Utilising Natural Light
One of the best ways to improve the lighting and image quality of your videos is to shoot in spectacular natural light. When it comes to great natural light, without a doubt sunrise and sunset are the best times of day to shoot for a number of reasons.
When the sun is low in the sky, the atmosphere has a softening effect on the light. Even in direct sunlight images will be lass harsh and there will be a better balance between shadows and light. A low sun also casts long shadows which can make your shots more interesting, as well as lighting up the sky with all sorts of colours.
When it comes to shooting at sunrise or sunset, there are two vastly different looks you can achieve. The main differentiator is whether the sun is above or below the horizon. These times are often described by cinematographers as golden hour light, and blue hour light.
Golden Hour
Golden hour is the period of light just after the sunrise or just before the sunset, when the sun is above the horizon but low in the sky. This time of day is great for shooting backlit as your subject will be illuminated by a halo of sunlight. As the name suggests, the light generally has a warm, orange, or golden glow. This is due to the refraction of light caused by the Earth’s atmosphere. It’s a wonderful time of day for getting summery vibes & lens flares. Ironically, it’s often easier to shoot golden hours during winter as the sun sits lower in the sky for longer.
“It’s a wonderful time of day for getting summery vibes & lens flares.”
Blue Hour
Blue hour is the period of light shortly before the sun rises, or shortly after the sun sets. During this period, the light is very soft and even and the sky often has very vibrant colours. Ranging from red through to purple and deep blue, these colours make a terrific backdrop. The sky usually has just enough ambient brightness to light your scene, while remaining soft and highly diffuse.
“Blue hour light is a great technique to use to add tension or drama to your scenes…”
This is a great time of day to shoot portraiture, silhouettes, and landscapes (particularly if there’s clouds in the sky). It’s also a great time to use practical lights such as headlights, fires, lanterns, etc. The practical lighting can light up your subject or scene, while the ambient sky light will fill in just enough detail in your background. Blue hour light is a great technique to use to add tension or drama to your scenes, emulate cold winter weather, or just get some vibrant colours.
The Challenge
Golden hour and blue hour share one common challenge: they are both very short lived. Depending on your distance from the equator, these windows of light can be as brief as a few minutes. Working quickly is essential during these times. The flip-side is that you generally don’t need much additional lighting. Unencumbered by heavy lights or scrims, it becomes a lot easier to work quickly, making these periods a very efficient time to shoot.
