I recently performed my first OF live, and while it went well, I felt that the lighting was a huge letdown. Since it’s nighttime here, I tried to reduce the strong overhead lighting by using a ring light and a variety of lamps, but the quality was severely compromised.
I’m really careful about using natural night light for my photographs and films, thus I never use artificial light for them. Does anyone have any advice or recommendations for nighttime illumination, please? I used my laptop, a MacBook Air 2020 edition, but maybe I should try using my phone instead—I have an iPhone 15, which has a superior camera.
I would love any advice that wouldn’t make me appear to be using an iPhone
I’ve found that Daytime Lives are generally beneficial, so give it a shot sometime. For my nighttime livestreams, I use Lumecube tube lights and its cordless ringlight.
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Hi there! I work as a professional photographer and filmmaker. Instead than using strong, direct light, I would use gentle, diffused light sources. To soften the light and prevent ugly shades, use lampshades or bounce the light off walls or ceilings. Try not to use overhead illumination. I would purchase soft globe floor lamps to assist diffuse the light in a tiny space. Alternatively, if you have more space, I would purchase a soft box lantern and mount it on a lightstand using a professional light. The soft lighting will fill the entire space thanks to a soft box lantern.
You can also slant your main light at a 45-degree angle, a little to the side. Direct front illumination is not as flattering as this. For this, a ring light can be used.
To equalize the shadows, use a secondary fill light on the other side. A brighter computer screen or a smaller bulb can also be useful. The fill should have less light than your main source.
Steer clear of combining various light color temperatures, such as warm and cold tones. For a clean look, try to use daylight balanced bulbs, ideally around 5000K.
The webcam on a 2020 MacBook Air will most likely perform worse in low light than your iPhone 15. If you can attach your phone’s rear camera at the proper angle, give it a try.
At night, stay away from sitting with a window behind you. You’ll appear underexposed and backlit as a result. Instead, turn to face the windows.
If you want to softly brighten your shot, bounce light off a white wall, poster board, or reflector. Steer clear of shining lights in your face.
Do a little digging on soft box lighting! These days, I hardly ever use my ring lights. Since my soft box light lacks a tripod, I only use it for that purpose. However, they’re incredibly bright and customizable!
Fantastic - Thank you very much
I’m really grateful and you’re amazing. Extremely helpful.
Thank you! I will check them out now.