Small Objects and Areas
Lighting small objects can be diffi cult because
most professional lights are scaled to illuminate
larger subjects. To overcome this problem, several
techniques are available.
Tabletop
Tabletop cinematography involves shooting
small objects and/or activities on a table, counter,
or special photo stand (Figure 16-44). It is a
common procedure for science experiments,
product demonstrations, and how-to training
sequences.
In shooting small subjects, camera and
lighting problems generally arise from two causes:
●
The short camera-to-subject distances
(and/or telephoto lens settings) create very
shallow depth of fi eld. This makes small
objects diffi cult to keep in sharp focus.
heavy diffusion), placed one at each side.
Experiment with light positions and throws to
create a near-perfect wash of light.
Lighting the Foreground
Place the subjects as far forward of the
background as possible. Classic spotlight
lighting is easiest to use because the light paths
are controllable. To keep foreground light off
the background screen, position the lights
relatively high and to the side (as far as 8:00 or
8:30) to keep hot spots and shadows below and
to the sides of the frame.
Be sure to look at the background footage
to determine the quality and direction of its
own lighting. If your setup allows, key this
footage into the image in place of the composite
screen. Adjust subject lighting until it matches
the composited background.
Figure 16-42 Lighting for nighttime reports.
One-light setup
Offset the camera light
for better modeling Two-light setup
Figure 16-43 Lighting for compositing.
Spotlights with diffusion evenly
wash the background
Softlighting on both subject and
background eliminates shadows
Subject is as far in front of the
background as practical
(Bogen Manfrotto)
Chapter 16 Lighting Applications 357