Filmmaking > Camera & Lighting
Natural Lighting 101
Lighting is an essential instruction for budding filmmakers. Let's start with the most fundamental concepts in lighting.
Sunlight
The Sun is our primary source of light. Sunlight's characteristics change depending on time of day, cloud cover, and season.
1.Morning. Sunlight in the morning is gentle. The Sun is at a low angle and travels a distance through the atmosphere, resulting in pastel temperatures. Morning light has little contrast compared to midday.
2.Midday. The Sun is at its harshest in the midday hours. The Sun is overhead, traveling the shortest distance through the atmosphere, resulting in contrasty shadows. Also, light from overhead causes "raccoon eyes" if you're not careful.
3.Late Day. The Sun approaching dusk is similar to morning light, but isn't usually as pastel as morning light. The Sun fades (sometimes quickly, so keep your light meter handy), going through several stages of color temperature.
4.After Dusk. There's a brief period after the Sun has set that there's still light. The light temperature is very cool (blue tones), and contrast is minimal. The light is very weak, and weakens very rapidly.
Cloud Cover
The presence of clouds act as reflectors and diffusers of light. A cloudy day is less contrasty than the same location (at the same time) with no cloud cover. Sometimes, patchy cloud cover can mean a difference in light meter readings across your shot. If clouds are casting shadows on the ground, take the time to meter both in and out of the cloud shadow.