Simple Techniques for Better Outdoor Lighting
Lighting for film and video is about control and problem solving. Control becomes difficult when you are working outside—your problem-solving skills are put to the test. Whether you are bouncing, blocking, softening, or adding it, light is your raw material. And unlike a sculptor working with clay, outdoors, the raw material is constantly changing. When you’re outside during the day, it’s all about working with what God has provided, anticipation, preparation, and being flexible enough to deal with whatever He may throw at you. God uses one light and it’s big. When lighting budgets are small the challenge of crafting well-lit images can seem almost impossible. But gaining the knowledge of how light will behave and learning the tools and techniques of the trade will empower you to manipulate light to create the visual core of any production.
Essentially, there are wider shots and tighter shots. The wider the shot, the less control or ability you have to manipulate the lighting within your frame. When shooting a wide shot you must first and foremost consider the environmental conditions you are dealing with. Will the sky be overcast? Where exactly does the sun rise on the horizon? Where exactly will it set? What is its flight path during the day? It sounds simple enough; however, the answers are surprisingly varied throughout the year. Good lighting directors can tell you exactly where the sun will be at any given time of day throughout the year. There is a great product called sunPATH from a company called Wide-Screen Software. It is a computer program that will tell you the compass heading and the inclination of the sun from the horizon for locations anywhere at anytime in the world.
Why is this information important? Because, whenever possible you should shoot wider shots in the mornings and afternoons when the sun is at lower angles. This allows for the sunlight to get into the actors’ eyes easier and creates an angle of light that is inherently more visually appealing. Also, the light is not as intense so the contrast between brightness levels is easier to manage. The exact times vary slightly based on season and location. Also, it is important to note that in the winter, the sun is never fully overhead. It maintains a relatively low angle compared to the summer sun. Also, be cautious shooting too early in the morning and too late in the afternoon during the period of time known as “magic hour.” Magic hour is generally regarded as the hour or so before and after sunrise and before and after sunset. It has beautiful light and under the right circumstances works perfectly. However, lighting during this time swiftly changes and is therefore not practical for interviews.
When shooting tighter shots you have more control over the lighting. Therefore, these closer shots can be shot during the middle part of the day when the sun is coming from a top-down angle. By doing so, we maximize control over the image during this “difficult” time period because we can get closer to our subjects with equipment. (Of course, if you have only tight shots, you can photograph your entire shoot in the more pleasing morning and afternoon hours.) Top-down light creates several challenges: wide ranges of brightness levels, and combating “raccoon eyes,” are two examples. However, by manipulating light we can deal with problems. This manipulation can be divided into three main categories: adding, diffusing, and negative filling.
Key & Fill Lights
Adding light can be divided into two subcategories, keying and filling. Key light is the main light illuminating the scene. In most cases when shooting outdoors, the key light is direct sunlight. Determining how you orient your actor and your set to this key light is an important decision. During overcast conditions, you may need to utilize an artificial light in various ways to create your own key, adding directionality to the overcast “flat” sunlight.
Working with the fill light is more common. Fill light is a type of light that is used to add light to shadow areas, effectively reducing contrast. Since video cameras can only capture a limited range of brightness levels, we need to limit the differences between the brightest and darkest parts of the frame. Fill light is essential to add light to a face, a part of the set, or anything else that is too dark. The tools used to create fill light can be as simple as a flexfill reflector or as complex as a 1,200-watt HMI daylight fixture. The first group of tools is used to bounce light from the sun onto a subject. They include flexfills, griffs, and foamcore. A flexfill is a collapsible disc made of silver or gold reflective material readily available at local camera shops. It can be improvised by using a common car windshield reflector.
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To reduce the strong shadows on a bright day, an HMI PAR light passing through a diffusion cloth can be used as a fill light. |
A grifflyon or griff is a professional grade plastic material coming in various sizes ranging from six-foot by six-foot frames up to 20-foot by 20-foot frames. They have a brilliant white reflecting side and a light-absorbing black side. These types of reflectors create a strong, bright white re- flection. A specialized version of this type of bounce that I prefer is called a checkerboard. It comes in the same standard sizes as griffs but it has silver and gold Mylar squares arranged in a checkerboard pattern. This creates a slightly warmer bounce than the standard griff. You can also use a piece of foamcore, which creates a very soft yet weaker bounced light. Professional foamcore comes in four-foot by eight-foot sheets with a white side and black side. It is comparable to art supply foamcore, which has two white sides and can be used in replacement of the professional material. All of these reflectors are held either by hand or with specialized stands and adjusted to reflect the “hot spot” of the sun onto the subject’s face. A simple mirror is useful to test the proper angle so the sunlight hits the reflector for maximum reflection. Using this bounced style of light solves many problems where the shadow areas are too dark, as with the classic “raccoon eyes.” Raccoon eyes are when the subject’s eyes are thrown into deep shadow because the sun’s angle is too high and does not illuminate the eyes.
Also available to create fill light are lighting fixtures. HMI lights are used to create daylight. The PAR style of light is often the best choice because it has multiple, interchangeable lenses making it the most flexible option. For most interviews or testimonial situations the best fixture to use is a 1,200-watt HMI PAR light. This is the most powerful type of HMI light that still plugs into a standard electrical outlet. If you have the budget for a generator there are larger, more powerful lights available. If you have no electricity on your set you can use a 300-watt or 600-watt HMI Pocket PAR which runs on a battery pack. Be careful to manage its use, since battery belts only power the light for a limited time.
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A black, non-reflective surface can add shadows to a scene, which would otherwise be absent on a cloudy day. |
Light Diffusion & Negative Fill
The second tool for manipulation of sunlight is diffusion. This is essential when you are dealing with cloudless, sunny days. Diffusing light is when you disperse raw sunlight through a textile to make it softer and less intense. During most of the midday hours, cloudless sunlight is very strong and harsh. It is important to diffuse this light whenever possible. In the professional world, diffusion comes in numerous sizes and various strengths. Some common types are silks, light grid, and Hollywood frost. If access to the professional gear is limited, diffusion frames can be created using shower curtain liners, visqueen, or some other opaque material available at local big-box hardware stores. No matter what you use to reduce the harshness of the sun, it is easier to use diffusion tools when your shots are tighter. The wider the shot, the larger the diffusion needs to be in order to cover the shooting area.
The final technique, negative filling, is often overlooked by amateurs but is essential in adding visual interest on an overcast day. When using negative fill you add shadow to one side of a subject’s face. This is accomplished by holding a black duvetyne frame close to the side where the shadow is desired. Black duvetyne is a nonreflectant cloth material that can be mounted on standard frame sizes. Another option is to use a large black sheet or thick black cloth from the fabric store mounted on a two-foot by four-foot frame. Either of these techniques adds contrast to the image, which would otherwise be flat due to the directionless light of a cloudy day.
The more experience you acquire working with these simple tools and techniques the more joy you will get from working with God’s light. Good outdoor lighting is extremely challenging, but just as in life we work with what God gives us. When we combine His raw material, sunlight, with our hard work and experience the result is a beautiful, lasting image. Keith Slade was the lighting director on Facing the Giants and currently teaches lighting at the Film School at Florida State University.
