Sam Orr 6/4/21 Sam Orr 6/4/21

How To Instantly Improve Shooting In Natural Light

I know what it’s like to be in the kind of situations where it is raining all day long and the sky is ultra-dark even when the sun is at its highest. I understand how hard it can be to get beautiful looking shots when you’re in an open field with no way to control harsh mid-afternoon sunlight. I’ve shot in pretty much all weather conditions at any given time of day, trust me when I say that while it can be tough, you can get great images no matter what kind of natural light you’re working with.

“Wow Sam, an article on how to use sunlight to get nice images? How original.”

I know, it may sound like I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas here, but please give me a chance! Figuring out how to make the most of shooting in natural light is a key part of learning to become a successful photographer or videographer. But I want to take it a step further than other posts you’ve read on this and tell you how to make the most of natural light in any weather situation, at any time of day.

Yes, that’s right! I want to actually tell you more than simply just ‘shoot at golden hour’ or ‘wait for the light to be right before shooting’. We don’t always have the time to hang around all day for a break in the clouds or maybe your shoot doesn’t work at sunrise or sunset.
I know what it’s like to be in the kind of situations where it is raining all day long and the sky is ultra-dark even when the sun is at its highest. I understand how hard it can be to get beautiful looking shots when you’re in an open field with no way to control harsh mid-afternoon sunlight. I’ve shot in pretty much all weather conditions at any given time of day, trust me when I say that while it can be tough, you can get great images no matter what kind of natural light you’re working with.

So where do we start?

Control The Natural Light

Right now you’re probably thinking ‘But how am I meant to control the sun?’, and I can completely understand why you might think it’s impossible, I used to think the same.
But what you actually want to do is take a look at wherever you’re shooting, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, and observe where the light is coming from, the surfaces it’s hitting, what it’s possibly reflecting from, and any pockets of light and shadow that are being created.

It’s a lot to try and ‘read’ from your scene all at once, but it’s an important skill to learn. Having this skill allows you to decide on the spot where is best to place your subject and what angle you want to film from.
Being able to make these decisions quickly effectively then frees you up to begin figuring out what light you can begin subtracting from your image to get a good balance of contrast and shape in your shot.

Sequence 01 Copy 01.00_00_06_01.Still001.png

For example, if you are shooting outdoors in a busy urban area just after midday you can bring your subject into the shadow of a building to give more even light across their face. Alternatively, you could position them with a large wall or window off to the side to bounce light across their face to add shape to the image.
On dull days with grey skies, you may find it more difficult to add contrast to your image as the clouds essentially act as one huge softbox throwing even lighting everywhere. Instances like this are very tricky to deal with (even though they’re really common here in the UK and Ireland) but you can mitigate it and add contrast back into your scene by moving your subject to the edge of soft shadows being cast by trees or overhangs on buildings. You can also use this as a time to experiment with finding areas of good colour contrast to help make your image more dynamic.

Making the most of natural light while shooting indoors is in some ways more limiting but it can be easier too, as windows become your source of light.
Window light is fantastic as when positioned to the back or side of your camera, it acts as a great key light for your subject. The light roll-off in-camera can look fantastic too, allowing you to get amazing looking shots, with great contrast across the image, using fairly little effort. The drawback is that, unless you can rotate the building you’re in, you are stuck with whatever position the windows are in. In cases where your room design isn’t great this can feel like a really limiting factor.

Sequence 01 Copy 01.00_00_35_19.Still007.png

If you are struggling to get the right balance in your image by trying to rely on your surroundings then it’s time to figure out how you can begin shaping the available light. In cases like this, you will either need some extra helping hands or additional time before your shoot to set up everything you need to shape your light.
Using a 5-in-1 reflector to diffuse, add, or take away light from your shot is a great way to shape your light if you are on a run and gun kind of shoot. I try to avoid using the silver and gold sides of the reflector if I can help it as the light that bounces back from them can look artificial. I prefer using the white side to reflect light, and the black side to act as a negative fill to add more shape and contrast to my subject. Ideally, the bigger your reflector is the better, having a larger surface makes it easier to catch the light to bounce back and it also means you have a larger source of diffused light if you remove the outer layer.
Aside from using reflectors, you can shape natural light how you would with artificial lights, by using flags and scrims to block, bounce and diffuse the light. Depending on the amount of light and time you have available this is a fantastic way to make your image look really professional.

Choose appropriate locations for the time of day

This may sound obvious, but if you are working on a shoot with only daylight, you should structure the production around what locations will look best at a particular time.
For this to be pulled off flawlessly, you absolutely have to put in the effort in your pre-production to make sure you not only know what each location looks like at what time but also to have backup locations in case your weather and lighting weren’t what you had originally planned.

There’s no point in showing up to a location at the wrong time with the wrong weather and shooting sub-par shots unless you have no other choice. If you can, take the time to do a recce and actually see how each location looks. Keep an eye on weather forecasts and use your best judgement on how a particular spot will look in the lighting conditions you want.

It’s not always possible to plan for every eventuality, but knowing where else you can go and how to deal with poor light could very well save your shoot.

Work With The Weather

Following on from the previous tip, we can’t always expect sunshine and work with beautiful golden light from sunrise and sunset (unless you live in California apparently) so you will have to do your best to work with whatever weather conditions are available.
Despite your best efforts, you can’t always get the same weather and lighting conditions that you had during recce’s and you may be unable to postpone or reschedule a shoot. It will be times like this that you have to roll with whatever nature throws at you.

Here in the UK and Ireland we almost always have some form of full or partial cloud cover that can change the available light very quickly, which can make getting consistently lit images a pain. Thankfully, it does mean that we are very well equipped for understanding how cloudy days affect the light that we have to work with.
On very heavily clouded days it is like working with a gigantic soft light source, which can be great for portrait shots that give beautiful even light on a subject's face. The drawback is that there is very little contrast in the image, meaning we have to either bounce light back or use negative fill to remove the light from the scene to add more depth to the image.

If you live somewhere with constantly changing weather conditions then I highly recommend installing a weather app that can give you highly detailed readings of the ebb and flow of cloud cover. I have one installed on my phone that breaks down the weather into 5 minute chunks, showing me (with really good accuracy!) when we will have a break in rain and clouds. Having this information is crucial to being able to rearrange a shoot schedule and improvise other shots while you wait for a window of opportunity for the lighting conditions you actually want.

In the cases where you know there is zero possibility of your ideal lighting conditions appearing, then you will have to carry on the shoot regardless. Do your best to shape the light you have and try to reframe shots. Don’t be afraid to deviate from a shot list if it helps light your subject better and adds more to the depth in your image.

Backlighting and side lighting

Backlighting, backlighting, backlighting. This is the secret to how Hollywood productions look the way that they do. Once you know the formula you will see it in almost everything you watch.
Placing your main source of light, whether it’s natural or artificial, behind or to the back and side of your subject casts shadows towards the camera, adding shape, texture and helps add to the film-like feel of a shot.

This is especially useful when shooting in natural light because it not only adds shape to your subject, but also helps add contrast to your image, allowing your viewer's eye to pick out the areas of the image that are the most important.
But the benefits of backlighting your subject don’t end there! If your subject is a person, placing the key light behind them allows them to face the camera without being blinded by bright sunlight. This is particularly useful if they are delivering a line to the camera, or lined up for a group photo.
Positioning yourself so that the sun acts as a backlight also allows you to quite easily bounce light back towards your subject while still giving them a rim or hair light to separate them from the background. Using this effectively can completely transform the look and feel of your image, taking it from a good shot to a great shot.

Taking this a step further, when you begin to add and subtract light using bounce light and flags to shape the light, you will want to try to create a series of dark and light zones in your image.
The human eye is naturally drawn to looking in places of high contrast first, doubly so if there is a face to look at, so crafting and shaping the light in your image to go dark-light-dark-light-dark frames your subject and draws your viewer’s attention to what is the most important in your image.

Sam Orr 1/13/21 Sam Orr 1/13/21

The Best Lightweight Lighting Kits For Self Shooters

Lighting is hands down one of the single most important factors in creating a great looking image. And that’s true across all styles of filmmaking and video production. Whether you are working on high-end film and TV sets, creating a promo video for a new product, or even making a short funny video to post to social media, lighting can drastically change the look and feel of what you’re creating.

Good lighting can highlight or mask details from your image and with good lighting, you can even get amazing results from lower end, consumer-focused camera sensors.

Choosing the right lighting for any job will become an essential part of working on any project as a filmmaker, and it’s even more important if like me you’re a self-shooter who wears more than one metaphorical hat at a time!
Having lighting that you can rely on and is easy to carry, as well as fast to set up, will make every shoot you work on a far more enjoyable experience. Not having to stress about being near a power source or having to worry about which piece of equipment to leave behind will save you time on set and speed up your workflow whenever you need it most!

So here are my top choices for lightweight lighting kits that I personally love!

best lightweight lighting kits in 2021:

Neewer Dimmable Bi-colour 480 LED Light Kit

Pros -
Affordable, great value, very portable
Cons -
Loses colour accuracy when dimmed, not as bright as other systems

Check Price

GVM 800D RGB Video Light Led Panel Light

Pros -
Good light output for size and price, full RGB lighting
Cons -
App for making adjustments can be confusing, light stands are flimsy

Check Price

Falconeyes RX-18T Roll-Flex LED Video Light

Pros -
Flat and flexible, can be mounted into tight spaces regular lights can’t fit
Cons -
Difficult to use with additional lighting modifiers

Check Price

Godox S30 Focusing LED Spotlight 5600K

Pros -
Fantastic output and colour accuracy
Cons -
Lights of this size have limited uses but they do what they are designed to do very well

Check Price

LUXCEO Q508A LED Light Wand

Pros -
Versatile, bright and very affordable
Cons -
Not fully RGB, no battery indication

Check Price

Aputure AL-M9 Amaran LED Video Light

Pros -
Very portable, great quality, very bright for its size
Cons -
Battery life could be better

Learn more

Aputure AL-MX Mini LED Video Light 2800K-6500K

Pros -
Variable colour temperature, great output
Cons -
Heavier than AL-M9, battery life could be better

Learn more

Best Video Lighting Kits 2021

1 - Neewer Dimmable Bi-colour 480 LED Light Kit

For years now Neewer has been producing cheap, readily available products for pretty much every aspect of film and photography. I have plenty of their equipment and can say that you definitely get incredible quality for what you pay when it comes to their gear. While I haven’t used these exact lights on a shoot in a while I can almost guarantee you won’t be disappointed in picking a set up and using them on your next shoot.

They are very easy to power up, either with mains electricity or by using readily available Sony NP-F batteries directly on the back of each panel. With them being bi-colour you can easily switch the white balance between daylight and tungsten to match the lighting you find yourself working with.
I’ve found that once dimmed the lights lose a little of their colour accuracy but that is a small drawback compared to the price and portability of these lights.

Check Price

2 - GVM 800D RGB Video Light Led Panel Light

Lights like these provide an absolutely incredible level of versatility when lighting a scene. The ability to not only make changes to your white balance super quickly but also to be able to tap into the full spectrum of RGB lighting can give you a lot of options to light a scene creatively.
These light panels are easy to bring along to any set, can be powered by mains or battery and can quickly be adjusted via an app on your phone. No more having to get up and walk backwards and forwards checking your changes in camera!

The panels are large enough to give good shape to your subject, but if you want to have a softer look you will still need to add some form of lighting modifier. Using a sheet of diffusion or bouncing the light off a nearby white surface should be enough to soften it enough for your needs.
Overall, the versatility of these lights is absolutely incredible and I would highly recommend them to anyone considering creative documentary-style work!

Check Price

3 - Falconeyes RX-18T Roll-Flex LED Video Light

This light is absolutely mind-blowing in what it is capable of. Granted it is a much more niche light than the others so far, but it is no less amazing for it.
Sporting the ability to bend around itself this light can fit into almost any space. It’s perfect for filming in tight interiors, mounting onto a ceiling, or even inside a lampshade!!
Being bi-colour and dimmable gives you the flexibility you need to make the most out of this light without needing any gels or bulky external dimmer packs.

Admittedly this flexible panel light might not have a place in your kit, but if you regularly find yourself working on creative short films or more conceptual films then this light is definitely worth considering. Being able to hide and mount it almost anywhere is an invaluable asset, plus the ability to literally wrap the light around your subject gives incredible results!

Check Price

4 - Godox S30 Focusing LED Spotlight 5600K

Spotlights like this one are often overlooked by many filmmakers as they would rather opt for a much larger and softer source of light. I personally think spotlights like this one are a necessity for anyone who shoots and produces their own content. Smaller lights like the Godox S30 are perfect for adding shape to a subject by either side or backlighting them, resulting in beautiful hair and rim lighting.
The internal focusing lens in this spotlight allows you to either flood the room with light or create a hard, defined circle of light for your needs. There are also lighting modifiers designed for this style of light so if you feel like the light is too harsh there are easy ways to soften it too.

The Godox S30 is set to a daylight balanced light which initially may seem like a drawback, but for a light of this size, it is very easy to add a gel to it in order to warm it up to a tungsten look if you need. However, when you consider that a light like this is perfect for lighting dark wedding receptions or adding shape to a subject then the ‘drawbacks’ don’t seem that major at all.

Check Price

5 - LUXCEO Q508A LED Light Wand

Originally I used to think light wands like this were just a gimmick that photographers used to do light paintings with. After getting the chance to use on in a professional setting though I quickly changed my mind. You see, light wands are an incredibly effective (and much cheaper) alternative to purchasing vertical strip light modifiers which give great directional lighting.

The Luxeco Q508A may not be the most comprehensive and feature-rich light wand on the market but what it lacks in dialling in full RGB colour values it makes up for with its ease of use and versatility. This light is perfect for adding a strip of light to the side of a face, adding shape to a product, adding a splash of colour to a background, or moving across a small scene for very dynamic lighting
.It’s not an essential part for a lighting kit but it will absolutely unlock a new level of creativity for you potential setups.

Check Price

6 - Aputure AL-M9 + AL-MX Mini LED Card Lights

Aputure is probably my favourite brand for LED filmmaking lights. They are always innovating and always listening to what their customers want from their lighting kits. That’s why I can comfortably recommend both of these tiny, yet mighty palm-sized lights. Yes, that’s right, palm-sized.

I picked up the Aputure AL-M9 to help add a small splash of light to the background of some interview scenes, but that’s not all it can be used for. The size of both of these card lights means they can be placed almost anywhere a regular light can’t.
For such a small source of light, they pack such a punch that it is very easy to use them to light night scenes, use as a small fill light, or even to add a splash of light to the edge of a subject.

So why do I recommend both? Well, they are almost the same product but with the difference of the AL-M9 being a constant daylight white balance, whereas the AL-MX is bi-colour. If it came to it I would choose the older M9 over the MX purely because it’s smaller and lighter, however at this size I think both of these lights are something that belongs in every filmmaker’s camera bag.