[Transcriptio]

A viewer named Linda recently asked about lighting. Specifically, she wants to know how to remove shadows from her video blogs to take her production to the next level. So, in today’s video I want to share with you three tips on how to get rid of shadows in your video blogs.

Hi there internet fans, Ryan Perry here Simple Biz Support. In today’s video I want to give you three key tips to controlling and reducing shadows in your video blogs. And it really comes down to making sure you have the right amount of light. Making sure that your light source is diffused and also making sure that you have enough distance between your subject and a backdrop.

So, first of all, let’s talk about having the right amount of light. One of the best ways to to make consistent great light, great lit. Number one, let’s talk about having the right amount of light. And that is, if you don’t have enough light it’s going to be way too dark. And then if you have too much light… not only is it going to be very, very bright, but you kind of knows what’s going on behind me. You’re going to get shadows regardless of how far away you are from the wall. If you have too much or too strong of a light source it’s going to just simply overpower and cast a shadow.

Also, with having the correct amount of light is also having it positioned in the right place. What you don’t see off camera is a light off to my right. A light off to my left. Both of these are at approximately 45 degrees and I’m going to say about 4 feet away from me. And then, I have an additional light directly behind me that’s just responsible for hair light, give me a little highlight. And, for an added touch I have a light almost directly above me that’s just adding a little accent to the wall.

I do know that there are bloggers who actually use a window in their home and the light comes in and that’s what they use all the time, and everything looks beautiful. You can do that, and you’ll get beautiful results. The problem is you’re going to have to chase the light all the time. It’s one of the reasons why I love shooting at a studio, is that I can control the lighting. Because, once I get this all figured out I know exactly where the lights go. Then everything’s great.

Number two is going to be diffused lighting. So, this is not a video light kit, it’s not a constant light even though it does have this little bit of light that I can use. This is actually a strobe light for a camera. What I want to show you though is this screen that goes over it. What’s great about the screen is that instead of having this harsh, harsh light – remember the harsh light? Instead of having that harsh light glaring on you. What a diffuser does is it actually spreads the light out and it makes it very, very soft and that reduces shadows especially when you have a light coming from your left and your right at a 45-degree angle. It kind of takes care of the whole shadow things and it’s going to make you look a lot better because you don’t have that harsh, harsh light. So, what exactly is this. Well, let’s take it off. You can see this; this unit actually has two diffusers, but this is just the sheer piece of white fabric. It’s probably polyester I’m guessing. A lot of people will either use this or there’s a plastic type of film that you can put over lights that will also defuse. Or, a simple shear curtain over a window as a great way to get that nice diffused lighting that you want. Regardless of how you diffuse your light, just make sure that you defuse your light. Oh also, if you’re outdoors. Instead of shooting underneath the sun which is glaring down on you, make sure you shoot in the shade. That way you have natural light bouncing off other objects in the ground and that’s going to give you that diffused light source.

Hey everybody I’m way back here. I didn’t move the camera I just simply move back. That’s why it’s so small. I wanted to give you a sense of how far away from the wall I am when I normally shoot my videos. And that’s because if I was right up against the law it’s going to create all kinds of shadows and that’s not what we want. So, here’s the reason why. Light falls off very quickly and what I mean by that is that as light travels, the intensity of light drops off significantly the farther it goes. So, if I’m standing right here by a wall, the light hits me, that shadow has no place to show up except for on the wall. It has to show up because of the proximity of my arm and the back wall. When I’m standing farther away from the wall when the light hits. It creates a shadow still but because the light drops off very, very quickly and there’s nothing back there for to fall onto, such as a wall, then you don’t get any shadows. So, distance from objects is very, very important. Case in point, this vase here, when I this to my videos a couple of months ago. The way my lighting was set up in here originally created shadows for this vase and so I had to rearrange my lighting in order to minimize the shadows. Now, I have to remove all the shadows from my videos, but I’ve definitely tried to minimize them so they’re not a distraction for the viewer.

All right internet fans, love to get your response on this video. Was it helpful? And do you have a better understanding of how lighting works in order to remove shadows from your videos? If you did, be sure to leave a comment below let me know what you think. Go ahead and give me a thumbs up also. Always appreciate it so I know that I’m doing a great job for you. Until next time, hope you have a great day.