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Of all the hardware considerations that go into recording, lighting is one of the most difficult to address.
A webcam or a microphone is a relatively small piece of equipment. It can reside on your desk and does not take long to set up. Dedicated lights, however, are large, expensive, and time consuming to set up. An extensive lighting setup won't be practical for most people.
It's best not to think of lighting as purely a matter of equipment. Here, we'll talk about what to consider when you record and how to make adjustments that improve the quality of your lighting without crowding your home with endless stands and cables.
Overview video
Overview video
The following video by Julie Schiro provides a number of useful examples of how you can handle lighting with little or even no equipment, and while it is oriented toward Zoom calls, the same lessons apply to pre-recorded content.
Below, you can find a more detailed description of the elements of lighting.
A quick primer on lighting quality
A quick primer on lighting quality
There is a craft to lighting for the camera. The truth is, sometimes natural light can look great. At other times, you may be able to make adjustments just by repositioning a desktop lamp or other light source that you already have. Lighting is a subject that could take an entire course, but here, in very condensed form, are some important characteristics of light to keep in mind when you set up.
Expand each characteristic to learn more:
Hard vs. soft light
Hard vs. soft light
Some light produces hard, distinct shadows, whereas other light sources are softer and more diffuse. Each has its place, but for most recordings, softer light is usually preferable for faces.
The kind of light sources that produce hard light include direct sunlight and bare light fixtures.
Soft sources can include diffused lighting (such as a lamp with a lamp shade) or indirect sunlight.
Color temperature
Color temperature
Different light sources have what's known as different color temperatures. In practice, this mean that some will appear more blue on camera, and others will appear more orange. Though many cameras can automatically adjust for this, it can become an issue when you mix light sources. For example, if your background is lit by daylight, which leans blue, but your face is lit by a desk lamp, which leans orange, your recording may end up with an undesirable color cast.
Light position
Light position
The main, or "key," light will have a major impact on the tone and appearance of your shot. Think about what light source in your environment has the strongest impact on your face. Ideally, it would be in front of you and a bit off-center. A light source directly in front of you can leave your face looking flat. A dominant light source to your side or behind you can leave most of your face in shadow-- not a bad look for a thriller, but usually a little intense for a classroom!
Contrast
Contrast
The difference between the brightest and dimmest light in your scene defines the contrast. If the contrast of your scene exceeds what your camera can capture, shadows will fall off into pure black, highlights may clip into pure white, and your camera will struggle to determine the correct exposure.
Since you're probably not recording in a controlled environment, the ambient light of your room will have a huge impact on this. Are you recording on a cloudy day? Is a ray of direct sunlight punching through a window and making a section of your background incredibly bright? Or are you recording at night, so that there is no light besides the fixtures you turn on?
Like any of these characteristics, contrast can be used to creative effect. But for instructional content, we'll usually want a relatively neutral image.
In this image, the difference in brightness between subject and the window in the background is too great for the camera to capture.
How do I light without lights?
How do I light without lights?
In the absence of a lot of lighting equipment, you'll have to get a little creative and consider how you can manipulate the above characteristics to create the best possible image.
For example:
On a bright, sunny day, you might want to draw the curtains in your room. Even if it results in less light overall, it may help bring the contrast of your scene down to managable levels, and allow your interior lights to compete with the daylight and make a meaningful difference.
If you have a north-facing window that does not receive direct sunlight, you may be able to face toward it to use it as a reliable, soft source.
Turn fixtures in your room on and off as needed. For example, if you are under overhead track lighting, you're probably better off turning those off, as direct overhead lighting can lead to awkward shadows under your eyes and nose.
Avoid excessively bright areas like open windows or patches of direct sunlight in your background. Sometimes, the solution may be as simple as rotating your position.
When does buying a light make sense?
When does buying a light make sense?
Whereas we almost always recommend buying a dedicated microphone, buying a dedicated light is a more debatable recommendation. There are now a number of affordable lights produced specifically for recording with computers, often marketed toward "streamers" or "creators," such as this light made by Logitech.
These lights are easy to set up, and sometimes they have useful features like adjustable dimming or color temperature. However, they often possess serious shortcomings:
They may not be bright enough to compete with the ambient light if you work in a bright room. This is always as challenge: virtually no affordable light can match the brightness of daylight.
They are often quite small. This can be appealing because they maintain a low profile on a desk, but as a result, they produce hard light that can appear harsh on camera.
They are often made to attach to the top of a monitor, which is a position that can be too frontal and result in flat lighting.
It's not that these lights are bad. They are tools, and when used properly, they can work very well.
But, for the average person, you may find you have superior results from a regular desk lamp. If you go this more informal route, look for something with a neutrally colored, relatively thin lamp shade; this will soften the light without cutting down the brightness too much. And consider the bulb it will use; you may want to swap it for a brighter LED bulb that matches the overall color temperature of your room.
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