September 4

Using Natural Light to Get 3-Point Lighting for Your Talking Head Video

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Quality lighting for video is really a lot easier than you might think. Here is a short video demonstration of how you can get incredible looking three-point lighting for a talking head video using nothing but inexpensive fixtures you already have sitting around the house.

The talking head video is probably the single most common type of video. It serves so many functions and is really the easiest kind of video to make. That doesn’t mean lots of people don’t goof it up, though.

To make your talking head video well, the two most important things are decent lighting and decent audio quality. Today’s post covers lighting for talking head. In this quick five-minute video, watch as I fully explain the easiest way to set up professional quality, triangle lighting using standard home lighting equipment.

  • 3-point lighting is the professional standard for lighting a talking head. Essentially, it means 3 points of light surround the head, giving it definition. It is also called triangle lighting.

triangle lighting

As I was setting up to videotape myself the other day, I made a spur of the minute decision to go ahead and roll the camera while I was setting up, so you could learn exactly how I do it. I do it the cheap and easy way!

So, as I got ready to work, still wearing my PJ’s with no make-up yet, (Sorry. Scary, I know.) I rolled tape and spoke to the camera, explaining what I was doing as I turned on each light. And, yes, I left my pj’s on, though that is not as exciting as it might sound.  Victoria and I have vastly different secrets.   🙂

This video demonstration shows you how I went from a dark, empty room to a great looking shot in less than five minutes. (The make-up part took longer, this video is just about lighting!)

It essentially boils down to where the light fixtures are placed and how you diffuse the light. Watch the video and see exactly what I mean.

Using natural light is one of my favorite tricks.  By natural light here, I am counting any windows or lamps already in place.  Often, videographers avoid any natural light when shooting inside. They’ll turn off all lights and close all the curtains.  I liked using the natural light however if it was a situation that could indeed create quality light.   Not every situation allows it, so I often closed the curtains too.

Once you learn more about how video lighting works, you can better judge whatever location you find yourself in.  As a TV news photographer, that was one of my first tasks at every shoot, to assess the location and decide how to set up lights.

When you are inside, any sunlight coming in will work better for you if it is diffused, so not likely to change.  If it’s direct, you’d have to move fast before you lose the lighting.  Generally speaking, you want your lighting to be stable, so moving light becomes a problem.

In the video above, the sunlight was very diffused by all the trees outside.  The camera I was using was able to handle the light mixture OK and give good color.

Using natural light is not something that works in every situation, but when it does, it is a huge time-saver.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips.

Lorraine Grula

FOOD FOR THOUGHT QUESTIONS 

  • According to the article, what are the two most important things hen making a video talking head?
  • In your own words, describe 3-point lighting.
  • According to the article, why is using natural light sometimes a good idea?


Tags

3 point lighting, easy 3 point lighting, easy triangle lighting, easy video lighting techniques, professional lighting made easy, triangle lighting, video lighting demonstration, video production lighting techniques


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