Lighting in the LJW Studios

Overview

The LJW Studios at KDHX are positioned on the south side of the building, with all natural light being provided from due south as well.

The light in this room changes continually with the hour of the day and the season, not to mention the weather conditions at the time of the shoot.

This document will provide photographs that illustrate some of the lighting issues that you will be dealing with during a video shoot, as well as proven angles that work well in different lighting situations.

Windows to outside

The LJW Studio has three large windows located on the south wall, each with a blackout shade and pulley.

If the camera is pointed in the direction of one of these windows, you can see that it begins using all of it's power to focus on what is located outside, and leaves the objects in the room very dark and shadowy.

One of the most basic rules of photography is for the sun to be behind the photographer, not behind the subject.

This photograph was taken less than one minute later, and from the southwest corner. By eliminating the windows from the view, the lighting and coloration is much improved.

Partial windows in shot

Even including just a partial bit of the window in the shot drastically reduces clarity, coloration and natural flesh tones.

VERSUS

Notice that with the window in the shot, you begin to see shadows on the subject's face, dis-coloration and grainy image quality.
The photo on the right with no window has a clear image with realistic color and flesh tones, and is well lit.

No-no #1 - placing performers in front of outside windows

Here are some examples of badly lit subjects and color, due to placing the performers in front of these windows, or including the windows in your shots. (Clicking on these images will display larger versions for closer study.)