Are you looking to start your career as a wedding videographer but need help to figure out where to start with lighting? Let me tell you straight: it is one of the most important decisions you can make to preserve their significant moments.
Brightening up scenes can take an average video and make it unbelievable enough to retell the couple’s story. As a wedding videographer, you need to know more than just how to operate the camera; it is about implying the many forms of love and emotions without words.
Fortunately, you’ll find detailed advice on setting up wedding videography lighting here. We’ll cover everything from preferred lighting techniques to how to support yourself during any wedding ceremony. Are you ready to jump in and showcase your videography skills? Okay, let’s get started!
The Importance of Lighting in Wedding Videography
Lighting is one of the most enchanting aspects of a wedding. It is not only about making the scenes more visible; a minor scene with the right light can be an extraordinary experience. In wedding films, light is essential since it sets the mood, enhances emotions, and emphasises the little things that distinguish one moment from another.
For instance, a bride walking down the aisle, smiling gently, in a gown with exquisite lighting shining upon her. Well-planned lighting techniques capture the glorious details of the bride’s face and every other gentle tear and smile. The suffice of good lighting scenes helps the videographers capture every emotion involved in your special event.
Types of Lighting and Their Effects on Wedding Videos
Some of the most common wedding film lighting techniques can completely change the style of the film’s narrative. Natural light helps gently illuminate an ambient feel during outdoor weddings or through large windows.
However, artificial light sources such as on-camera lights and off-camera lights would help with smoothness and continuity in low-light or extreme-light scenarios.
Based on how your film would look, you can choose from either of the options to capture the day as it unfolds before your eyes.
Natural Light
Direct glare can be used when filming during the golden hour, the trendiest time for beautiful wedding videos. This can affect when the sun is at a specifically targeted height, basking in the surrounding area while providing a certain amount of warmth.
Yet there will be times when it would not be ideal, such as during cloudy weather and stark lighting, forcing the sun to adjust constantly.
Sunlight is easily despised because it can cause individuals to squint, but it should enhance a wedding video properly.
Artificial Ambient Light
This includes attaching chandeliers, wall sconces, and ceiling fixtures, which already light up a space. Artificial ambient light creates a feeling and atmosphere at the wedding. It allows the video’s content style to relate to the moods that many have experienced.
However, these lights must be constantly repositioned since they can be too low to obtain a clean shot. Or if the shot turns out well, a reddish tint could alter the skin colours. Using the lighting from the building’s illumination might decrease the preparation period.
Relying on the space’s geometry and lighting can significantly cut your setup time. But you may have to adjust the camera’s white balance or bring other lights if necessary.
On Camera Lighting
An on-camera light is a small system you attach to your camcorder. It is helpful in dim weddings or nighttime events, providing instant light to your subjects. This lighting setup assures the faces are sufficiently lit to capture emotions and expressions.
However, the effect is that it can cause the background to appear dark or harsh shadows to be unnaturally produced. Diffusers can also adjust the brightness of a light or a camera. Yes, on-camera lighting is simple, but no, it should not make an image look too artificial.
Off-Camera Lighting
Stands or mounts are used to locate off-camera lighting in different sections around the venue. This enables you to manipulate and craft the lighting scene to your liking. Adjusting the light’s brightness, tilt, and pan can highlight or de-emphasise particular areas.
Lighting from behind the camera is best for capturing the most important events, like the first dance or speeches. Natural balance is maintained without going overboard.
The key is to put them up without interfering with the guests and the program’s continuity. This can be facilitated by working together early on with the site staff.
Uplighting and Special Effects Lighting
Uplighting is achieved by positioning lights on the ground with the beam aimed hot at a wall or an object, thus creating a bold atmospheric effect.
It consists of various forms of coloured lights, patterns, and even moving lights, among many special effects lighting. These lights will make the backgrounds of your pictures more intense and marketable.
Inversely, they can alter how many seem on camera by adding colour to their features. A solution is to modify your camera’s settings or correct the colours in software editing.
The trick to getting excellent footage with these lights is to use them wisely for your subjects.
Strobe and Moving Lights
One normal way to liven up a reception and get everyone out on the dance floor is to use strobe lights or moving lights. While they make the event more exciting, they can also challenge the cameras.
When lights flash or switch rapidly, unwanted exposure or motion complications in the video may occur.
Prepare for these critical moments and adjust the camera properly to capture the vibrant scene without compromising the quality of the shots.
Coloured Lighting
Coloured lights can easily determine the mood and subject of a video. For a more fun effect, use pastel string lights, pinks, or purples; for a festive reception, use more vibrant colours.
Coloured lighting must be carefully practised; otherwise, it might interfere with the skin tones and the overall image quality.
But in the video, you can modify the appearance of coloured lamps using camera settings or colourise them during post-processing.
Diffused Lighting
Light scattering reduces glare and the grade of light, thus raising the shadow density. Diffusers, umbrellas, or softboxes help achieve this.
It makes wedding videos appear more beautiful than real life by obscuring the subjects’ skin tones and textures. Because the light is so soft and almost natural, it is ideal for close-ups and romantic situations.
Likewise, the light facilitates editing processes for wedding videos and adds to the romantic and beautiful feel of the video.
Natural vs Artificial Lighting
Weddings can be filmed in all kinds of lighting. A beautiful natural light effect would be sunlight streaming through a cathedral window.
It is soothing and comfortable, and it also has the potential to enhance your footage. However, that cannot be relied on. After all, the sun might set sooner, or clouds might block the view.
You have control over artificial lights. If you specialise in shooting weddings, some LED lights will be beneficial since you can direct the light exactly where you need it.
A ratio of wedding video that balances both artificial and natural light creates stunning appeal.
Common Lighting Challenges at Weddings
Lighting is among the many elements you should never anticipate on the wedding day. The locations may vary from reception halls with dim lighting to outdoor ceremonies held under the sun around noon. Each outcome brings unique challenges.
Poor low-light handling can result in blurry images and footage. Ulterior unwanted colours can be cast upon an uplight subject. Direct light of the sun can render harsh and unflattering shadows. There has to be a way to handle such problems. Let’s discuss five common lighting problems concerning weddings one by one and their solution.
Venues with Low Lighting
Most weddings held in older chapels or small reception centres have dark lighting. A dull light forms a cosy mood, but it could be a challenge to create videos with high resolution.
When the lighting reaches a certain level, the recording can become grainy or blurry as the image shifts. So, supplementary gear is essential, especially when you anticipate capturing content in underlit places.
But then again, too many lights may be annoying, so everything needs to be done in moderation.
Harsh Sunlight During Outdoor Ceremonies
Outdoor weddings look excellent; however, the heat can be unbearable. Bright sunlight at noon creates harsh shadows and a bright glare. The sun’s brightness creates stark shadows while exposing that part of the body to bright light.
Because of the brightness, it isn’t easy to discern features beneath the deep shadows produced. It’s crucial to direct light away from the objects or people you want to film so that it doesn’t overpower the scene instead of employing reflectors.
What’s another way to use light to avoid excessively darkening the couple’s silhouettes? To help eliminate shadows, you turn the couple with the sun facing them.
Uneven Colour Distribution
Different locations might have artificial lights and natural ones. Because of this combination, your footage might have a slight colour issue.
From experience, artificial light has a warmer tone than natural lighting, which is likely to cause problems. This makes it very difficult to have great colour coordination in a scene.
To remedy the situation, you can cover the camera or change the camera’s white balance settings. It took some time to get the right look for them.
Coloured Uplighting and Special Effects
Coloured lights are widely used during receptions. They look lovely in real life, but when cameras catch them, sometimes they make people’s facial features look weird.
For instance, if the lighting is too blue or red, the resulting footage can over-enhance people’s skin tones. If that problem occurs, you should adjust the camera settings or change the colour during editing.
It is essential to get the feel of the room without ruining people’s appearance.
Shifts In Lighting In An Instant Way
Wedding lights are often turned off and on during singing and dance performances.
When there is no need to adjust a camera’s exposure, it may quickly change when the illumination is turned off and on or a stroboscope is used.
This situation makes maintaining consistently high-quality recordings impossible. Therefore, it is helpful to coordinate with the lighting team well in advance.
If such information is known, major changes can be anticipated, and settings or positions can be altered appropriately.
Essential Wedding Video Lighting Techniques
No matter how hard a wedding videographer tries, lighting will remain a key element of the wedding video. If you want to know how to light a wedding video properly, shoot the reception under a classy lighting set or a beach setting. So, these four techniques must make the moments last forever on camera. Here’s how:
Using all the Available Natural Light
If a wedding ceremony occurs outdoors or is surrounded by many windows, the sun’s direction should be considered to capture the ideal visuals.
Natural light is one of a wedding videographer’s greatest friends; the golden hour can work wonders.
They rearrange the ceremony to occur just before sunset to make the golden hour work. This will ensure that all subjects look their best.
Determine the orientation and quality of the light source to expand every available natural light. Position the couple so the light illuminates as many of them as possible.
Adding light in shadows can give a more balanced look, which can be achieved using reflectors. But the sun can also be quite harsh. What should you do when natural lighting in a photo doesn’t suffice?
Finding the Right Mix of Natural and Artificial Light
Relying entirely on the available lighting at a specific place is impractical, especially if the area needs a better lighting temperature.
Combine as much natural light as possible with artificial light to make your subjects look normal and not awkward when photographing them.
When shooting weddings, you can set the dimmable LED lights to match the natural lighting in the location.
You might also want to set up a white balance on your camera. This is important when using multiple lighting techniques since it ensures that colours are true to form.
The colour of light is measured in Kelvins (K); higher numbers are ‘cooler’, and lower numbers are ‘warmer’. Daylight and other cool tones are approximately 10,000K at the highest, and sunrise and sunset at around 3,000K at the lowest. Candlelight has a low 1,000K value.
Gel filters allow you to adjust the colour temperature of your lights to achieve seamless integration with your surroundings.
Strategies for Operations in Low Light
Implementing receptions or night ceremonies in poorly lit premises is also infrequent. My camera can increase the ISO, open the aperture, or reduce the shutter speed. However, all these options come with trade-offs, such as increased noise or motion blur.
A wedding videography lighting package that contains equipment to shoot in low light is a beneficial resource. The less light in the room, the faster the camera shoots, and a wider lens, such as an f/1.8 or f/1.4, is required. On-camera LED panels may also help shoot with more subdued light.
I learnt that when the lighting changes, you must adjust your camera to suit the conditions. You will get nice footage even in tough lighting with the right ISO, aperture, and shutter speed settings.
The Art of Uplighting Wedding
Image ALT Text: The image shows how an uplighting wedding directs floor light at walls used to create mood during events.
The goal of uplighting is to direct floor light at walls. It is used to create mood during events, such as weddings, and is quite common. Uplighting can be appreciated by videographers for their works when incorporated into compositions.
Be careful with uplighting colours, as they affect skin tones. The best solution is to use white balance or colour post-production. You can work alongside the lighting designer during the event to help plan the lighting.
Wedding Videography Lighting Equipment
Having the right lighting equipment is essential in photography or videography. For studio or on- and off-location shoots, you will need items such as light stands, diffusers, reflectors, and portable LED lights.
LED lights are increasingly used because they are adaptable, have low power consumption, and emit high light levels.
In video or photo shoots, reflectors help bring light into recesses where it may fall off, eliminating harsh edges around the subject or object. A diffuser helps soften a light source, making the subject or object more pleasing to the eye.
For wedding filming purposes, the Zhiyun Molus X100, Aperture LS60x, and Rotolight NEO 3 are some of the most effective and recommended lighting options.
Wedding Videography Lighting Kits
As a wedding videographer, no one needs to remind you how important the lighting is for creating captivating, spellbinding films. Portable lighting kits empower you to capture great photos without dragging heavy kits around weddings.
With these lightweight kits, portable flashes will enhance your videography, whether documenting the event or taking headshots. Below are some of the most influential lighting options when shooting wedding videos:
Small, battery Operated Spotlights
Easy to operate and even simpler to carry around. These little but powerful lights are a must-have for your wedding if you want convenience on the big day. Good examples of dependability and portability of lights include the Profoto A2 and the Elinchrom ONE.
Battery-Powered Monolights
Image ALT Text- The image shows how battery-powered Godox AD400Pro monolights help a wedding videographer.
If you want a higher output, Godox AD400Pro or Westcott FJ400 are good places to start. These provide the power of classical strobes while relying on battery life, making them portable and useful in places other than studios.
LED Panel Lights
Speaking of changeless and smooth illumination, LED panel lights should do the trick. Lights such as Luxli Timpani and Lightpanels Astra allow a wide variety of colours, making it easier for the user to set the right mood.
Mini LED Panel Lights
For on-the-go light changes while shooting with your subject, smaller lights like Lume Cube Panel Mini or Luxli Viola2 can be simply and quickly attached to the camera.
Versatile LED Lights
Lights like the StellaPro Reflex S and Nanlite PavoTube are excellent for innovation, even during wedding ceremonies. These lights are temperature-variable and can also provide a constant source of light.
Softboxes & Light Modifiers
Using portable lighting setups, use light modifiers, such as softboxes, to add exciting effects to your subjects. Turning to the Profoto Clic Softbox Octa when capturing dramatic bridal or intimate portrait photographs is excellent for keeping the light in check and eliminating overbearing shadow.
TTL Calibration
Many newer lighting kits, like the Godox AD200Pro and Elinchrom ONE, have TTL (Through The Lens) metering. A feature that automatically alters the light output to achieve proper exposure. This feature works wonders at a wedding since there is no chance to change manual controls between frames.
Multi-Light Kits for Flexibility
Several lights let you light the background; videography and such events are equally good for any larger program. Elinchrom FIVE Monolight and Godox AD400Pro Wistro are two examples that enable you to use two lights in their kits and provide maximum light coverage in a low-light environment.
With these added features, you are prepared to do any marriage video shoot and ensure your light is exactly right every time.
Choosing the Best LED Lights for Wedding Videography
Few things are more important when planning a wedding shoot than lighting, especially for couples who want their wedding video to be spectacular. Besides being reliable, mobile, and adaptable, LED lights are becoming increasingly popular.
Before buying LED lights for your wedding video, consider these factors: colour temperature, brightness, portability, and ease of use. For your upcoming wedding video shoot, consider these points:
Custom Colour Temperature Options
Use LED lights that provide adjustable colour temperatures, like the Aputure LS 300x Bi-Colour Monolight or the Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW LED Light.
Adjusting the colour temperature to suit your venue’s specific ambient conditions can set the lighting’s tone for various moments throughout the big day—-from warm and romantic portraits to cold and dramatic ones.
Use of Lightweight Batteries and Accessories
Since the biggest part of the shoot involves the wedding videographer recording, mobility is everything.
This is where portable products like the Lume Cube Panel Mini or Luxli Viola2 On-Camera RGBAW LED Light come in.
Battery life is another consideration. If your batteries are long-lasting, you won’t have to worry about running out of power when it matters most.
High CRI (Colour Rendering Index)
If you want your LED lights to appear natural, select LEDs with high CRI values. To achieve a realistic and vibrant view of your movie set, indoor or outdoor, consider using lights with a CRI of 90 and above, such as the Lightpanels Astra 3X Bi-Colour LED panel.
Versatile Installation Style and Uses
For convenience, use LED lights that can be installed in multiple ways. The Nanlite PavoTube II 30X RGB LED Pixel Light can be mounted onto a stand to be used as a light or held in the hand. Its RGB features allow you to experiment with colour and light.
Light Controller for Gentle Light Effect
Softboxes or diffusers can be combined with your LED lights to produce a more subtle and pleasing light for your subjects. Altering the light output through different light modifiers applied to the Astra 3X or Luxli Timpani can avoid hot spots on your guests or the happy couple.
The correct LED lights can allow you to strike the perfect balance between creative interpretation and realistic lighting, beautifully capturing all the important occasions. You can even attach lights to different surfaces using magnetic mounts or clamps for more interesting angles.
How to Use Lighting in Different Wedding Settings
Every wedding location has its own lighting needs. The most common three cases can be summarised as follows:
Outdoor Weddings
The outdoor setting is perfect for lighting. The soft and warm light before sunset is ideal. Videographers love outdoor weddings because of these lighting conditions.
Try to use reflectors on your subjects to balance out the light and create an even light effect. Direct sunlight is best avoided, as it causes sharp shadows and squinting.
Diffusers are helpful during the mid-day shoot as they soften the light on the subject, making it less intense.
Celebrations in a Church or Wedding Hall
Lighting levels differ between outdoor and indoor weddings. For example, the lighting levels during a wedding’s church ordination would be significantly lower than those of an outdoor wedding.
Because of the room’s conditions, a couple would want to have wedding shots taken. Additional lighting equipment is required for indoor shots to help even out the brightness. Brilliant solutions include diffusers, softboxes, and LED panels, which help eliminate the shadows.
Focusing away from harsh overhead lights whilst shooting indoors will ensure the features of the subjects are visible and not overshadowed by the light.
Night Weddings
If your wedding is set for the night or a low-light wedding setting, lighting becomes a design element that must be considered.
Consider using battery-powered fixtures to ease movement. With the right positioning, warm yellow accent lighting can create a soft and affectionate mood.
So, you have to light up the dance floor so it dominates in the energy level perception but does not feel too painfully bright.
Lighting for Specific Wedding Moments
Specific wedding event times require lighting to achieve the “wow factor.” This is important since lighting is more than just brightening an environment. Ideally, we’ll discuss the five everyday wedding videography essentials for lighting here.
Preparing for Shots
As far as wedding videos go, one of the most intimate shots that can be taken is of the personal morning moments in the ancient parts of the day. Better yet, the photos will look beautiful with natural light.
For example, you want to avoid putting the subject too much under the sun but near a window. If required, a 1X1 gentle LED panel and diffuser should be placed.
The Ceremony
During capturing the ceremony, use low lights or avoid using any lights at all. Use soft lighting to avoid drawing the couple’s and their guests’ attention.
Gentle LED panels can fill in shadows and provide some level of artificial lighting along with natural light. Be careful where you stand so you don’t shine a bright light and interfere with the ceremony.
The Big Welcome and the Dance
We need more energy at the reception and on the dance floor! Active illumination could allow you to capture the event’s spirit even more.
LED panels that can have their brightness modified can help. If the lighting could be better, spotlights can add some energy to the location without exposing your images.
Candid Moments
For those bare and honest moments, try to keep the harsh angle lights to a minimum and let Mother Nature do her magic.
However, a small dose of fill light may be appropriately placed in a specific place to light up the faces of the people without overshadowing the ambient light of the Sun.
If tuition did not “make it” discommodes at that moment, enhance the light directed at the subject matter with a bounce board or a reflector without distracting them.
Cocktail hour Reception
I would like to relax in low light. To make it more intimate, ignite lanterns, candles, or string lights.
Note: Look for photo opportunities! Appropriate light will allow you to catch every smile and every touch in a photo that will stay with you forever.
Tips for Wedding Videographers on Lighting
Lighting is one of the most essential aspects when capturing a wedding in a film. Every filmmaker’s indoor or outdoor game changer is mastering natural and artificial light. These six video lighting tips will work everywhere, so it will always look stunning no matter where your wedding film occurs.
Appreciate Natural Light
Always utilise natural light during the golden hour or an hour before sunset. The natural light surrounding us is beautiful, making our subjects appear romantic and vintage. That way, the natural highlights of the subjects are fully visible as they are placed in front of the light source.
Overcome Shadows with the Assistance of Reflectors
While shooting in natural light, we encounter a residual problem: shadows. A standard reflector can also help reduce unnecessary darker areas while shooting the subjects.
Place your reflector close to the subject area, avoiding excessive dark areas, and probably aim it at their face; this will provide a more distinguished and appealing image overall.
Maintain an Equilibrium between Artificial and Natural Light
Sometimes, you must capture an indoor photo or video, but natural light is unavailable. Here, the best approach is to use a mix of easy-to-set-up soft boxes, LED panels, and natural light.
Artificial lighting also comes in handy in other situations, but getting the colour light temperature closer to the natural light around ensures a smoother outcome.
Invest in a Good Diffuser
With a good diffuser, every indoor video can be stunning regardless of the direct sun hitting hard. Getting good-quality diffusers can help spread the light evenly or even create order in chaos. This is important because no one wants videos or photos that bounce the extremely harsh glow back, which can be a trouble when filming someone up close.
Avoid Direct Light So Direct Brightness Does Not Ruin Your Videos
Harsh shadows and bright highlights are often problematic when shooting pictures on bright sunny days. Always use an ND filter when shooting in areas with ample sunlight to ensure the final image does not have blown-out highlights and muted shadows. This assists with excessive light on faces, bridal gowns, and other focus areas in the picture.
Use Backlighting to Make a Statement
You can use the backlighting technique to create beautiful cinematic videos, such as the first kiss or the couple’s matronly walk down the aisle.
It adds beauty to the image and gives a halo effect around the subjects. Control light levels encumber your subjects so they do not appear underexposed.
Final Overview
Light has to be taken into account when recording a wedding. Capturing the beauty of the wedding day is quite possible with the right skills, knowledge of techniques and equipment, and flexibility. Every wedding is an opportunity to refine and sharpen your skills.
Although writing about wedding videography lighting has been challenging, I am glad you have joined me on this journey. It has been beneficial, and you have gained more confidence in your skills.
If you need help with wedding videography lighting or videography services, DC Media is the company to contact. Good luck on the set, and may your videos be able to alter many lives.
FAQs
How can I manage lighting during outdoor weddings when the weather is unpredictable?
Weather can mess up your plans. One of the best options is to prepare lightweight, easy-to-fix lights. Dress appropriately for such conditions; consider using a canopy as a shield against the sun or rain. Ensure you have a Plan B and understand the weather conditions the day before the big day.
What safety precautions should I take when setting up wedding lighting?
Above all, there is a safety concern. Mark ensures every cord is secured so that someone does not catch a foot. You can use robust lectern stands and sandbags to bolster your lights. Do not put props in areas where foot traffic will be heavy. If you intend to use mains power, ensure that all joints made by cables are dry and tight.
How can I adapt wedding videography lighting to seasonal changes?
Sunlight varies throughout the seasons. The days are longer in summer, and the sunlight is strong around noon. However, during winter, daylight is shorter and less strong. Adjust your shooting times accordingly. You can also set up your light without daylight. It’s essential to be flexible and appreciate the new challenges that each season presents.
Are there eco-friendly lighting options suitable for wedding videography?
Definitely! LED lights save a lot of electricity and have a long lifespan. Indeed, they are more power-saving and emit less heat than tough lights. Rechargeable batteries allow for easier use of natural sources because they can be reformed. Adopting ecological gear also helps reduce weight, which is an added advantage.