Capturing Outdoor Lighting In Video Production

Any professional video producer, like RT Design, will tell you that if used properly, outdoor lighting is one of the best light sources and tools for video production there is. It is also the most economic source of light for your video production needs. The following is an account of how you can capture outdoor light in your video project.

Weather check – this is the first and perhaps the most important thing you need to do before you set out to capture the sun in your video production project. Weather conditions have a significant impact on your video shooting; you don’t want rain pouring down the day you wanted to capture a clear sunny sky.

Soft, hard and high key — Before you set up your crew and equipment on the scene make sure you know what kind of lighting you want to use in your video production. Different lighting effects come off in the video when the film is rolled at different times of the day which is why your choice of lighting should always be predetermined.

For instance on sunnier days the lighting that you will get will be a blend of high and hard key. This means that the scene you shoot will be brightly illuminated with high contrast levels and sharp shadows. On the other hands, cloudier days give a diffuse lighting effect in the video production or a soft key.

The sun shines at a diagonal angle in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon and this is the best time to capture outdoor lighting for your video production. Pleasing lighting effects may also be obtained by shooting outdoors in the early morning or late afternoon.

The 45 degree angle – in most cases the best outdoor lighting effects will be obtained by positioning the camera and target in relation to the sun such that the light from the sun hits the target at a 45 degree angle. This one is not a very stiff rule though, you may choose to widen or tighten the angle according to your preferences.

Fill light too – the sun can also be used for fill lighting in your video production. All you need to do is place a reflector on the opposite side of the target; you may need a crewmember or stand to hold this reflector in place while the scene is being shot. White boards or silver reflectors work pretty well for fill light; silver car windshield reflectors are the perfect tools for creating this effect in your video production.

Ultimately, nature is in charge – there are some things that we simply cannot control even with all the high tech equipment we possess. While you are shooting a scene in which you want bright illumination with sharp shadows, a bunch of clouds might float across the sky over the set, throwing some dim lighting and diffuse shadows into the final video. You will probably find that the illumination and shadow profile was not constant throughout your video. The solution to this is to shoot on totally cloudless days or days when a blanket of clouds is stretched across the entire sky.