Golden Hour

R

ReneH

Well-known member
I would like to make the most of my day to shoot outside, is it possible to shoot in between the golden hour and still get come out with good film? Thanks for the help.
 
It is certainly possible, but if you intend to shoot exteriors with natural lighting, you will certainly need to white balance frequently to avoid the changing color temperature affecting your films look. Having enough grip equipment will certainly make your task easier; a large butterfly would be a great asset. You should also take into account the direction of shadows and try to group your shots to avoid obvious time of day clues that might affect your storyline. If possible, do some test shots at the actual location(s) that you intend to use at similar times of day to see what your footage will actually look like.
 
Thanks. Even during the golden hour time shoots, I had to white balance many many times, the ND filter pop up on the lcd kept appearing. It was crazy! I guess, being in Texas does have its downs when filming.
 
As simple as it is to white balance the camera, you can't really do it too often. When in doubt... white balance.
 
If you really want the fantastic colors that the "golden hour" will give you, then you have to white balance when the sun is higher. Why would you wait all day to shoot in the golden light, only to tell your camera that the light is white?
 
Yeah, the golden hour has a really nice quality to it, but if you try and cut it with footage that was shot under very different color temperature conditions, it will certainly show. Your original post indicated that you wanted to make the most out of the available hours, not just the golden hour. Did I miss your point?

One thing that I have found to be very useful is warm cards. With them, you can pick a color balance and maintain it over a fairly large range of lighting conditions.

http://www.warmcards.com

If all you want is to shot during a short (and highly variable) time of day, then by all means use a preset color balance and shot during the golden hour; it can really look great. Of course the golden hour is about more than just the color balance, it is also about the angle of the light source, but color balance is certainly a part of it.
 
"course the golden hour is about more than just the color balance, it is also about the angle of the light source"

There is a smart man! He is also onto the secret to 90% of film lighting.
 
Hey Walter, thanks for the compliment! I shot large format (4 x 5) for a lot of years before I ever picked up a roll film or video camera and have found that what I learned from spending 2 hours on setting up a single shot has applied to shooting motion projects. Now, if I still had my swings and tilts, I'd be a really happy camper.
 
Walter_Graff said:
There is a smart man! He is also onto the secret to 90% of film lighting.
Click to expand...

Hey Walter,
Just wanted to see if you could elaborate a little on that. Are you saying that the angle of light on a vertical axis is 90% of film lighting?
 
Khmuse,

Yes, I do use warm cards throughout the shooting, specifically those you linked too. They are great and easy to use.

Unfortunately, for me, my interviewee is very light sensitive and insisted on minimal light exposure. he is a critical part of my subject so I cut him some slack.

One of my points was advice on shooting past the golden hour, like the middle of the day, outside. I can't arrange outdoor interviews at the golden hour, so I have to make do. Any particulars about shooting outdoors?
 
Hello ReneH,

Glad you have discovered warm cards, they really do work well. As for your question about shooting an interview in the middle of the day, I would go back to what I said in my previous post, a good amount of grip equipment, especially a large butterfly, could be very useful. At a minimum get some bounce, perhaps gold bounce, to get a warmer tone if that is what you are looking to acheive. Your talents (interviewee) will certainly appreciate working under the butterfly.
 
Thanks for the advice.

John,

My subject was exposed to toxic levels of chemicals and is light sensitive to this day.
 
Save your money. A few pieces of 1/4, and half CTB and CTO are all you need to do exactly what the warm card does. As for white balance, go with the preset daylight for golden hour, or take a look at 3200 and see if it looks better. BUt a preset should give you a great look. Too many folks are white balancing like there is no tomorrow and most of the time you don't have to. You don't want to white balance to golden hour or you loose the golden and it becomes more like a golden shower. :)
 
"Hey Walter,
Just wanted to see if you could elaborate a little on that. Are you saying that the angle of light on a vertical axis is 90% of film lighting?"

Ok I don't want to spoil the ending but about 90% of what you see in film comes from two things, large sources of light at low angles. That's the first thing we grab when we light and the first place we put it.
 
Yea that still background will make the transition a lot easier than folks that follow a video only route. Just make sure you know it's ok to have shadows and your set :)
 
Walter, nice to have you chime in on this post. I have really enjoyed your website's material, I visit it often just to re read your info. Thanks for your advice as well.
 
i love the warm cards and some of the things i've been able to do by playing with the settings in the dvx-100.

also try filters. you can do amazing things with a mild colored filter like a antique suede, coral etc.

matthew
 
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