Lighting help...

[Stutheit]

Hey all,

I've been working on some videos, and have enjoyed using the advice I've recieved on this forum in regards to audio. It is much improved.

However, my free time is always in the evening, when there is no natural light, so my videos look like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ww1w...feature=relmfu

Any advice on how to work on lighting??

Thanks.

[Scott Whigham]

Well, you have to make a decision about what you ultimate want in terms of quality. You can get better lighting by adding in more and softer lights on the sides. These can be room lamps even. Sometimes I take the shade off to get them brighter. And if that's good enough, then awesome - job well done.

If you're really wanting higher quality, perhaps you should investigate some studio type lighting (as in photography studio). There was thread here by someone who posted a PowerPoint about "How to take photos of your guitars". I took his advice and bought some lights and a backdrop for less than $200 (at the time). It's nice b/c the lights work well for video too. Sure, you can spend a ton more and get better but this setup is nice to me:

The lights (and a bonus lightbox for taking nice pics of small stuff)

And that's probably all you need. If you want a backdrop, that's easy:

The backdrop hanging thingie

Muslin backdrop (and get a lint roller if you have pets)

Clips to hold the muslin to the frame

I know that $200 is a lot of money but, if you think about it, this is gear that you'll have/use for the rest of your life if you take care of it.

[Fran Guidry]

I'm using clamp lights from the hardware store, 2700K (warm) CFLs in various wattages because I also have some incandescents going. Ripstop nylon from the fabric store works well as a diffuser.

The basic portrait lighting scheme is called three point lighting. You can find plenty of excellent tutorials on YouTube.

When I started trying to figure out video the first thing I learned was that video is just photography with lots of shots in a row <grin>, so look at photography lighting tutorials as well.

Fran

[Stutheit]

Thanks all! I appreciate the tips.

[Ty Ford]

Josiah,

Nice playing and great voice you have there!

The set: The bed in the background is too much information,
Shoot with a corner directly (or mostly) behind you instead of against a flat wall. If you use a backdrop then you do have a flat wall. You can keep it neutral or blow a little light on it as I did with Neil Harpe here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2IMIP8drZo

Here's J. P. Reali. 4 point lighting here, with an accent on the muslin backdrop. The fourth is above and behind his left (camera right)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOOJ0RFuEao

Here's Teporah: Something lower light and a bit more intimate, but the same ideas with 4 point lighting. The hair light really works nicely to separate her from the background.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9-t4PmPzqo

I have three lights on him; a Key (main) light, a fill light and a hair light.

The lights: For a key light, try a big paper china ball light from Ikea with a dimmer so you can get the amount of light right. The paper diffuses the light making it soft and more flattering. Use this just out of frame and to one side, maybe 20-30 degrees off center so one side of your face is slightly darker. Try a full daylight bulb. Try a regular incandescent bulb, they're a bit redder. See what you like.

The fill light goes 20-40 degrees the other side of center and is not as bright.

Next try a light above and behind you to create a line of light on your shoulders and hair.

Use the lighting to separate yourself from the background. Try to direct the light so it only shines on you and not anything else.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[Stutheit]

Thanks Ty. I appreciate your feedback.