Jul 28 • 🧠 Learning
Bad Lighting + Your Camera = Horrible Footage!
Lighting can make or break your video. Whether you're shooting inside, outside, or somewhere dark, bad lighting can mess up an otherwise great shot. Here are some common lighting problems you’ll run into—and how to fix them.
1. Low Light Environments
- Issue: Grainy footage, loss of detail, poor focus.
- Fix:Use fast lenses (with wide apertures like f/1.8 or f/2.8).Increase ISO carefully to avoid noise.Use portable LED lights or on-camera lights.Stabilize your camera for longer exposure times if needed.
2. Harsh Sunlight Outdoors
- Issue: Overexposure, harsh shadows, and blown-out highlights.
- Fix:Use ND (neutral density) filters to reduce light entering the lens.Shoot during golden hour (early morning or late afternoon).Use reflectors or diffusers to soften shadows.
3. Mixed Color Temperatures (Indoor + Outdoor Light)
- Issue: Inconsistent white balance and unnatural skin tones.
- Fix:Set a custom white balance based on your primary light source.Use gels to color-match artificial lights.Turn off competing light sources when possible.
4. Backlighting
- Issue: Subject appears too dark or silhouetted against bright background.
- Fix:Use fill light or bounce light to illuminate the subject.Increase exposure slightly while keeping highlight details in check.Use a reflector or white surface to bounce natural light onto the face.
5. Flickering Lights
- Issue: Certain indoor lights (like fluorescents or LEDs) flicker at high shutter speeds.
- Fix:Match your camera’s shutter speed to the local electrical frequency (usually 1/50 or 1/60).Avoid slow-motion under artificial light unless you’ve tested for flicker.Use high-quality, flicker-free lighting equipment.
6. Flat Lighting
- Issue: No depth or dimension in the scene; looks dull or lifeless.
- Fix:Use three-point lighting: key light, fill light, and backlight.Position lights at angles to create shadows and depth.Adjust light intensity and placement to shape the subject’s features.
Mastering lighting takes practice and experimentation. Great lighting doesn’t always require expensive gear—knowledge and creativity often make the biggest difference. What have been some of your lighting struggles and how did you resolve them?
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Bad Lighting + Your Camera = Horrible Footage!
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