Types of lights to use

 

Three-Point lighting and other tips

 

Resources and Downloads

A lot of people are intimidated by adding lighting to their video production. 

“What if I get it wrong?” or “What if I mess up the shoot and the footage is unusable?” 

Adding lighting can be overwhelming, and it will take practice to get proficient, but if you start adding a little at a time, it can get easier. To help you on your journey, we’ve created a reference document to remind you of the role of each light in three-point lighting. 

Here are a few other things to remember as you add lighting: 

  • Look through your camera. See your subject and lighting as your camera sees it. 
  • If the lighting doesn’t look right, move the lights around or add or remove lights. Keep trying until you’re satisfied with how your subject and background look. 
  • If your camera has settings you can adjust, like ISO and aperture. Remember that you may need to adjust the settings again when the light changes. 
  • When you have light sources that are too harsh or strong, like when shooting outdoors, you can use a bounce card (usually a white piece of foam core board) to reflect and diffuse the light onto your subject. 
  • Try to match the color of your lights, and avoid mixing warm (yellow-tinted) and cool (blue-tinted) lights. 

Downloads