I have a music video shoot coming up where the artist wants to shoot in a parking deck. After scouting locations I see that im going to have to pick between the really orange type of lighting (which I think is called sodium vapor) or the more white type of light (which I believe is flourescent, I maybe wrong tho) . First off what color temps are these two types of lights usually rated at and is shooting in one scenario better or easier than the other? I have mostly tungsten lighting and some flouro but im not sure if they will match up to the practical sources perfectly.
Which parking deck practical lighting is better to shoot under?
- Thread starter dtjohns1
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j1clark@ucsd.edu
Veteran
While you were scouting you should have shot a few stills, or video with the camera you would be using, or heck, any camera, with someone who 'matches' in some way the talent that will be in front of the camera (e.g. caucasian, mediterranean, black, which ever, skin complexion.).
Then you would see the effects.
Sodium Vapor comes in 'low pressure', near monochrmatic, orange-ish, and 'high pressure', slightly wider color band, yellow-ish... but not much.
In monochromatic light, various colors render as 'black', or 'dark', if they do not have significant amounts of the 'monochromatic' color'.
I'd say the 'flourescent' would be better. While the green cast is objectionable, it may be easier to deal with.
I think the whiter looking light is probably mercury vapor. If they are fluorescent tubes you are in luck. Even the worst of those are usable with some care.
Both of the gas discharge lights are terrible sources. Sodium vapor is absolutely useless. You should do some tests with people under those lights before you consider using them.
I've shot in car parks and the ticket there is a couple of 1200W HMIs. They're hard to manage but they can overwhelm the parking terrace's own lights in a limited area where you are shooting.
Both of the gas discharge lights are terrible sources. Sodium vapor is absolutely useless. You should do some tests with people under those lights before you consider using them.
I've shot in car parks and the ticket there is a couple of 1200W HMIs. They're hard to manage but they can overwhelm the parking terrace's own lights in a limited area where you are shooting.
stuckfootage
Well-known member
High pressure sodium lights have a "color temperature" of about 2100°K,
while typical cool white fluorescent lights are about 4200°K.
Unlike tungsten, both sodium and fluorescent lights have strong peaks
in their spectra, which means that they don't really have a color temperature,
and which makes color rendition less than perfect.
The lights in pro-video fluorescent bulbs have a higher CRI, which means less spectral spiking,
which is why you can use them for photography.
Other things to consider are the fact that maintenance peolpe often mix fluorescent bulbs of different "color temps",
and the plastic covers can age and yellow.
I like the HMI idea.
while typical cool white fluorescent lights are about 4200°K.
Unlike tungsten, both sodium and fluorescent lights have strong peaks
in their spectra, which means that they don't really have a color temperature,
and which makes color rendition less than perfect.
The lights in pro-video fluorescent bulbs have a higher CRI, which means less spectral spiking,
which is why you can use them for photography.
Other things to consider are the fact that maintenance peolpe often mix fluorescent bulbs of different "color temps",
and the plastic covers can age and yellow.
I like the HMI idea.
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Back to basics, what look are you going for? Do you want white to look white under the lighting? Flesh tones to look right? Do you want the parking deck's lights to look the same in video as they do to your eye? Do you want the yellow look of the sodium vapor lamps?
All that stuff matters because it bears on the light that you might or might not add and whether gels will be useful to you.
One thing you can't do is "move" sodium vapor light so that it matches 3200K sources because it just doesn't contain much shorter wavelength light. Look at this graph and you will see why you can't filter this light in the blue direction to speak of:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:High_Pressure_Sodium_Lamp_Spectrum.jpg
All that stuff matters because it bears on the light that you might or might not add and whether gels will be useful to you.
One thing you can't do is "move" sodium vapor light so that it matches 3200K sources because it just doesn't contain much shorter wavelength light. Look at this graph and you will see why you can't filter this light in the blue direction to speak of:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:High_Pressure_Sodium_Lamp_Spectrum.jpg