How To Film In Natural Light

[Zach Goodwin2]

How To Film In Natural Light

 

Not enough light:

Move the subject closer to the light source, bring the camera closer to the subject, angle the camera to create a silhouette, use a lower f/stop. Try to focus on how the subject is lighted not the background.

Possibility:

Use a slower shutter speed if there is less movement going on. If you can decrease the frames per second, and maybe try using a time-lapse. Better yet, for wide-shots use a wide angle lens with a low f/stop.

Controversial Hint:

Despite the criticism on this subject, do not focus on noise/grain. Try to use On-Camera lighting well.

Too much light:

Move the subject farther away from the light source, bring the camera farther from the subject, angle the camera to create a clean background, use a higher f/stop.

Possibility:

Use a faster shutter speed if there is less movement going on. If you can increase the frames per second, and maybe even try using slow motion shots where there are lots of fast movement. Better yet, for close-ups use a telephoto lens with a high f/stop.

Controversial Hint:

Despite the criticism on this subject, do not focus too much on highlight loss.

Thoughts on All of This:

Do not try to add any reflectors, add more lights, get people to help you out unless you have figured out how to light the scene naturally. It can be expensive.

[sanveer]

On 11/8/2018 at 11:45 AM, Zach Goodwin2 said:

How To Film In Natural Light

 

Not enough light:

Move the subject closer to the light source, bring the camera closer to the subject, angle the camera to create a silhouette, use a lower f/stop. Try to focus on how the subject is lighted not the background.

Possibility:

Use a slower shutter speed if there is less movement going on. If you can decrease the frames per second, and maybe try using a time-lapse. Better yet, for wide-shots use a wide angle lens with a low f/stop.

Controversial Hint:

Despite the criticism on this subject, do not focus on noise/grain. Try to use On-Camera lighting well.

Too much light:

Move the subject farther away from the light source, bring the camera farther from the subject, angle the camera to create a clean background, use a higher f/stop.

Possibility:

Use a faster shutter speed if there is less movement going on. If you can increase the frames per second, and maybe even try using slow motion shots where there are lots of fast movement. Better yet, for close-ups use a telephoto lens with a high f/stop.

Controversial Hint:

Despite the criticism on this subject, do not focus too much on highlight loss.

Thoughts on All of This:

Do not try to add any reflectors, add more lights, get people to help you out unless you have figured out how to light the scene naturally. It can be expensive.

The problem with using Natural light for lighting, especially video, is that it is extremely unpredictable and unreliable. Anything from small cloud movements to many other factors can completely ruin a shot and video. Also while reflectors can be great for manipulation of light, they are much better and more reliable for phone and not so much for video. That's also perhaps why lighting is as important during the day, as it is during the night.

Also, it is much easier creating the 3-point lighting setup during the day, than it is during the night.