Lighting a white board

Dan7312Dan7312 Registered Users Posts: 1,330 Major grins
edited May 30, 2012 in Video
I'm starting to make some of my instructional videos with me at the whiteboard, as I would do in a classroom. My problem is figuring out how to light things so the lights don't make a big glare off the whiteboard. Here is a frame from a test I shot. You can see the lighting glaring of the top middle of the whiteboard. Of course I don't really know anything about lighting.

frame-XL.png

I'm using some LED lights to add to the room light. It's probably not enough but I'm going to depend on the high iso of the 5D3, to compensate for that. I know I've got some work to do on vid quailty, but I like to figure out the general way to do the lighting first. Here is the setup I'm using.

Thanks in advance for hints, suggestions, whatever...

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6Y2A0686-XL.jpg

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Comments

  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited May 29, 2012
    It looks to me as if , in the bottom frame, both lights are right next to each other, spread them the distance of the are you want to cover with light, then use some sort of modifier, either white bounce umbrella or softbox to soften the light ..... then you will need to move it closer so it not as harsh...the farther light is from the subject the harsher it gets... hope this helps....God Luck
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

  • angevin1angevin1 Registered Users Posts: 3,403 Major grins
    edited May 30, 2012
    Dan, You're going to need to take those lights and play a bit of pool with them: You're going to need to angle them to the center pocket; or the White-board. Just like when you might stand in front of a glassed artwork and take a photo with flash and the flash shows up in the reflection, if you move off to an angle with the flash the flash will not directly reflect in the glass.

    So same here. move your lights to the side or above and below, whatever suits you. When you get them adjusted, you can then stand next to the camera and look at your White-Board and you ought not see those lights in the White-Board. If you can see them, so can the camera.
    tom wise
  • Dan7312Dan7312 Registered Users Posts: 1,330 Major grins
    edited May 30, 2012
    Thanks Tom,

    I did a little experimenting and I guess I didn't move far enough to the side.

    However moving the lights to the side causes another problem, which I know how to fix. That whiteboard isn't really a whiteboard, it's some foamcore taped together and covered with a dry-erase skin. It's covering really meant for walls, so you can turn a wall into an "idea board". Anyhow it has lots of wrinkles in it and the light from the side just makes lots of shadows on the board. The fix is to get a real whiteboard.

    Also I think I will need to add some more of the LED lights. They were not very expensive, they were on sale at B&H for $90. This is my first foray into lighting and I didn't have a very good feeling for what I would need, but I don't think 2 will cut it.

    I be trying another test shot maybe later this week... we will see how that goes.

    angevin1 wrote: »
    Dan, You're going to need to take those lights and play a bit of pool with them: You're going to need to angle them to the center pocket; or the White-board. Just like when you might stand in front of a glassed artwork and take a photo with flash and the flash shows up in the reflection, if you move off to an angle with the flash the flash will not directly reflect in the glass.

    So same here. move your lights to the side or above and below, whatever suits you. When you get them adjusted, you can then stand next to the camera and look at your White-Board and you ought not see those lights in the White-Board. If you can see them, so can the camera.
  • Dan7312Dan7312 Registered Users Posts: 1,330 Major grins
    edited May 30, 2012
    Thanks Art,

    I will be trying the lights closer.
    Art Scott wrote: »
    It looks to me as if , in the bottom frame, both lights are right next to each other, spread them the distance of the are you want to cover with light, then use some sort of modifier, either white bounce umbrella or softbox to soften the light ..... then you will need to move it closer so it not as harsh...the farther light is from the subject the harsher it gets... hope this helps....God Luck
  • Dan7312Dan7312 Registered Users Posts: 1,330 Major grins
    edited May 30, 2012
    Thanks Art,

    I will be trying the lights closer.
    Art Scott wrote: »
    It looks to me as if , in the bottom frame, both lights are right next to each other, spread them the distance of the are you want to cover with light, then use some sort of modifier, either white bounce umbrella or softbox to soften the light ..... then you will need to move it closer so it not as harsh...the farther light is from the subject the harsher it gets... hope this helps....God Luck
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