Good Lighting for Digital Video

Video cameras LOVE light. And, more importantly, they NEED light. If the light in a room is pleasant for you, it's too dark for the video camera. If it seems too bright in a room, it's likely just right for your camcorder. So, if you do nothing else in the way of lighting, turn on as many lights as possible.

3-Point Lighting (the Practical Way)

Professionals often use what is called 3-point lighting to light scenes for television and films. 3-point lighting consists of a "key light," a "fill light" and a "back light."

• The key light is the main light and is the brightest. It is placed in front and to either the right or left of the subject.
• The fill light is not quite as bright as the key light and is placed in front of the subject on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to counter the shadows caused by the key light.
• The back light is placed behind the subject and aimed at the subject's back. It creates a kind of lighted outline around the subject to "lift" the subject off of the background.

Okay, so you're never going to purchase and set up a 3-point lighting kit to video tape your kid's soccer game. But you can get some great shots using the lighting in the room or outside if you know how the 3-point lighting process works.

Try to position yourself so that the brightest light source (the picture window, the bright halogen lamp, the sun, etc.) is behind you and your camcorder to your left or right. This will serve as your key light. Turn on any other lights in the room to kill shadows caused by the light and to get some light on the back of your subject.

DO NOT place your subject so that the brightest light is behind them. This will cause them to be too back lit. The result will be a very dark and shadowy-looking subject with an extremely bright background.

Outdoor Lighting

Despite camcorders' love of light, cloudy or overcast days are actually better to shoot in than bright and sunny days. As long as it's during the day, any amount of sun light outside is more than enough for a video camera. Bright sunlight can be too much for a video camera and create "blow outs" of whites and bright colors, cause harsh shadows and make your subjects constantly squint. Overcast days create a pleasant, evenly diffused light with soft shadows and minimal blowing out of whites. If you must shoot on a clear, sunny day, try to find large shaded areas created by houses or trees. This will lessen the harsh effects of the sun.

Camcorder Lights

Some digital video cameras have a light built right into the camera that you can turn on and off. Some have a hot shoe that can accept accessories, including lights. These types of lights aren't ideal but if not much else is available for lighting, they're better than nothing. Any light is better than not enough light.

Summary

TURN ON THOSE LIGHTS!