Do you need some help picking out the lighting for your vlogs? Here are some light setups you can consider using for your projects.
Often times, when your lighting doesn’t look good, people don’t take you or your vlog seriously. As you’ll see in The Slanted Lens’ video, good lighting is the key to taking your vlogs — or any video for that matter — to the next level. The production value will skyrocket and you’ll look like you know what you’re talking about.
“The quality of light that you get on your face is what is so important,” says Jay P. Morgan, host of The Slanted Lens. “Most people buy these little lights. Those little lights are too harsh. They’re too directional. They just don’t work that well.” The way to go is to get a larger and softer source of light for the traditional vlogging setup. Here are some types of lighting sources you can consider:
Window light
Okay. This one may be obvious. But we can’t stress how great natural light makes your videos look. If you can ever shoot your vlogs near a window during the day then you should. A window is a huge and soft source that will lighten your face without harsh shadows, as long as you avoid direct sunlight.
But here’s the problem with window light: it’s not always there. The sun rises, but it also sets. Sometimes you have to shoot at night or in a studio that doesn’t have windows. That’s when you have to use artificial lighting.
Ring light
“There’s several reasons why I love a ring light,” Morgan says. The first reason, he explains, is that it’s a controllable source of light. “I can set it up, turn it one any time I want to, and I get beautiful light.”
The other reason he lights rings lights is a light that softens shadows. A ring light is essentially what the name implies. It’s a big ring that circles around the subject’s face. It’s a soft light that lightens shadows all around your face.
Bouncing light
You can bounce your light onto the wall behind your camera. Bouncing the light will soften the source and give you a soft light on your face. Morgan uses a small light that would likely be too bright if not bounced. But it looks great when bounced!
This issue with it though is that you will need ambient light already in the room. Morgan already has a lot of ambient light in the room he’s shooting in, so the bounced light looks great because of that.
How you light your vlogs is up to you
These are just a few light setups you can use to light your vlog. But remember, there’s no law that says you have to use them. If you want to use harsh lights for your vlog, go ahead. You have the artistic authority to chose the lighting you want. Just make sure whatever setup choose is intentional and suits the mood you are trying to convey.
How do you light your vlogs? Let us know in the comments!
