Nikon D7000 manual Lighting for Video, Illumination

174 David Busch’s Nikon D7000 Guide to Digital SLR Photography

shooting in high-definition video and you may be playing the video on a high-def TV; be careful that you use this composition on a face that can stand up to high definition. (See Figure 6.17.)

■“Two” shot. A two shot shows a pair of subjects in one frame. They can be side by side or one in the foreground and one in the background. This does not have to be a head to ground composition. Subjects can be standing or seated. A “three shot” is the same principle except that three people are in the frame. (See Figure 6.18.)

■Over the shoulder shot. Long a composition of interview programs, the “over the shoulder shot” uses the rear of one person’s head and shoulder to serve as a frame for the other person. This puts the viewer’s perspective as that of the person facing away from the camera. (See Figure 6.19.)

Figure 6.18 A “two-shot” features two people in the frame. This version can be framed at various distances such as medium or close up.

Figure 6.19 An “over-the-shoulder”shot is a popular shot for interview programs. It helps make the viewers feel like they’re asking the questions.

Lighting for Video

Much like in still photography, how you handle light pretty much can make or break your videography. Lighting for video though can be more complicated than lighting for still photography, since both subject and camera movement are often part of the process.

Lighting for video presents several concerns. First off, you want enough illumination to create a useable video. Beyond that, you want to use light to help tell your story or increase drama. Let’s take a better look at both.

Illumination

You can significantly improve the quality of your video by increasing the light falling in the scene. This is true indoors or out, by the way. While it may seem like sunlight is more than enough, it depends on how much contrast you’re dealing with. If your sub- ject is in shadow (which can help them from squinting) or wearing a ball cap, a video light can help make them look a lot better.