Need help with color in photos and videos

[TanyaLLC]

I haven't really messed around with my camera much and its kind of overwhelming to me. I haven't really touched the settings but when I take pictures and videos indoors with my lights and setup, my hair always looks really dark in the photos and videos. In reality, its bright red in natural lighting (which is not available to me as I shoot in my basement). Do you know which settings will give me a more realistic color setting? If you click below, you can see my youtube thumbnails that show the coloring vs the photo in the link below which is my real hair color. Any tips would be appreciated!

https/www.youtube.com/channel/UCiQCfaAvkG1eXYOtHc5Q8gQ

https/www.instagram.com/p/BGMhM_pLkpM/?taken-by=tanyal527

 

[TanyaLLC]

I haven't really messed around with my camera much and its kind of overwhelming to me. I haven't really touched the settings but when I take pictures and videos indoors with my lights and setup, my hair always looks really dark in the photos and videos. In reality, its bright red in natural lighting (which is not available to me as I shoot in my basement). Do you know which settings will give me a more realistic color setting? If you click below, you can see my youtube thumbnails that show the coloring vs the photo in the link below which is my real hair color. Any tips would be appreciated!

https/www.youtube.com/channel/UCiQCfaAvkG1eXYOtHc5Q8gQ

https/www.instagram.com/p/BGMhM_pLkpM/?taken-by=tanyal527

1) Your hair IS actually that dark. Most dyes are absolutely horrible to shoot simply because they have non-linear responses and depend not only on temperature, but light direction (especially bleached hair that's been dyed). Different light temperatures will produce different colors more in those dyes.
2) Before looking up anything else, check http/strobist.blogspot.jp/2006/03/lighting-101.html , since you are talking about studio lighting rather than general photography. That site will help you make your lighting more accurate, dynamic, and actually easier.

Thanks I will check that link out. Yes, my hair only looks super red in natural lighting...but I have seen other people in youtube videos with similar colored hair and it shows up bright red on camera.

 

[TanyaLLC]

I'm sorry, I never meant to imply the contrast you have right now is not good enough. I was trying to relay that contrast is important. It was never meant to be a commentary on your videos. I can see why a white background, with the right lighting, will be bright since white reflects.

No problem, I'm not offended. I need as much feed back as possible as I am very inexperienced with photography and filming. I just press record and talk haha

 

[kenrivers]

Glad to hear it. It takes time, practice and mistakes before you really gain an understanding of what you are doing. Of course people with knowledge who are willing to help makes it easier.

 

[TanyaLLC]

Glad to hear it. It takes time, practice and mistakes before you really gain an understanding of what you are doing. Of course people with knowledge who are willing to help makes it easier.

That's true.

 

[TanyaLLC]

I haven't really messed around with my camera much and its kind of overwhelming to me. I haven't really touched the settings but when I take pictures and videos indoors with my lights and setup, my hair always looks really dark in the photos and videos. In reality, its bright red in natural lighting (which is not available to me as I shoot in my basement). Do you know which settings will give me a more realistic color setting? If you click below, you can see my youtube thumbnails that show the coloring vs the photo in the link below which is my real hair color. Any tips would be appreciated!

https/www.youtube.com/channel/UCiQCfaAvkG1eXYOtHc5Q8gQ

https/www.instagram.com/p/BGMhM_pLkpM/?taken-by=tanyal527

1) Your hair IS actually that dark. Most dyes are absolutely horrible to shoot simply because they have non-linear responses and depend not only on temperature, but light direction (especially bleached hair that's been dyed). Different light temperatures will produce different colors more in those dyes.
2) Before looking up anything else, check http/strobist.blogspot.jp/2006/03/lighting-101.html , since you are talking about studio lighting rather than general photography. That site will help you make your lighting more accurate, dynamic, and actually easier.

Is my contrast not good enough in my videos currently? I was going to buy some fabric and make a diy backdrop with some pvc pipe but I have seen a bunch of other people have white backgrounds and have a really clear and bright video. I think its more of me doing something wrong....

Like I said, you need to read EVERYTHING on the Strobist 101. There's a lot you seem to not know about lighting in general, and that primer is perfect for beginners. Go ahead and give it a read, and then come back here in a week and show us your progress.

I don't have a flash that comes off my camera. Just the one attached. Also, Is this Strobist 101 about filming videos too or just photography? I am looking for how to best light my videos more importantly. The pictures that I take go along with the videos that I film .

 

[giantbucket]

can't use strobes for filming - there's no way you'd be able to recharge them fast enough to blast every 60th of a second. you need light and plenty of it. a flash gun is bright, but it's very brief and would burn out if you try to use it for repeat shots. they are designed to "compete" with the power of the sun, so yeah they can be bright. but brief.

for example, look at the background in some of your videos, and then in some other videos. which one is bright white, and which is white-but-actually-gray? that will tell you just how much light is being pumped onto the scene.

you might need or benefit from those REALLY bright halogen "worksite" lamps. see if a neighbour has one or two that you can borrow just to try it out. 500W each, probably.

 

[TanyaLLC]

can't use strobes for filming - there's no way you'd be able to recharge them fast enough to blast every 60th of a second. you need light and plenty of it. a flash gun is bright, but it's very brief and would burn out if you try to use it for repeat shots. they are designed to "compete" with the power of the sun, so yeah they can be bright. but brief.

for example, look at the background in some of your videos, and then in some other videos. which one is bright white, and which is white-but-actually-gray? that will tell you just how much light is being pumped onto the scene.

you might need or benefit from those REALLY bright halogen "worksite" lamps. see if a neighbour has one or two that you can borrow just to try it out. 500W each, probably.

Are you talking about going to home depot and getting one of those lights that just sit on the ground that look like they are in a cage? They might be on a tripod too.

https/www.amazon.com/Diva-Ring-Light-Nova-18/dp/B00B64G2A6 -- that is what some youtubers use for for lighting their video.

This is all that I have for lighting: https/www.amazon.com/Photography-Portrait-Continuous-LimoStudio-LMS103/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1469820159&sr=1-1&keywords=lighting+kits

 

[giantbucket]

yup, those cage types that sit on a tripod. they're probably cheap, very bright, and meant to run continuous. if someone has them to borrow, that would be cheaper especially since you don't know for sure if they'll work well or not. or buy and return - 30 day policy, right?

 

[TanyaLLC]

yup, those cage types that sit on a tripod. they're probably cheap, very bright, and meant to run continuous. if someone has them to borrow, that would be cheaper especially since you don't know for sure if they'll work well or not. or buy and return - 30 day policy, right?

That's true...I'll have to see if anyone has those if not I'll check the price out at Home Depot.

So would those work better behind me or in front of me?

Also, I use my umbrellas with the front of the umbrella(top really) facing away from me. I have heard you can use them both ways. However I have found that its brighter if I have them facing away from me since the bulb with be more exposed even though its facing towards the inside of the umbrella. I also have a little light on a short tripod with no umbrella I have that facing away from me as well but directly infront of me but its short so its not level with my face.

 

[giantbucket]

if you buy 2 of those lamps (or a kit that has 2), then you can experiment. i would try a few methods - front, front+rear, front+side, front+rearbounce, etc.

i only use umbrellas for still photos - they're mostly for diffusing light, and that ends up reducing the brightness. unless it's a metallic one in which case it's like a giant sheet of tinfoil. tinfoil is cheap at the dollar store - try to line the inside/underside of your umbrellas with some and see if that helps much.

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free stuff to try it to play with saturation settings on your T5, or trying out MagicLantern firmware if they make it for the T5. apparently it opens up a lot of settings.

 

[TanyaLLC]

if you buy 2 of those lamps (or a kit that has 2), then you can experiment. i would try a few methods - front, front+rear, front+side, front+rearbounce, etc.

i only use umbrellas for still photos - they're mostly for diffusing light, and that ends up reducing the brightness. unless it's a metallic one in which case it's like a giant sheet of tinfoil. tinfoil is cheap at the dollar store - try to line the inside/underside of your umbrellas with some and see if that helps much.

---

free stuff to try it to play with saturation settings on your T5, or trying out MagicLantern firmware if they make it for the T5. apparently it opens up a lot of settings.

Ok thanks. I know there are lamp type things with foil inside on amazon...I don't mind spending a little money on the proper equipment just not a ton. Something like this?

https/www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Photography-Lighting-Equipment-AGG814/dp/B00E4YS2XU/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1469821969&sr=1-3&keywords=soft+box+light+kit

 

[TanyaLLC]

if you buy 2 of those lamps (or a kit that has 2), then you can experiment. i would try a few methods - front, front+rear, front+side, front+rearbounce, etc.

i only use umbrellas for still photos - they're mostly for diffusing light, and that ends up reducing the brightness. unless it's a metallic one in which case it's like a giant sheet of tinfoil. tinfoil is cheap at the dollar store - try to line the inside/underside of your umbrellas with some and see if that helps much.

---

or this?

https/www.amazon.com/Professional-Photography-Lighting-Portraits-Shooting/dp/B017IJ72CE/ref=sr_1_7?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1469822123&sr=1-7&keywords=soft+box+light+kit

free stuff to try it to play with saturation settings on your T5, or trying out MagicLantern firmware if they make it for the T5. apparently it opens up a lot of settings.

 

[giantbucket]

yes to the idea & type of umbrella, no to the type of lights. those 85W CFL are for lighting up an object while you take a photo, and when you do a still photo you have a lot more flexibility when it comes to shutter speed and exposure. with video, your shutter speeds HAS to be faster than 1/60th of a second, which means you'll need much more light than those cute 85W CFL bulbs can do

you can find those reflective-inside umbrellas on eBay too, sometimes quite cheap (they're all made in china anyways). tinfoil experiments will be cheap, fast, and at least they'll tell you if it's likely going in the right direction.

 

[TanyaLLC]

yes to the idea & type of umbrella, no to the type of lights. those 85W CFL are for lighting up an object while you take a photo, and when you do a still photo you have a lot more flexibility when it comes to shutter speed and exposure. with video, your shutter speeds HAS to be faster than 1/60th of a second, which means you'll need much more light than those cute 85W CFL bulbs can do

you can find those reflective-inside umbrellas on eBay too, sometimes quite cheap (they're all made in china anyways). tinfoil experiments will be cheap, fast, and at least they'll tell you if it's likely going in the right direction.

Ok I will try tin foil first. ...Photo Light Bulb 85W CFL 6500K Daylight Balanced Pure White Light..those are the bulbs I have curently. So which ones should I get at home depot on top of those construction lights? To use with the tin foil i mean...

 

[giantbucket]

use what you have with the tin foil for now. an 85W CFL should be pretty good if it's actually 85W and not "85W equivalent"

 

[giantbucket]

ok, i don't shoot video but only photo. i'm watching your video "glam bag 2016". looking at the lamp shadows tells me you have two lights, not that bright, far away, since they case distinct clean sharp shadows. one light is from below and one is around eye level, but neither is bright enough to blow away the shadow caused by the other. really, the overlap shadow is kinda dark.

your camera lens is looking at a "cone" in front of it. don't be afraid to have the lights in front of the camera but outside of the "cone zone". especially if you're using a diffuser like your umbrellas or a soft box / fish fryer. close, large, bright.

 

[basroil]

I don't have a flash that comes off my camera. Just the one attached. Also, Is this Strobist 101 about filming videos too or just photography? I am looking for how to best light my videos more importantly. The pictures that I take go along with the videos that I film .

Strobist 101 is about lighting ratios, not necessarily using strobe lights (which can't be used for video except in very specific cases where it's not used for primary lighting). If you get continuous lights, you can follow the same ideas about light placement and strength, and that will help improve overall image quality.

And if you're going to make your own equipment, I highly suggest mylar instead of aluminum foil, it's easier to work with and won't produce hotspots (foil tends to crumple, making dark and bright spots). You can usually find it at most hobby stores (and amazon) for cheap.

 

[Hello man]

ok, i don't shoot video but only photo. i'm watching your video "glam bag 2016". looking at the lamp shadows tells me you have two lights, not that bright, far away, since they case distinct clean sharp shadows. one light is from below and one is around eye level, but neither is bright enough to blow away the shadow caused by the other. really, the overlap shadow is kinda dark.

your camera lens is looking at a "cone" in front of it. don't be afraid to have the lights in front of the camera but outside of the "cone zone". especially if you're using a diffuser like your umbrellas or a soft box / fish fryer. close, large, bright.

Yeah, just try moving light all over the frame until you find what is best. Having more diffuse lighting from many sources helps avoid shadows. When I was in 6th or 7th grade I would try to make videos with my camera, which at the time was just a point and shoot. It didn't go well, but I did learn a lot about how much light you need. I ran 4-6 150W CFL bulbs in clamp lamps, spread around the basement. I backlit the white sheet with one of those halogen construction lamps. That made it look a lot brighter, and serve as a diffuser for the backlighting so it wasn't blown out in the background and way too bright/intense. Helped cancel out shadows too.

It might seem really bright with just a few lamps, but because your eyes essentially try to adjust the exposure for every place you go, unless you put a room lit by a few bulbs next to a bright day lit room on a sunny day, you'd think the difference was pretty minimal. Find some pics of pro recording sets-the area off camera looks very dark compared to the on camera area. I have heard that in the old days lighting was so hot, for ice cream commercials they had to use mashed potatoes, or they wouldn't have enough time to get the shot before it melted. That should tell you how much light there is. It is too hard to replicate the effects of lighting by bumping up the exposure. It can't really be done. It looks like you took a dark room and artificially adjusted the brightness, and you did, so no wonder.