. This is the main light source, positioned the the other side of the interviewers, so the face is modelled a little bit. (if key light is on the same axis as camera, the lighting can look very flat - no contrast on the face.)
Fill light. 90 degrees to the key light, this is purely to soften the shadows on the face a little. Sometimes not always needed if theres a lot of ambient light. Sometimes a reflector will do, or a piece of white poly board to bounce ambient light back onto the subject
Back light or hair light. Positioned opposite the key light, behind the subject. puts some light on the head and shoulder, from behind, which helps the subject stand out from the backdrop. Imagine a guy in black suit, on a dark background. Pop the backlight on, and a little light on the shoulders and hair make him stand out.
3 point lighting has become a staple of TV interviews for a reason - it works, is reasonably flattering, and gives a 3 dimensional feel to the image, on what is a 2d medium.
For what you want, you could make do with just a Key light. Sometimes ambient or practical lights might be doing the other roles for you. - a window in the background could be working as a backlight, etc
3) Type of lights. For a key light, ideally the bigger the better. A larger light source, is produces a softer type of light, which is more flattering o the face. I use a lot of LED light panels, but often use them through soft boxes. Quick note - you can't really make a light source soft by just sticking diffusion paper on a light. I see people doing it all the time with LED lights. What you need is distance between the light source and the diffusion material - this makes the light source larger, as the light source hits a larger amount of the diffusion material - which makes the 'source' of the light, which is now the diffusion material, larger. This is essentially what a softy box does - it puts a piece of diffusion material, a foot or so away from the light, which gives you a larger and therefore softer light.
There are other ways of softening a light. Are you by a white wall? Aim a light at the wall, it'll bounce back nice soft light. The further from the wall, the wider the light will light, and the softer the light will get (but also dimmer). So you tend to need quite bright lights once you start bouncing light.
4) So what to recommend?
I recommend you go for LED lighting. Theres a lot about, and some are bicolour, so you can dial in the colour temperature to match the colour of the ambient light. A word of caution, some cheap brands use awful cheap LEDS, which have a nasty green or magenta colour to them. Which can create very ugly skin tone.
A word on bicolour LEDS. They are never as powerful as the single colour variety, as half the LEDs are usually not used. I prefer good quality daylight LED lights, and then gel with with orange colour correction gels, to match tungsten lights when needed.
Don't get a ring light - unless you're a beauty blogger or rap star
Id recommend starting by getting a decent LED panel light, a lighting stand, and a soft box to go on front. Position it near the camera, high up, looking down 45 degrees on you, and you'll be halfway to decent vlog lighting. (a lot of people when starting out leave lights at eye level. Light in nature hardly ever comes from side on, and its not a flattering way to light a face).
The brand Apurture get my recommendation - not too expensive, but they use very good colour LEDs in their lights.
Exactly what light(s) to recommend is tricky. If the space you are filming in is dark, then you can get away with less powerful options. But if you are filming in somewhere with bright ambient lighting, then you'll need much brighter lights
This small one is great value for money - Can run off AA batteries, the light quality is good, and output is bright for the size. You can also connect several together. I use these as back lights. Coupled with a K-clamp, you can mount them anywhere. This one is daylight colour temp, but comes with an orange gel for using in tungsten lighting environments.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aputure-AL-H198-Olympus-C...
This next one is a little larger, but still small as light panels go. This one can come in daylight or bicolour. Find a small soft box and this could work well for you. Also can be mains powered.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aputure-AL-528C-Amaran-Bi...
This next one is a bit more pro, and puts out a lot more light - I use this with a large soft box, for doing documentary interviews
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aputure-LS1SV-Lightstorm-...
To sum up:
Make sure the colour of your lights matches the ambient light, use a big soft light source as your key light for yourself, and position it near camera, looking down 45 degrees at you, for reasonably flattering lighting on the face.
Hope that helps!
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