Lighting help

Harris Anderson

Harris Anderson

Active Member
Hi folks.
So I've been pricing up my "YouTube essentials" list.
I've selected a Camera, a mic and a tripod, so that's not an issue. My problem is with lighting.
I know many popular YouTubers use lighting sources such as "soft boxes" when they make videos.
Sadly, as a teenager, my budget is rather restricted, and these lights can cost even more than the camera!
My question to you all is this; Can you suggest cheap, efficient light sources that will offer respectable results, or will natural light through a window (I live in Scotland meaning the sky is often cloudy, making most window light white) suffice if I film facing it?
Thanks for your answers in advance.

Harris. :)
 
Just get normal desk lamps from ikea then place tissue paper over the light souce and there you go, you have a soft lamp/light.
It works. I did photography and this is what I did at home.
However I cannot be bothered when filming my videos, I just use a lamp or some lamps.
You can also try filming in the morning.
 
Tim Savelli said:
Search for home-made softboxes. You can make those under 20 $.
Click to expand...

Fantastic! Exactly what I'm looking for :D
Thank you very much sir :)

TheSuperFunArt said:
Just get normal desk lamps from ikea then place tissue paper over the light souce and there you go, you have a soft lamp/light.
It works. I did photography and this is what I did at home.
However I cannot be bothered when filming my videos, I just use a lamp or some lamps.
You can also try filming in the morning.
Click to expand...

Another fantastic idea :) Thank you! My only issue is the concern over the tissue paper catching fire due to the heat... :)
 
Harris Anderson said:
Fantastic! Exactly what I'm looking for :D
Thank you very much sir :)



Another fantastic idea :) Thank you! My only issue is the concern over the tissue paper catching fire due to the heat... :)
Click to expand...
Well I tried it and the tissue didn't get hot, it just got warm, however don't touch the tape because it shall be hot. And don't let the tissue touch the bulb.
A better and safer idea is to get some tooth picks like about 4/6 and stick then to the lamp and then stab the tissue into them so that you can have that depth.
 
TheSuperFunArt said:
Just get normal desk lamps from ikea then place tissue paper over the light souce and there you go, you have a soft lamp/light.
It works. I did photography and this is what I did at home.
However I cannot be bothered when filming my videos, I just use a lamp or some lamps.
You can also try filming in the morning.
Click to expand...
TheSuperFunArt said:
Well I tried it and the tissue didn't get hot, it just got warm, however don't touch the tape because it shall be hot. And don't let the tissue touch the bulb.
A better and safer idea is to get some tooth picks like about 4/6 and stick then to the lamp and then stab the tissue into them so that you can have that depth.
Click to expand...
Shall try the toothpick solution, I've got about 400 billion of them, so if they burn up... meh. :)
Thanks for your help :)
 
Natural lighting is always good, you can always temperature balance on the camera or in post with editing software. You can also darken/lighten to an extent.

As other's have mentioned, another way to create a softbox effect is line the inside of a lamp with tinfoil, that will increase the reflection of the light and give a different effect. You can even make home made reflectors if your light source is too high up in order to cancel out shadows.

A cheap source of lighting can be LED lights mounted on a hotshoe too. Those generally provide good lighting.
 
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