Setting up Video Lights (for Beginners)

Photography is defined as the study of light. Lighting is the MOST important thing! With video, audio becomes important as well, but lighting is just as important. Good lighting will make the biggest difference in your video quality. So here are some tips and advice for the beginner, or someone just starting to learn about the best way to light. It is not by any means a comprehensive guide, but should help if you are deciding what type of lighting will best suit your needs.

When determining how to set up lighting, you have to know what your purpose for filming is:

Are you lighting for convenience purposes? (eg., a livestream, a class, or talking to an audience?) 

or more creatively? (eg., a video shoot, making an epic home dance setup, no talking to the camera)

If it’s for convenience, you’ll want a setup that makes you as the subject visible and looking as good as possible, with soft lights, or enough natural light to illuminate you and your space. 

If it’s creatively, you can usually get away with a little less light depending on the look you want to create. You can add colored lights, different types of light, and position them in ways you normally wouldn’t. 

Let’s talk about the convenience shoot first. 

If you are lucky enough to be in a brightly-lit space (hopefully not those ugly tungsten lights overhead!) or by a large window, you may not need to purchase lights. To fill in shadows on the face you can always just buy a reflector of some sort and stick it opposite the window to bounce light back onto your face.  But let’s say you aren’t that lucky... 

If you do a lot of talking to the camera holding your phone or on a tripod, a ring light is a cheap but worthwhile adjustment. I got the one linked above because it has adjustable brightness and a diffuser for a softer lighting option. There are cheaper ones though, which probably just include less features. A ring light is essentially a beauty light that will put your face in the spotlight without bringing out your blemishes and that will enhance your eyes by putting a nice glimmer in them, also known as a “catchlight”. It was actually my very first light purchase! I shot one of my favorite selfies with the same ring light linked above, and my Canon DSLR camera on a tripod, positioned just behind the ring light.

If you are using your PHONE mainly, and just need something quick and portable to film your face, try a mobile-version ring light like this.

For full body stuff, Amazon sells plenty of “continuous lighting kits” (video lights) for those willing to invest or those on a budget. If you are wanting to invest in good lights, you must do your research. I will say that I have bought TONS of cheap light setups throughout my career. And that’s what they are...cheap. But if you aren’t using them for professional purposes, they should get the job done. Just realize they aren’t built to last and won’t light up a BIG room or studio. If you get the common $100-150(cheap) 3-light setup, you will likely end up using all 3 lights for a full body shoot as opposed to using just one high quality light. So it’s your choice. The kit is nice because it comes with everything you need. The more expensive options most often don’t.

Where you position your lights is also important. As a rule of thumb, you can position your key light (your main light) 45 degrees perpendicular to you the subject, pointing down (except for ring lights of course which are opposite your face). Adjust the light so it is just above or a few feet above your head.

If you have a 3-light kit you have the opportunity to get more creative. Since you have your key light covered, you can position the other two as you like! Experiment with putting a light in back of you for that “halo look”. One to the side of you, to illuminate part of your body and add a high level of dimension. Put a light on a tall (9ft+) light stand if you have, and direct it down for more of a top-lit look, which tends to add muscle definition (what dancer doesn’t want this?). On this shoot, I did mostly back lighting and one key light set very high, tilted down, which made the dancers look muscular and epic. Mostly the ones closest to that key light of course ;) Here’s a bts shot:

This only scratches the surface of lighting, but hopefully is a good starting point for those just getting into it. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment here or on my group Facebook page!

Private Zoom, Facetime, or Skype video consultations are also available ($50/hr).

Feel free to join my Facebook group to ask specific questions as well: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theinspiredcapture