Subject in Shade - Background Bright - Blow Out!

S

scrow9

Member
Ok, here's the scenario: imagine you want to video an outdoor interview on a bright summer day. You'd like to try for a shallow depth of field and so have selected a more open F-stop, say 2.8

Ooops! The scene is washed out. Next you notice a stand of trees and suggest that the interview be conducted underneath the trees. Great, now you can get a decent exposure on the interview subject.

But another problem has been created, the background is much brighter than the subjects in the shade and is blown out. What can you do to fix this if you don't have fancy Silk Diffusers and stands with you?

Any ideas?
 
Nd filter on camera - and use a white bounce board to reflect sun light onto your subject
 
The ND filter would help cut down the sun, I see that, but they've already moved under the shade of the tree - their exposure isn't the problem, it's the background

I've read online just now some advice to expose for the bright background - then knock it down two stops. I guess at that point the interview subjects are probably going to be too dark still so then you use reflectors or white bounce boards as you suggest to give them more light...I THINK that's what they were suggesting, I'm not very experienced with lighting so I could have gotten that wrong.
 
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scrow9 said:
The ND filter would help cut down the sun, I see that, but they've already moved under the shade of the tree - their exposure isn't the problem, it's the background

I've read online just now some advice to expose for the bright background - then knock it down two stops. I guess at that point the interview subjects are probably going to be too dark still so then you use reflectors or white bounce boards as you suggest to give them more light...I THINK that's what they were suggesting, I'm not very experienced with lighting so I could have gotten that wrong.
Click to expand...

You've got it.

Alternatively, you can use the sun as a key 45 degrees to the side of your subject. Then your background won't be blown out, and you can use a reflector to add fill on the dark(er) side of the subject's face if it's too contrasty. If you want to shoot at f/2.8, you need ND (or a variable ND filter) in front of the lens.
 
the purpose of the ND filter is to allow you to set the shutter at a wider aperture - giving you shallower depth of field - but you still have to contend with the contrast difference between an unlit subject sitting and the background.

You just need to better balance the ratio between the dark subject and the bright background. Since it's easier to put more light on the subject than it is to take light away from the outdoors - you need to bounce some sunlight onto your subject.
 
Agree with Thomas. Most video cameras can't handle that kind of exposure latitude. I've done a lot of set visits where you're outdoors and need to make the talent look good.

1st - Select where you're putting the talent based on 2 things:
Angle of the sun, and brightness of the b/g. Try to keep the sun behind your subject. This will prevent squinting while providing a natural backlight. And the background you've chosen isn't a big white house or a cloudy sky. Take a moment to find where you can position the talent so a nice pleasing mid tone area is in the b/g.

2) Always bring a C-stand and a Westcott with you wherever you go. It should always be in your trunk. I like the big 6-in-1 kind. Use the big soft white reflector to fill in eye shadows and create a nice big eye light.

Now you've got 2 great sources of light working for you and your subject will look pretty darn good.

And don't forget to sand bag that C-stand.

Good luck!
 
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