Lighting advice to the operator. video art

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Lighting tips for the operator

It has long been known that daytime "sun in milk" (sky haze), high cirrus clouds or a bright spot instead of the sun behind solid loose clouds is the ideal lighting for shooting. Lights and shadows turn white, which means that both the best color reproduction and soft chiaroscuro can be obtained. As a rule, the illumination at this time decreases by half, and the light-sensitive matrix of the video camera gives the best resolution, because excessive illumination of the matrix leads to the spreading of electric charges of the photoelectric effect and, consequently, to a loss of image clarity.

Indirect (reflected) or highly diffused light is better for even lighting of several objects and when shooting in large rooms, and to avoid shadows from one person on another, you need to use several light sources.

Pay attention to the lighting: in living quarters it is almost always overhead, from the ceiling. This is not very good, too contrasting, in the cinema this light is called "prison", because it is with such lighting that dramatic and tragic scenes are filmed. Try to use natural light from a window, and if you're shooting in the evening, turn on a floor lamp, table lamps, or whatever you can find to light the scene more evenly.

A beautiful sky is best shot over bright reflective and shiny surfaces, such as sand, snow, water, otherwise the contrast will turn out to be excessive. Water at a high sun (more than 42 ° above the horizon) becomes dark, at a low one it sparkles, takes on the color of the sky.

Natural lighting of the scene (the sun) - best of all, if from the side - this way it will illuminate the shooting scene in relief. If the sun is behind you, then in the frame there will be a motley mess of cheerful shades. Fog is very good on outdoor shooting, it amazingly emphasizes the depth of the composition, the volume of the frame, therefore, on the set of a real movie, distant plans are often "blurred" with the help of special smokes.

In clear weather, the main sources of light are the sun and the sky. The spectral composition of direct sunlight depends on the position of our luminary relative to the horizon, since the atmosphere absorbs short-wave (blue-violet) rays more than red ones. As it rises above the horizon, the sun changes from red to white-yellow at its zenith, the color temperature rises from 2200°K to 5700°K. The color of the sky depends on many factors and varies from blue to blue, the color temperature increases accordingly from 12000 to 25000°K.

Shadows that are predominantly illuminated by blue skies appear colder than highlights (illuminated areas) under a yellow sun. Blue shadows and yellow highlights further increase the contrast of the image. During the day in cloudy weather and with the sun in a haze, the difference in the coloring of light and shadow is hardly noticeable (color temperature is about 5500°K and 7000-8500°K, respectively).

The sun at dawn or at sunset is above the horizon at an angle of 0-6 ° and gives a sharp contrast of chiaroscuro. Only the vertical surfaces of objects are illuminated, direct sunlight colors them red, shadows are black, other colors are muted. This position of the sun emphasizes the terrain and is suitable for shooting landscapes, a quiet surface of water in the opposite light. For close-up shots of people, such lighting is unsuitable, side light is especially unacceptable due to excessive contrast. Evening is a good time to shoot cityscapes, because even if there is enough light on the street, the windows of houses are already lit up.

The low sun (13-15° above the horizon) in the morning, evening or winter day gives a sharp difference in the illumination of horizontal and vertical surfaces. In the light, objects are painted in orange-yellow hues, and shadows - in blue (the color temperature of the sun is 2500-3500 °K, the sky is more than 15000 °K). The contrast is high, the color reproduction is distorted.

The illuminated part of the face acquires a golden warm hue. In close-ups, illumination with a built-in lamp is useful to equalize the illumination of the shadow part to the level of the brightness of the sky and correct its color. For long-range shots, morning lighting is more suitable than evening lighting, as the air becomes less transparent after a hot day. The low sun in cloudy weather does not give shadows and is hardly suitable for shooting.

Universal lighting happens when the sun shines at an angle of 30-60 °, the light is white, the color temperature is about 55000 °K. At this time, the illumination of horizontal and vertical surfaces is approximately the same, and the color reproduction of the illuminated areas is the most successful. The shadows are blue and can be softened in the right places by reflective white screens on the stands. You can shoot both people and landscapes.

The sun at its zenith is not very suitable for shooting, since mainly horizontal surfaces are illuminated. But only such natural lighting happens in forest thickets, deep quarries, well-yards. It requires front lighting and back lighting, satisfactory results are obtained when shooting on light sand or snow.

On a sunny day, under the canopy of trees, a lot of light spots and glare are formed, because of which the contrast becomes prohibitive. For this reason, it is better to shoot in a park or in a forest on a cloudy day or with a hazy sun. It is advisable to choose a place for shooting in a clearing so that at least a small area of the sky gets into the frame.

A ragged pre-stormy sky, when a bright sun breaks through dark clouds, can be an excellent, but unpredictable lighting for the unfolding of dramatic events. Landscapes acquire internal tension. The sun behind a dense cloud in a blue sky gives a dim and diffused light, in which shadows disappear, objects become flat. Such lighting is not very good for shooting.

A cloudy day does not produce shadows, the contrast is very low, the color temperature is over 6500°K, the colors fade. The image is flat, additional means are needed to emphasize the volume and shape of objects. Lighting is suitable for shooting close-ups of people, but side directional lighting is desirable, especially for flat faces, color contrasts are needed. Bright warm backlight built-in illuminator will give the effect of shooting at the setting sun.

As a rule, best way to place lighting fixtures - three position.

Point the main light at the subject from above, but not directly, but slightly from the side. This light source provides the main illumination and shadows.

The second source, which gives soft, diffused light, should also be fixed at the top, but on the other side of the subject. It will give fill lighting that will smooth out the harsh outlines of the shadows.

To create a backlight, position the light source behind the person you are shooting so that a light border forms around their hair and shoulders.

As a result of this technique, the character will look three-dimensional on a flat TV screen.

If possible, add a fourth light source to your lighting system to serve as background lighting, with which you can use it to change the brightness of the background light located behind the subject in the background.

Publication: video-lighting-notes.blogspot.com

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Working range: Pressure: 300 - 1200 hPa. Temperature: -40 - 85 °C
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Absolute error: +- 1 hPa (or +- 8 m)
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Supply voltage: VDD: 1,7 - 3,6 V; VDDIO: 1,2 - 3,6V
Operating modes: Command (manual), Background (automatic), Standby mode
Calibration: Individually calibrated with saving coefficients for measurement correction
FIFO: Stores up to 32 pressure or temperature measurements
Interface: I2C and SPI (both interruptable)
Enclosure: 8-pin LGA connector, 2,0mm x 2,5mm x 1,0mm.

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