8 lighting tips I wish I knew when I started photography
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The biggest “a-ha” moment for me was learning that the larger the source the softer the light, the smaller the source, the harder the light. So much can be learned from lighting just using that simple rule. It’s obviously a deeper well to dive into, but you can start there and get pretty far.
flash on the ceiling or behind you at a wall at high power is always a good idea for example
Yeah, but it also depends how far or close it is to the subject. Take the sun for example, is biggest light source , but that's why it projects hard shadows, cause it's far away from the subject. But if your source of light was close, the shadows would be more blurry and would also create a soft light.
@@gaudiangeles1509 Light source size is of course relative to the subject being lit. A huge bright light really far away is a small bright light relative to the subject, and would create a hard light source. The principle of larger and small sources still applies and I stand by that it’s a great starting point for beginner and more advanced lighting techniques.
I work in 3D, and lights in 3D renderers follow this same rule. So many early artists, sometimes senior artists, dont remember or know this.
and that "large" is from the perspective of the subject. The sun is HUGE, but from the perspective of the subject, it's only a few inches in diameter
1. When you can it is always better to light the scene than the shot. Minor adjustments for each shot ends up saving time and keeps lighting more consistent overall. 2. Don't overly stress about the lighting being 100% consistent.
Yep, a mix of both and controlled is the pinnacle
light the scene, put the key on wheels, move the key based on the direction your talent is facing / the effect you want, and your camera angle
The quality of your tutorial are amazing… love watching and brushing up my lighting skills with them❤
This is a focused look at lighting fundamentals. It is highly valuable information for anyone who wishes to instantaneously take lighting a scene to the next level. I learned a thing or two myself. 👍
This is just great, great content! Very helpful for a wide range of people! You're awesome, Stalman!
Solid video quality and lots of great information. Look forward to going through more of your videos.
Amazing advice expressed very concisely! Super work
Great insight and great information. Lots to unpack, and you did so seamlessly. A very big thank you
Love this! Could you make a video about lighting for product videos/ photos? 🙏🏽
tyler thank you so much for all your advices !!
I've used Gold for the last 20 years, not sure why this would be a "don't know why that exists" , Natural sunlight has a gold/yellow tint to it.
Exactly.
I gues you mean towards golden hour? Bc all day is cool
I know right? That and "back in the days of film when the lights were hard" got me
also very much depends on skintone .. subtle gold makes darker skin tones look very beautiful
Thank you, Tyler! *This was incredibly helpful.*
Thanks for the video! You may want to use the gold reflector to create a certain effect, for example I used it to create fire reflections on a model's face.
Gold reflectors exist when shooting darker skin, adding warmth.
Wow, this wasn’t just another lighting video. Exceptional amount of info covered. I love playing with lightning.
Really good video! I have followed you on Twitter for a long time but recently jumped to your KZhead channel. Great content, thank you!
I use gold reflects at sunset to match the sun's color.
100% correct, gold has it’s place. Dislike how KZheadr disrespect stuff with which they know nothing about.
This has been the most helpful lighting video I’ve seen, and that’s with all the others NOT having a shameless plug, this one still tippy tops by far. Thank you for creating quality content. 💪🏼
Would love to hear any thoughts you have on lighting for a lounge style podcast setup, since that has some unique constraints: multiple subjects & multiple concurrent angles, mostly not looking into camera, but still a more KZhead, presentational vibe, often a small space, but has to fit a lot of gear.
Wow, I appreciate this so much!! Thank you!
This video helped so much with my college film course, thank you!
ur a vibe bro, thanks for the good personality and great tips! keep shootin!
Thx for the tips. Great advise
Don't be afraid of contrast, shadows are good they won't bite you
I agree. I barely use bounces. Would rather go for negative fill to create more shadows
Thanks Tyler for excellent advice! It helped me orient for future needs.
So rad, thank you. Infinite love & gratitude from Colorado
This is good stuff. I like this style of video. I would have liked to see a split comparison every time there was a change. Like, straight on lighting VS a little from above for example.
You’re totally right, I would have liked to do that too but feel like I didn’t quite nail the example there so it didn’t properly showcase the technique. It would have really shown more with a soft box
Thank you Tyler, you're really good at explaining in a very calm and confident way. Late bloomer here! I don't get to play with lights at work. So, this vid definitely helps with a. a lot of challenges I come across. Thanks again.
Seen a lot of your videos - I think this is my favourite so far 🤗 So pedagogic and well explained. Great job!
You didn't seen it, you saw it
@@Crazy_Dashcam_Videos eminent insights
Thanks for this Tyler👊
Great advice, thanks for sharing!
Bro, just now i found your channel. Gold. Quality.
amazing tips man , huge thanks!
Great tips, thanks for making it!
This is great! Nicely done.
Tyler, great video! Well done and I enjoyed your deliver.
Lots of great tips here. Thank you
great video, tyler! beautifully put together
Model: This is easy money lol.
90% probably a friend or TFP
Isn’t it always easy money for models lol
It's actually not easy. I did the same with a gf and she really got tired of it just sitting in one place or holding something
Model after reading this comment “where’s my money?”
Actually I was considering how hard it is to stay present and hold a neutral expression while possibly bored or simply holding the same position for an extended amount of time...not the most challenging job, but does actually take effort.
Learning a lot. Thank you!
I’m not sure if this video is a coincidence or a direct result of my question in your recent video but thanks! This is exactly what I was looking for 👍
That was a great, short video with lots of good info! 👍👏
the gold side of the reflector is for specific effects my guy, that why it exists HAHAH
Excellent job Tyler. Your tutorial was very easy to understand and follow. I had to subscribe. I don't own any Nanlite, but that will change as well too.
Great video as always tyler.
Great stuff - I will be using this with my photo class!
Very helpful. Kudos to you. Thanks.
Definitely my biggest one for photography has been that I don't have to shoot light straight at my subject, often feathering the light past them has a much softer effect.
Bounce light into ceiling or walls to get a very natural looking light. Just because the source will be so soft and will actually not be pure white, which is most of the time exactly what you want. For doc projects is probably my fav thing to do aputure f22 and bounce that to the opposite side where camera will be.
Very informative, thank you!
Big piece of advice I would have taken sooner: get nice stands! Good c stands and combo stands are key. But we often overlook that part. I used crappy plastic stands for way too long 😅
That’s a good one, in the early days I had a few light fall over on flimsy cheap stands
@@stalmanfor safety, always put the knuckles on the right that way it tightens with sag over time. I noticed on your 4x4 frame you had the knuckle on the left. That’ll get you a talking to by the Key Grip - don’t ask how I know lol 😂
I mean if you're going to point things out, then I would also keep the frame on an arm to allow for more flexibility/reach and on the fly changes, even if the initial position doesn't call for it :) I also learned to bag the front/taller leg of a c-stand@@KenDavis-uo8kq
Great work Tyler!
love it!
Hey Tyler, nice video, try using flags, it will change the whole dynamics, also a poly fill from under the subject just out of frame. 😊
8.39: "Never use gold, I don't know why that exists." I have good experience with using the gold bounce on people who don't have caucasian skin, especially with photography. Love the tutorial and the clear examples you give here! I always take away something after having seen your videos.
Lighting zombies?
I worked as a Grip for years and we often pulled out the gold lame for darker skin complexions
Yes exactly, they make a great hair or rim light too
Gold is also intresting for product photography.
Great job! Thanks! I will say check the location power before plug anything!
Learnt so much in 9 minutes. Thanks
Man that Apple-esc opening zoom! 👍 Thanks for the invaluable tips, Tyler. Think I could test out lighting effects virtually in a game engine before setting thing up physically?
Great video thanks.
Book lighting is a really good one to master.
Agree with most of this except the whole "looking into the camera" vs "not looking into the camera". That has little relevance on how "cinematic" something is and if you want to have the contrast ratio looking down the barrel you just move your lights for that.
I learned so much from this in just 9 mins
Easiest way to raise exposure in a place - bounce a light off the ceiling. I tried this for the first time on a project a few months ago, and my mind was blown. Light spaces, not faces.
used keylight for faces. fill light for bouncing, it will create a pleasing scenery
"Light spaces not faces" is not good advice at all my friend. You need to balance the subject light and the environmental light. If you just light the space, the subject will not stand out.
Make sure to skirt the wall or bounce it off a wall vs ceiling even if there is a touch of color. Or something like that. It will have so much better shape.
nice breakdown, thanks
Amazing video! ❤😊
My tip to my younger self would be buy the most expensive, large and powerful light before you buy all the small cheap ones and get really good at making that 1 light illuminate your whole scene. And then learn the power of negative fill for depth. Lastly, get items to be able to modify practical lights of any kind and have those always available. The look of your videos will change so fast with those 3 things + this lighting tutorial video above. Bonus would be get IR ND filters because non-IR NDs add unwanted color shift and skin tone changes to your footage🤘
You definitely earned a subscriber with this video
Amazing! Is there a smaller version of this light I can use for my work videos inside small spaces?
Very helpful
Fantastic video
Gold for golden hour outdoor shooting...
Good tutorial here, nicely presented with little fluff. Advice I would have given myself earlier is to bring some props to stage an otherwise sterile scene. The typical office ficus tree that made it into 75% of my corporate talking heads was such a tiresome trope. Also, thanks to cellphones, the client can walk me through the shoot location virtually, and I know better what I'm up against, and can even pre-viz on cheap software like Set.A.Light 3D to show 'looks' to the client prior to shooting.
The brightest light source in this setup are her eyes :-) This is a great tutorial.
This was actually a really well done tutorial on a few of the fundamentals. Good stuff. There's not much out there of this caliber without useless self promotion and unnecessary asides strewn throughout the entire thing.
Great video , what’s the 5x7 frame?
You would use a gold reflector to match your cooler lit subject to a warmly lit background. This is a preference thing though, I myself have never used it because especially in natural lighting conditions I think the differentiation between cooler shadows and warmer highlights looks quite natural, but in some cases I can see how it would help with a particular vision.
PS this is a great video! Some actual solid lighting advice instead of it being gear focused. :-)
Nice, almost end of the year, time to invest in a new light to drop the yearly profits a little bit haha. Thanks! would a big umbrella also help or would you rather shoot through the diffused white panels.
Thanks
Thanks for this. What stand & monitor do you use?
I have the forza 500 1st gen, I really like that the mark2 version has plus and minus green
Every daylight fixture should have it, even when they should match they never do
The specular gold reflectors were a wedding photographers' secret weapon back in the film days. Those and Metz flashes 😂
Thank you so much Tyler! You are very knowledgeable and I'm glad I found you! (I sub'd). Quick question? Why / How (around 4:00min) did turning up the Forza to 100% add more blue coming through the window? Also, I'm not sure I saw more blue there? (total noob here) 🙂
shooting from the dumb side and always figuring out a way to backlight was mine. took me a while to accept that even fill and bounce can be back light. it was something i knew but on set I'd forgo
Quite useful video
links for the tv/monitor + rolling stand + any accessories??
Nice Vid! If I am just starting out with a home KZhead / Online Class set-up? What would be your minimum light setup? With lower budget? Thanks!
My advice to my earlier self would be to invest in a solid lighting kit from the start! I've spent more money "building up" towards better lights when I should have just bought 1-3 solid lights from the beginning.
Depends - for indoor and "professional" portrait style for sure. But on average i am super happy with just: - one cheap, small LED light/flooder with like 8x15cm size and 1000lm and adjustable color temp - a "Nitecore TUP" keychain flashlight modified with a high CRI light and diffusor as tiny/support light, both on the EOS R7 mounted either via GoPro cage or smartphone clamp. - internal flash on my point and shoots for basic stuff Sure enough often i would just need more power, but if i know it i have anyways a 7000lm Noctigon Meteor M43 "cola can" flashlight which makes everything to day.
I would pay good money just to have the natural light in your studio. Those windows are gorgeous.
My young Padawan, lights should be a priority in that shopping list!
Gold is great for working during sunset and with darker skin tonnes.
Thats a myth I would love to bust, I think it's just received wisdom that's actually bad advice
Sorry I don’t think you really know what you are talking about regarding gold. Do you get a kick out of disrespecting stuff you don’t like?
Sometimes, less is more. With the current cameras, it's more about contrast control than illumination. Camera tech has really helped us over the last 5 years becoming much more sensitive. Good tutorial.
Great video. Something off topic, when I saw the magician guy in this video, I thought you had Steven Yeun (known as Glenn from Walking Dead) as your special guest :)
Beautiful ...U won a subscribing
she has incredible eyes
Sitting in front of a camera with a poker face is a true challenge. Respect to model.
Gold works best for dark skin tones
Good video. On last part where you talk about the G/M adjustments to your fluorescent lights, you left out that after adjusting people should do a proper white balance. Otherwise it will just have the greenish tint since you would adjust the 500 to match the fluorescents. Also for people starting out, they should always have handle on grip head on right side for safety. If a flag, floppy, bounce or diffuser starts to fall, it will tighten onto itself.
Yes good point!
@stalman can you tell me what monitor you’re using for preview please?
TYLER would you recommend the daylight version over the bicolor as a film maker?
Tyler, what strength diffusion panel are you using?