Camera fill light is a supplemental light source for your devices to capture optimum hue and tone. As the name suggests, it fills the dark areas so that you can end up with a properly exposed image. It will essentially fill in the high-contrast shadows that the main light makes on a subject from different angles.
Identify your shooting location
The place you intend to shoot from will determine the fill light you choose.
On the one hand, if you are an outdoor photographer who loves to travel and explore nature and wildlife, a led camera fill light would be a better choice for you. With its portability and convenience, budget COLBOR video lights is joined by your camera’s white balance to make for your ambient tone through adjusting color temperature and color filters. For example, when you are shooting outdoors, with your subject at roughly 6 feet, you can only take a low-power one to fill in the shadows on their face or the center of the landscape.
On the other hand, if you shoot portrait or product photography in a studio where there is relative darkness, you should get a gadget with higher output to fill the ambience.
Choose a suitable camera fill light
Select the YouTube camera light that is appropriate for the camera’s size and weight. If it is excessively huge and hefty, the camera in your hands will become extremely unbalanced. You will regret that you put such a heavy fill on your camera after you hold it for a short while.
Fill light and key light are originally a pair of complementary lights. However, if you are shooting outdoors with a camera or smartphone, you can also just use the fill and an appropriate camera rig.
If you want your gadget to have additional "reach" and are determined to acquire something bigger, try setting up a rig. It will be simpler to manage the camera with a few handholds and better balance.
Place the video fill light onto your camera
Most LEDs are attached to the camera’s hot shoe. To avoid mishaps, make sure everything is securely fastened.
A on-camera light for video shows that it allows you a little extra control and use a mini ball head hanging on the camera like the COLBOR PL8R. Lock it on your camera and then screw it on. This will enable you to adjust the slant of your light as necessary.
No matter how the light is mounted, it is important to make sure that the mount is solid and securely fastened. By doing this, you may avoid having the gadget appear to shake and sway.
Set up fill light in photography
The digital camera fill light should typically be placed in front of or next to the subject. Its purpose is to make the shadows of your subject disappear.
Moreover, you should notice the lighting ratio, which is the relative amount of light from the key and the fill that fills in the shadows.
When shooting a person, a lower, more balanced lighting ratio, such as 2:1, produces a warm, attractive appearance that also tends to conceal skin imperfections. The soft light, also known as "high key lighting," would create a happy, enthusiastic, airy, and youthful mood, as seen in sitcoms and comedies.
When shooting a person, a higher fill ratio, such as 8:1, means that the key is 8 times higher than the fill. The previous one creates shadows with sharp edges that stand out against the light. "Low key lighting" may produce a variety of intensely unpleasant feelings, and foster a dramatic, magical, frightening, and alienating ambience. Knowing this, it is commonly used in gloomy dramas, dark films, horrors, and so on.
Additional items
Buying a real fill light for camera is the simplest way, but some novices or photographers on a limited budget may fail to get the real one.
In addition to buying equipment like COLBOR pocket light, ou can also use surrounding items to achieve the desired fill light effect. This table will show you the uses and benefits of the three daily items.
|
Item |
Use |
Benefit |
|
Wall or ceiling |
Bounce back the key |
As a natural large reflector Produce a soft and subtle mood |
|
Fabric |
Lighter-colored cloth will create subtle effect |
Easy operation & Easy reach |
|
Foam board |
Better in outdoor shoots to bounce light |
Easy reach & Cheap |
Actually, natural light is also used as the camera fill light, but it mainly depends on the weather. Thus, you are better off having the right one to control the tones and moods of your photos flexibly.
Now that you have the tips, just take one, and you can capture wonderful moments while the camera stays lit!