Creative Lighting Techniques
A little bit of creative lighting can go a LONG way in photography and video. One of the major perks of shooting on a DSLR is the ability to get a very shallow depth of field. Keeping your aperture very low (f/2.0, f/1.7, etc.) introduces that beautiful defocused look or bokeh that is so highly sough after. Creating points of light for style and contrast in your images can really give the final outcome a completely different look. A few days ago I talked about the introduction of a rim or hair light and how this technique is used to separate your subject from the background. It also really adds to the overall aesthetics of the image, as this technique gives dimension and depth. Dimension and depth, these two factors take an image from flat to interesting very quickly, but how can you begin to put this concept into practice? There are quite a few ways to doing this but here I’ll focus on lighting. A rim light is the first step. Beyond introducing a rim light, you can also add small pools of light to accent scenes or act as points of bokeh in the background. Each of these techniques will add to the depth and dimensional value of the shots.
Examples of bokeh and accent lighting and color accent lighting.
Get creative with your lighting sources and usage. Remember, once you defocus what the actual light source is or conceal it and use only the light itself, the viewer only sees what you want them to see. Think about the positioning of the lights as well. Is the light source coming from beneath or above the subject, in front of or behind? Techniques like rack focusing can also further help you to direct the viewer’s focus in video to the focal points you want them to look at. The video below shows some blurred highlights made from hanging Christmas string lights.
Creative lighting with Cheap LED Christmas Lights
Creative Lighting ideas with String Lights / Christmas Lighting
Are you guys using any creative lighting sources for your work? Share!
16.4 Ft RGB Color Changing Kit with LED Flexible Strip, Controller + Remote and 12 Volt Kit
LED Battery-Operated Stick-On Tap Light, 3 Pack
aperture bokeh, bokeh lighting, christmas lights video, diy video lights
Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut sporadically posts some pretty amazing DIY lighting tips on his blog. He has tons of experience on big budget sets, but is a strong advocate of DSLR filmmaking and its liberating power for indie directors. Check out some of his budget lighting techniques here.