The key to successful lighting is being knowledgeable about the lights you are working with. Factors such as light temperature, lamp type and wattage are important, but understanding the basic rules of light is the foundation to any great lighting set up.

It doesn’t matter if your light source is large or small, if you know the rules of light, you can manipulate the lights to your preference. Smaller light sources will give you a more pin-pointed light. This will highlight more texture in the lit areas and create dark shadows that have little to no detail. Depending on your video, this may not be a bad thing. For example, if you’re trying to mimic the sun with your lights you would want well-defined, harsh shadows. By understanding the behavior of light, you will know that all you have to do is pull your light source back from your subject to make your light source smaller.

If you’re trying to avoid harsh shadows, you can turn your small light source into a larger one. Larger light sources will wrap your subject in light, softening textures and allowing for some detail in the shadows. You can turn any small light source into a large one by reflecting it off of a wall or diffusing it. Reflecting and diffusing allows the light to be spread evenly which is great for many things like complimenting skin tone, but isn’t so great for dramatic lighting.

As you can see, there are simple ways to get the lighting effect you want with the lights you have. Understanding the basics of lighting will help you create a lighting set up that not only lights your scene, but enhances it.

If you would like to read more tips on light sources, diffusion, creating ambiance, and setting your lights at the most flattering angle check out Lighting: Lighting Products for Video Ads.

Interested in more tips on Video Lighting? Sign up for Videomaker’s free Video Lighting Course. This free tip series is designed to help you improve your video production skills, fast. Learn More.

Silhouettes are great for hiding a person’s identity. However, when silhouetted figures mistakenly make their way into your family videos, professional productions and other projects it’s often less than pleasing to the viewer. This lighting error is easy to avoid, yet happens much too frequently.

Silhouettes are caused when your key and fill light aren’t strong enough (or are non-existent) to balance out the brightness of the backlight. Regardless of where you’re shooting, whether it’s indoors in front of a window or outdoors in front of a bright landscape, there are several ways you can avoid a silhouetted subject due to overpowering back light:

• If you have the option, use the manual aperture setting on your camera. This allows you to be in control of what’s going to be properly exposed, rather than your camera deciding for you.
• Move your subject so that the bright background/primary light source isn’t directly behind, but to the side of the subject or in front of them. You can use the natural light as a key or fill light.
• Use a reflector to bounce the light coming from behind the subject back onto their face.
• If you’re using lights, bring the lights in closer to the subject in order to compensate for the brightness of a window or background. (However, be cautious when mixing lights of different color temperatures; it may result in lighting that looks unnatural).
• Move the camera closer to the subject. This way your subject will fill more of the frame than the bright background, allowing you to get better exposure.

Being aware of your lighting options, no matter where you are, will allow you to address potential exposure problems before they occur. Knowing how to effectively work around these issues will allow you to create videos that are well-lit and free of silhouettes.

Capturing unwanted silhouettes is one of many problems that can be easily avoided by following commonly used lighting set-ups. In our Video Lighting DVD, we walk you through the process of setting up ideal lighting for variety of situations.

Interested in more tips on lighting? Sign up for Videomaker’s free Lighting Course. This free tip series is designed to help you improve your video production skills, fast. Learn More.

Whether you are lighting an interview or a scene for a movie, the background light must always be considered. How much light should you use? How many shadows need to be created? Should you apply a simple splash of color or something with more texture? When making these decisions it’s handy to have a variety of cookies to choose from.

A cookie, short for “cucoloris,” is a large board with a pattern or shape cut out of it. It’s placed in front of a spot light in order to throw a textured shadow or a silhouette onto the background. These shadows and silhouettes can include tree branches, blinds, or something a little more abstract. Cookies can bring additional ambiance to your scene and are not only easy to use, but also fairly easy to make.

To make your own cookie all you need is a large board, at least 24″ square and preferably 1/2-inch foam core board, though thin plywood, sheet metal or cardboard would work also. To help control the bounce from the light source, choose a board that is black on both sides. Next, use a sharp edge, such as an Xacto knife or box cutter, to cut out the pattern of your choice. Drawing your pattern on the board prior to cutting may help as a guide. Remember, if your desired effect is a silhouette, cut out the area around the shape, not the shape itself.

Cookies are a basic lighting accessory that will allow you to vary your lighting design. By learning how to make your own cookies you can create endless design possibilities while being able to be more adventurous with your choices.