A comment on my video about lighting setups made me completely change my approach

I make tutorial videos about home studio recording and someone said my face was too shadowed even though I thought my key light looked fine. They pointed out I was using a single overhead light that created harsh lines across my nose and chin. I spent $45 on a second diffused lamp placed at a 45 degree angle to the side and now my videos look way more professional. Has anyone else gotten feedback that made you rethink something you thought was already working?

3 comments

3 Comments

avery_lopez11d ago

Man that's a great point about the overhead light. I totally get where you're coming from because I thought my setup was perfect too but then someone told me my face looked like I was being interrogated by the cops. I spent like 30 bucks on a cheap ring light from a garage sale and just propped it up on a stack of books and now I look like a normal human instead of a ghost haunting a radio station. It's crazy how one little tweak changes everything and I bet your videos look a lot more polished now. I still catch myself forgetting to turn on the second light sometimes and then I wonder why I look like a sketchy witness on a crime show.

diana2011d ago

Lol right? It's like how bad lighting just sneaks up on you in life too.

mia74811d ago

Ha! yeah @avery_lopez you nailed it with that "ghost haunting a radio station" thing. I had the exact same problem with my overhead light making me look like I was about to confess to something. I kept thinking "well the shadows add character" but nah they just made me look like a sleep deprived suspect. It's wild how a $30 fix can turn you from a creepy documentary subject into someone who actually looks like they know what they're doing. I still forget to turn on my diffused lamp half the time and end up wondering why I look so rough.