Don’t miss this key piece of equipment!
Is everything locked in and you’re getting ready for your new collection of marketing material? Or are you still looking for the right photographer for the job? Here’s one thing you cannot miss when preparing for your upcoming indoor photoshoot!
As shot for Slow Rituals by lens + lumen
Without light, there is no photos, no videos & no content! We aren’t talking about those ultra warm mood lights you’ve installed at every table in the restaurant, or the single downlight above the vanity you want your makeup shot at, when shooting indoors you need real studio lighting!
Everyone knows to check for professional camera gear and a solid portfolio, but if your next photoshoot is going to be indoors make sure your photographer is experienced with providing, setting up and shooting with professional studio lighting.
As shot for Slow Rituals by lens + lumen
Yeah… We have fancy ceiling lights!
Let us explain… If a photoshoot is taking place indoors, the correct professional lighting setup is critical, without it the results will not turn out as planned! If you and your photographer have booked out a villa, indoor studio space or maybe the venue is a hotel, hotel facilities and a restaurant, and you’re relying solely on natural light and house lighting (the lights already there), be prepared for vastly different results and inconsistencies throughout the day as the light shifts and interacts differently with the different coloured lights installed.
While a variety of different moods can be a plus when shooting with changing lighting conditions, in almost all scenarios from product & fashion photography to food, menu and hotel photography, consistency is the secret ingredient to the most cohesive, captivating and audience-engaging photo and video results.
This is why it is so important that you ensure your photographer is using lights effectively, as this will go a long way towards capturing stunning photographs indoors.
As shot for Slow Rituals by lens + lumen
But without professional studio lights, why would my photos and videos look inconsistent?
Think about your house over the course of a day, in the morning, the soft, warm light comes in from a certain window and lights up a particular room before any others, as the day goes on, other rooms become brighter and the golden glow of the warm morning light gives way to the more colourless (actually bluer), midday sunlight. The sun starts to set and the opposite side of the house receives the second golden-hour, sunset, pouring warm, direct light once again into a different room of the house. That’s exactly what happens on set during an indoor shoot over the course of a day!
As time passes, the amount of natural light filling a particular area increases and decreases, the ‘colour temperature’ of the light in that space varies, and shadows shift and transform across different areas - all of these things affecting the photographs and video shot there, even if the props, set, model, subject, lens, camera settings or anything else you can think of, stays exactly the same.
The solution? Create your own light!
As shot for Slow Rituals by lens + lumen
By effectively applying proper lighting equipment and techniques, all of the above challenges can be overcome and the quality and impact of the resulting photographs or video content can be elevated exponentially.
In the case of a beauty and cosmetic product being shot with a model in an aesthetically designed bathroom, with proper studio lighting application, appropriate blocking-out of natural light leaks, a natural lighting situation can be achieved that will allow your photographer to maximise the entire duration of the shoot. Using every minute of the time you booked to capture photos and videos, saving them time problem-solving around the lighting conditions and allowing them to get creative with the additional time they’ll have.
Maybe you’re shooting your new evening wear collection at an indoor cocktail event? Utilising professional studio lighting correctly can mean your shoot can start in the golden hour part of the day, still capturing the essence of sunset while having each and every part of your product correctly illuminated, and featured in the right mood for your audience to connect with.
As shot for Slow Rituals by lens + lumen
Lighting is the most important element of photography and videography, and with the proper equipment and application, can elevate the results of your content photoshoot tenfold. It is the key ingredient in setting a mood, highlighting (or disguising!) details, and the biggest separator between amateur-looking results and a professionally executed campaign.
So next time you’re looking for a photographer or videographer for your marketing campaign, social media content refresh or e-commerce catalogue drop, make sure you take the time to communicate with your photographer and ensure they have the equipment and the know-how, to apply professional studio lighting effectively.