Lighting Tips for Beginners: Positioning
Video creation can be intimidating if you’re just starting out, and especially when I mention “lighting” I often see people’s eyes glaze over. You may want to start a video podcast, or create social media content to engage your community on a higher level and may feel stuck, but I’m here to help.
Having worked in the video and photography business for over a decade, I’ve had multiple opportunities to play with and master light, and I can promise that you can improve the look of your content in a few easy steps, and with minimal effort.
In this article, I’m going to break down the basic concepts of light, and share with you a quick and easy tutorial on how to use light the right way to wow your audience.
Location, Location, Location
Whether you’re using a fancy ring light, an available spare lamp, or a nearby window, the location of your lighting impacts how you will look on video. The key here is to have your main light (also called your Key Light), positioned in front of your subject. The important person being recorded on camera is called “the subject”. If you’re a one-person show, we’ve already got that sorted, it’s you!
We want you to be the focus of the light and be presented as the subject.
Next, we want to fine-tune the positioning of the light. Positioning the light low and to the right will have a different effect than directly in front and higher up. Here’s a little break-down of a few good options you could use in your online videos.
Directly In front and Above
This type of lighting can be called “Flat” due to the absence of shadows on the subject's face. This is a great place to start if you’re not comfortable making too many changes and want to dip your toes into video lighting. You’ll have a well-lit subject, no shadows to worry about, and can be positioned directly behind your camera.
5 to 25 degrees and Above
As we move the light around the subject, we start to create shadows on the face. The light just being slightly angled adds a bit of depth and texture without being too dramatic.
45 degrees and Above
For the average video, this will be as far you’ll want to go to start. This will add quite a bit more shadows on the subject’s face without being overly dramatic.
To compare, here are a few lighting positions you’ll want to avoid.
Front and Below
This will create scary-looking shadows on your face and eyes. Unless you’re going for a scary look, avoid this lighting position.
Behind
This is kinda the exact opposite of what we’re going for. The subject will be hard to see and cast in shadows.
This is just a starting point in getting your video lighting on point and stepping up your video creation game. Experiment a little and find the lighting position that works for you.
Watch the video below for the step-by-step tutorial of basic lighting tips for beginners:
Are you considering Video Podcasting?
Watch the full episode below, as we cover 15 key considerations before you try video podcasting:
Video Term Glossary
Subject - The person or object that is the point of interest in the recording.
Key Light - The main light used to illuminate the subject.
Flat - A description of the subject when there are little or no discernable shadows present.