Shooting in room with lots of windows

M

Mark-P

Well-known member
I need to shoot an interview in a large room with lots of large windows, some of which are really high off the ground and will be difficult to cover.

If the subject is lit by a lighting kit, will any light coming from these windows affect the lighting much? Does anyone have any advice for controlling this situation?

Thanks.
 
As always we ccan only give general advice without knowing the location. If I have alot of wndows to deal with I'd gel my lights to match the window light and then setup lights for the look I want
 
If you can't shut any curtains or ND the windows then you're in a situation known as "fighting the sun." Large wattage HMIs of 575w to 1200w are used a lot in these situations to equalize the light coming in from the windows (backround) and the light on your subject.
 
Mark, what's in your light kit ? As Gopher suggested, again with the same caveat..."Without knowing the location", you might be better off using the window light to your advantage, and gelling your tungsten lights CTB to match.
You MIGHT just get by with a fill light, and perhaps an edge / hair light.
If you feel you must block all these windows..You can get 10 or 12 ft pieces of pipe, I.E. speed rail, a piece of frame from an 8x8 or 12x12, conduit or other, and hang black fabric from the length of these in front of windows or closer to your talent IF YOU HAVE to.
 
Large windows are good. Just use the windows as your light source and use reflectors to shape the light. Where I come from, that's the ideal situation.
 
HMI is your easiest solution. If you don't have one in your kit, gel your lights to match the sunlight. This is also assuming you are shooting during the day.
 
If the windows are not going to be in the shot, use them to your advantage. Gel your lights, and use them in addition to the sunlight.

If the windows are going to be in the shot, you're in for a bad day. You'll to have a lot of interiors lighting matched to the sunlight if you don't want all of the windows blowing out.
 
If the windows are in the shot, I guess one could put ND gel on them? (I've never done it before, but it makes sense)
 
Yes you can.

I'm not sure why you would fight with the best and most natural light source there is: Daylight.

Shape it, redirect it, and bend it to your will. Then complement it with what you have in your kit. I've never seen a better hairlight than sun streaming in a window.
 
seunosewa said:
If the windows are in the shot, I guess one could put ND gel on them? (I've never done it before, but it makes sense)
Click to expand...
Of course you can, but it depends on the location and the size of the windows. The easiest way is to put the ND on the outside of the windows, as you don't have to be exact with the edges. If you cannot put it on the outside of the windows then you need to cut the ND so that it fits perfectly in the window panes, and you need to find a way to attach it while keeping the surface perfectly smooth and flat.
 
If you're shooting an interview then I'm firmly in the "use the natural light" camp. The ideal situation would be for it to be overcast outdoors, then all of your windows become the best softboxes you've ever worked with. The light will be soft and very flattering to your subject (and unless you're interviewing a heinous war criminal, that's almost always a good thing). As other have suggested, use reflectors for fill and backlight.
 
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