How to ACTUALLY Shoot with Natural Light | 3 Essential Tools You Need

It's the age-old issue, you're shooting against the window and everything looks like garbage. Luckily, we have Cinematographer Casey McBeath back again to show us budget-friendly options to get cinematic shots using windows and natural daylight.
Connect with Ted Sim
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Matthews Floppy: geni.us/BjZl
ND Gel for Window: geni.us/HO6vRBl
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Video Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:17 - Setup #1: Window Key Light
2:02 - Diffusion
5:34 - Duvetyne
6:34 - Edge Light
7:15 - Reel #1
7:35 - Setup #2: Window Background
8:35 - Blocking Light
9:12 - ND Gel
12:01 - Floppy
12:52 - Reel #2
13:07 - That's A Wrap
14:35 - Blooper
#filmmaking #tutorial #lighting

[@indymogul]

Give a thumbs up for Dave.

[@davidaltizer]

dave the plant... for clarification :)

[@indymogul]

@@davidaltizer Why not both? :)

[@ritawood1118]

I’d love to see this video again but with lighting adjusted to/for a dark skin subject, preferably very dark

[@indymogul]

@@ritawood1118 That's an amazing idea! Thanks for letting us know!

[@ingabirechantal9013]

@@davidaltizer unm

[@danielschiffer]

So much value as always, great work guys!

[@indymogul]

Thanks man! Appreciate you tuning in.

[@joepineirofilms]

Yeah and your video was also awesome bro! That bottle cap trick 👌🏻

[@AndreSalvadorofficial]

Love the commercial type vids man!

[@vipinpvadgj126]

@@indymogul guys, next time you are trying nd filter on windows...do it from outside not from inside...just a recommendation...👍...nice.

[@TheGalacticWest]

-takes an hour to put window ND on window. -Sun goes away.

[@indymogul]

Oof, the pain is real...

[@elfguard]

how about cover the two window with the ND roll from outside, not to cut it, just gaffer tape on the rim. Then you can recycle it for another use. And it's much more faster, can't apply on high window though.

[@kurtlindner]

Every time.

[@BobGrosse]

@@elfguardThat works fine if it's on the first floor

[@ThisIsTechToday]

Ted just told me I don't need more lights and I'm having an identity crisis 😳😂

[@EricLefebvrePhotography]

Ted Yesterday at Aperture : Look at this cool new light we've launched here at Aperture the Accent B7c ... you should buy a tons of them. Ted Today at Indy Mogul : you don;t need lights! You habve the sun! Ted ... are you off your MPD meds. :) (just kidding).

[@neonmammals]

This is great. Ive been using ND Gel for a few years now but always just gaffed it to the outside of windows, which really sucked when there was wind. Only a few months ago I came across the technique of using a squeegee so now my travel kit has the seemingly random additions of an empty spray bottle (to fill with tap water on location) and a cheap squeegee. Id recommend having a sharp knife or razor blade for getting the cut lines perfect. put it on with a little overhang and then trim on the window with the razor blade. Works great!

[@brianafranklin1357]

This came right in time! I have a day shoot today!

[@indymogul]

Glad we could help! Good luck on your shoot!

[@brianafranklin1357]

@@indymogul thanks!❤️

[@EricLefebvrePhotography]

Right off the bat. The shower curtains over the windows? I've used that for client work SOOO OFTEN! LOL! I have 5 dollar store shower curtains in my lighting luggage just for that! They each cost like 2$ Can each. I've used the shower curtains to: - block out a window that had distracting elements for a talking head video for a bed and breakfast, - even out the light and remove window frame shadows for an exercise video, - over an overhead fluorecent fixture to help soften the shine off my clients bald head, - in front of a wall that I was bouncing light into to to book end lighting (and help with the light angle). If they get damaged ... who cares they are 2 or 3$ each.

[@indymogul]

Couldn't agree more. Shower curtains are an amazing tool and it's often one of my personal go-to's for diffusion! One day I hope to hear a Hollywood DP using it.

[@area51pictures]

Fantastic stuff, guys. Hilarious how literally NOBODY talked about this when I was in film school. One idea for a future episode, David Mullen talked a bit about the benefits of hard-lighting, maybe that can be its own episode! Most people have like no idea that even the harsh blown out sunlight thing can be super sexy and cool. Most of old Hollywood was hard as fuck.

[@indymogul]

Great idea!!

[@AnimeZone247]

bc the goal isn't to film without lights. Your film school would have all this lighting equipment. and if you need that equipment for your own film shoot you should be able to rent it out. This is for ppl who cant afford lights, that shouldn't be your goal. Having the sun as your light source means that you're on a tight schedule. And it could also cause continuity issues between shots, bc the sun moves.

[@tobiasrock2973]

„We need a little pocket light“: Gets the 120d...

[@JairoNamnun]

One of my absolute most favorite channels in all of KZbin. Thanks guys!

[@Ben-rz9cf]

Also with the canon cameras you can use the technicolor cinestyle to get a good flat profile that does wonders for your dynamic range. Its not Log, but its way better than canon default colors

[@AutoFOCUSED.]

That first look was fire. Huggggeee difference. The second one was meh. Not sure what I wasn't feeling. Still - learned a ton. Thanks guys!

[@indymogul]

The first setup was definitely our fave too, but both were fun challenges to tackle. Thanks for the honesty and for watching!

[@MrSUKH]

Really. The second was actually most challenging. And it looks far better when you have properly exposed windows frame inside shot. That gives much more depth to the scene. First scene had most basic setup, the concept of diffusing like that is known by even noob film makers. Second one was actually good one

[@AutoFOCUSED.]

@@MrSUKH lol. So ND filters aren't known by noob film makers? C'mon man. Why are you worried about what another commenter liked and didn't like. I preferred the look of the first shot. If that hurts your feelings, that's too bad. Have a good one man. Smh

[@AutoFOCUSED.]

Lmao @ using the Among Us sound effect.

[@Mike0193Azul]

Soo helpful thank you! The before and after comparisons are very helpful

[@nextlevelmediaAUT]

Amazing tips! You are the MVPs, guys! Keep it up

[@arsonistrats]

Just getting into lighting etc., this is the third video of you guys i stumble upon - very helpful, and the two of you have great chemistry :)

[@penfx1]

Excellent demonstration and explanation 🤗

[@jdlmediaco3541]

This was an awesome tutorial !! So helpful

[@claudawatkis]

Wow!! Awesome work! Thank you for alot of tips!

[@garykennedy]

This was really helpful, thanks for making it!

[@AllThingsFilm1]

Love these lighting tips and breakdown videos. That Game of Thrones moment at the end was dope.

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Thank you for mentioning that! Somehow I haven’t seen that part yet. I guess I just turned it off early. I should know better

[@oldgenx]

Super helpful! Thank you!

[@nilsen5109]

Ted ted ted....... awesome as always 🥰

[@Grabehn42]

I love Casey's face when told they were only using a window like "First you bend my panel now THIS?"

[@bythangho]

Love you guys

[@bienveqe]

Great tips man !

[@westwoodmanorfilms7779]

Great stuff guys! Would love to see you do a part two of this in the future - dealing with natural light outside.

[@heritagegigentertainment8024]

I wish to know that as well

[@ajwilliamsmedia]

Dude! That ND tip is clutch!

[@DaveBode]

That snake plant is stealing the show. I might have moved that. Great vids!

[@ASSADZMANFILMS]

this is great!!!thanks for all this information and tips on how to shoot with natural light

[@dewbzki]

Looks like I’m buying window ND now. Loved this episode guys!

[@indymogul]

Glad you liked it!!

[@ITSRENDERING]

This was great !

[@michael_viteritti]

This is great, easy and inexpensive, big up! :D

[@EricHenning]

Really great info here. I can’t help thinking - stay with me here - you could simply wait two hours for the sun to move off the window. Or schedule the shoot based on the sunlight, which is what a decent location scout would enable you to do.

[@jasoncharleslucero9991]

AWESOME VIDEO

[@samlaham2392]

Great video !

[@christopherpoterson2244]

Love this video and thank you guys for you ❤ do

[@donnyhelvey]

That was the best!! Thank you for showing things for us poor filmmakers!

[@indymogul]

thanks for tuning in! glad to hear it helped.

[@TigerEyeFocus]

So happy this channel was brought back!

[@indymogul]

Here to stay!

[@sehwagali]

Am I the only one who was having the shutter speed OCD?

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

I was too. Can’t believe I overlooked that while filming. Must’ve been concentrating on something else

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Raza Ali I was reading through the other comments and realized they mentioned they were shooting the main camera at 60 frames for the slow motion. Whoops! Guess I didn’t ask enough questions 😅

[@danielakachi3666]

Haha true man, but rules are meant to be broken 😂

[@rachaeljohnson8271]

THANK YOUUUUU

[@OldshoeFilmsProductions]

Good post fellas.

[@Lululu239]

About 2th example: we can use a mirror across from the window, with soft difussion filter on him. ND filter on a camera and white light on background will out, when the face will be in normal exposition and without dirty shadows

[@FilmwithLove]

Thank you a lot 🙏

[@tomweitz976]

Love it

[@KaidoLP]

I often use a big sheet of moscito Screen to cut down on the light without making it soft, to match direct sunlight over the course of a day

[@saskelee]

3:54 synchronised so

[@danielliuwho]

Awesome video guys, I learned a lot! In the backlit situation where the model is in front of the big windows, would it work if you used something like a v-flat to bounce light back onto the front of your subject? Would that just even out the dynamic range and lead to a flat scene? The shot you guys ended up with was really beautiful. Is that because the light behind your model is now less than the light in front?

[@AtomicPixel]

You guys are awesome. Love when you 2 get together -- so much value!

[@swaygfx]

Always great videos from indy mogul!

[@indymogul]

Thank you!

[@jona.vagabond]

Canon 6d mark ii was my first full frame camera. Good bang for your buck that camera

[@alvincamera]

Casey back again hahaha

[@shaynearcher6020]

Looks awesome guys! Taking it a step further, the next big problem in this scene is all the major green bounce from all the green plants negatively impacting skin tone and colour contrasts - also super common with wood floors in my experience. Would have flagged off a lot of the other windows off camera to reduce that colour spill, and if I had a light, add some ambient fill to help get the CT in the room a bit cleaner

[@indymogul]

Thanks for the notes! That's an amazing way of taking it a step further!

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

I didn’t get a chance to see the footage, but I’ve occasionally just balanced some of the ambient green out in post. Though I just saw an amazing episode of Ozark season 3, and they just left the green ambience.

[@ShayneArcher]

@@CaseyMcBeath1 Ozark is beautiful aey, totally - sometimes you wouldn't want to balance it out! It can definitely be handled in grading, but it can be tricky when it's washed through a whole scene, and take a while to get that colour separation back.

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Shayne Archer yeah. It’s fun to see how many ways you can get lost in the weeds with filmmaking.

[@ChevaughnHibbert]

That Among us some effect for the canon killed me

[@johnpaulporitz]

Tip of the hat🎩for that Windex bottle Easter egg.

[@stillsixstudios]

Great tips. Have a practical question from small shop (not snarking honest). I've hung ND with duct from the outside window in order to be quicker setup. How long did it take to cut to precision and hang inside? Gotta try the windex & squeegee. My luck it would take an hour and then the sunlight is totally different then need to tear ND down. So guess you want to scout location, have a plan, and give enough time to hang ND before shoot?

[@creativilee]

Learn so much from this channel! Thanks guys! keep up the content!

[@VideoUpskill]

Nice challenge, good to see it done without lights.

[@tallerdeficcion]

now, this is valuable information! great work as always!

[@orelbitan]

Thanks, learned a lot!

[@konradnoises]

Please make a video talking about all sorts of diffusions and their qualities!

[@ashdluciangurl]

Shower curtain idea is what I'm talking about, thumbs up. Question: would a reflector in a similar position as the floppy in the first set, to provide background light work well? That was the idea I had to correct it but I've never actually lit a shot, so idk.

[@indymogul]

Great question! Your idea would work, and it's something we even thought about trying out, but by the time we got to that stage, the sun moved and the light wasn't hitting the background enough. But you can also use the diffusion material of that reflector for the main key light or a black side of the reflector as negative fill.

[@gregjones7196]

Great information as always!! My Dude's face @ 1:24 was the look you get when your blind date looks nothing like her profile picture. LMAO

[@davidaltizer]

YES!

[@indymogul]

In our next gear review video, are you ok with being a plant? And can you narrate the plant?

[@davidaltizer]

@@indymogul LOL of course!

[@NollyCakeTv]

I love this. i have learnt a lot from you guys.

[@OstyleProductions]

I appreciate her mask 😷 thanks 🙏🏽

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Thanks again for another useful video! What about if we don't have ND filter paper??

[@indymogul]

You bet. Try grey curtain or you can pick up some ND online. It's a little pricey for the indie scene, but definitely well worth it if you don't have lights want to see out those super bright, blown out windows.

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Also in the video we mention screen replacement material which is a cheap option. But beware as it can come with some of its own problem as I mentioned in the video

[@AnandaGarden]

I thoroughly enjoy your videos. In this one you let us know what's required (and how much the various fixes cost). I'm dealing with an ultra-simple production (fundraising skit outdoors, shot from 1 to 6 p.m. under sunny skies with dappled shade to avoid, etc.). So it will help to know when and how to use a small diffuser or reflector, and how to expose to the right and use a flat profile and what direction to have subjects face, how to keep background nicely exposed, etc. I've pretty much figured it out, but perhaps others would like a video. ? BTW, I see where Neewer sells a very reasonably priced 5' x 7' diffuser/reflector...

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

You should definitely pay attention to the episode they will be releasing next week 😉

[@AnandaGarden]

Oh, thank you. Most definitely...

[@heritagegigentertainment8024]

Can l also use grid cloth, if I can’t get or have floppy, duvetyne, neutral density gel to soften light coming from the window ?

[@NIKONGUY1960]

Extremely useful since many of us can’t afford the high dollar lights you preach about damn near every day. And that girl is off the charts adorable! Is she on social media?

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Watch the whole video!

[@The14541]

Ted i wanna ask for the second set; window on the background is it okay if we put reflector or any bounce card in front of the model and then bring down the whole brightness?

[@ereceeme]

Yes, Byt do all this before the sunlight changes and then you have to take everything down.

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Gotta think ahead as a pro!

[@ryanrusso2954]

By the time you set up the sun moved lol

[@DeanCovert]

Richard Mall has a great window gelling tutorial over on the Matthews Studio Equipment channel if anyone wants a more thorough guide.

[@indymogul]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@threefoldtv]

WOOO FOURTH!

[@indymogul]

Awwww yeah!

[@williamwalters3796]

That camera is an imposter. SFX said so.

[@TheArnab8]

One simple question, why were the settings 1/125 | f/4.0 | ISO 800 ?

[@miguelalbuquerque8450]

James Nguyen needs to watch this

[@AmberAMC91]

"Dear god... I mean yes of course" 🤣🤣🤣

[@santiagovilchisbarreto7257]

6:49 "one tiny pocket lamp" *proceeds to take out a aputure 300D*

[@indymogul]

Um, um...it looked smaller in the ad?

[@EricLefebvrePhotography]

I expected something like a small LED panel like an AL-F7 or an LSMini20D ... I have 3 Yungnuo YN300's in my bag when I do shoots like these just in case ... not a flipping 300D LOL.

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Sadly it’s the only one we brought. We were using it at 6 or 7%

[@EricLefebvrePhotography]

@@CaseyMcBeath1 could have been worse. Fir giggles you could have thrown an Arri Studio T24 or similar on there. LOL.

[@Anonymous-zw1gd]

Haha I was expecting a sponsored ad for a pocket light at this point! Anyhow, great video guys super useful.

[@chrisnguyendop]

This is awesome! I don't know if it was addressed in the video, but can you reuse the ND gel?

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

It was mentioned a lot on fat but I don’t think it made the cut. I was saying is that the better you treat it, the more you can reuse it. And we in fact save the pieces we used

[@chrisnguyendop]

@@CaseyMcBeath1 Gotcha. Yeah, I was assuming that when you said that if you treat it well and clean it after. I just wanted to make sure. Thanks. Such a cost effective way to make huge windows works.

[@saikatchattopadhyay8263]

Thank you for the video guys, but have one lil doubt. For shoots which take more time than usual for one shot then ,how should I approach? As the Sun moves pretty quickly then relying on it would be problematic . How can I overcome it in an “Indy” shoot?

[@indymogul]

Absolutely correct. Clouds, Time of Day, Passing Objects can all affect natural light. This is why on more professional shoots, filmmakers will almost always block windows and recreate their own sunlight using studio lights. If you're on a budget, just try experimenting with whatever lights that you already own.

[@personalinjuryshow]

Doesn’t matter how expensive your camera cost… lighting, audio, and software is just as important as the type of camera someone uses. Then there are other factors like actors, scripts, scenes, etc. If you want to start a production, the best way to do it is to just do it. Experience is your asset. Cheers!

[@mikejohnson219]

Love the content as always, I have one question. What was the drop cloth for, assuming it wasn't needed for a Lethal Weapon 2 type situation? Learning so much from you guys!

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Uuuuuuuhhhh which/where?

[@mikejohnson219]

@@CaseyMcBeath1 @14:44 - Right after Caiti came into the shot and you rectified the GOT (Coconut Water) ;-)

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Mike Johnson oh, I thought that’s what you might’ve meant. That was just a rug the location already had and the owner had put a plastic protective cover on top of it.

[@mikejohnson219]

@@CaseyMcBeath1 Pesky owners, always tryin to protect their things..... geesh... :-p

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Mike Johnson don’t they know I got dirty shoes to clean? Lawns to puncture?

[@polaroidandroidjeff6383]

This video was 30% content 70% ads

[@edmundtanfilms]

How do you expose on the 6dmkii so that there’s no clipping?

[@EricLefebvrePhotography]

1- Use a light meter. 2- Use the built in light meter on your camera. 3- Use a monitor or external recorder that has clipping warning 4- Adjust your lighting to prevent clipping by adding diffusion, ND filters, move your subject to a better location ... I still shoot on an old 5D2 and have Magic Lantern installed on it (and my Bcam the T3i) to give me things like clipping warning, zebras ...

[@noahlebel-turcotte4662]

I’d like to see exterior natural lighting. How to shape light outdoor.

[@indymogul]

Stay tuned next week!

[@yannmo5581]

On the second case, i think it will be faster and cheaper just to bounce back the light to the model with a reflector or even a large white paper (in case of no budget shooting). ;p

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

The main goal for the second video was to show how bright light on objects outside the window could be controlled. The bounce idea is already happening with the white wall that was in front of her. As you can see when we try to adjust the settings, it’s still not enough to balance the shot

[@yannmo5581]

@@CaseyMcBeath1 Thank you Casey for your kind reply. Awesome job anyway (i wish my clients give me the time to use the window filter ;p)

[@JimRobinson-colors]

I noticed that removing the ND film on the window wasn't included in the video. Would be interesting to know how difficult ( or easy ) that would be. Also how expensive that film is.

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Comes right off. Not even a thought or effort. About like pulling a sticker off of a non-stick surface

[@amp72790]

What size and density of diffusion was used outside during the second set-up? I don’t think it was mentioned in the video. Super helpful video! It’s good to show that you can make great images, no matter the camera.

[@indymogul]

You bet. No diffusion was used outside for the second setup, we just set up that black frame so that the window was in shade.

[@amp72790]

@@indymogul Okay, I just noticed when Casey and Ted were outside setting up the black frame that there was diffusion set-up outside (12:05).

[@indymogul]

@@amp72790 Oh that diffusion. That portion was cut from the episode. We played with the idea of using the diffusion to soften the light hitting the back door but it didn't make any difference in-camera, so we used a floppy to cut the light entirely. It was a 4x4 frame of Magic Cloth if my memory serves me correctly.

[@amp72790]

@@indymogul I got ya! I was just curious if that was doing anything for your final image. Great work again, and always looking forward to your videos.

[@alexanderashmore]

That Among Us swing to the camera LUL

[@musstakrakish]

the face at 11 seconds in

[@scottpeterson9450]

Is there a reason you’re ISO is usually above 100? I’ve noticed it around the 800 range in a few videos.

[@francez123456789]

Photography isnt my field but I do like to render stuff in cycles. I wonder if these ideas would work in a physically based path traced rendering workflow.

[@indymogul]

Ooh, it might. Try it out!

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Let us know!

[@EricLefebvrePhotography]

I've only played with blender a little but in Cycles I used the same concepts I would for my photography. I'm sure 3d artists would look at my setups and cringe at the inneficiency of it of course. :) I'd use large light panels and would add walls on the other side for bounce.

[@mhwang521]

Casey losing weight. I see you! Good for you.

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

Aw! Thank you! Never enough and never fast enough, but it is happening ounce by ounce

[@Nikita_Brus]

Great video. Lots of useful info. Although I giggled a bit when you pulled out the 300D. Also, no ones gonna have any time to put up that ND over windows, let alone buy a whole roll of it.

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

I think we had the 300d at 6 or 7%, so it was sad that’s the only light we had on hand. It just depends on what your workflow it’s going to be. If you know it’s something you do, hopefully you will plan ahead for it. But early in my career I bought several feet of gel that I could reuse by taping it on the outside of windows

[@570nicnacboi]

Wait, what's wrong with the 6D mark 2? If it's easy to find cheap online because everyone hates it, I might be able to afford a DSLR for once, so is it really that bad? Would it be a good investment for a beginner anyway? Thanks!

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

They are teasing me because I only use more professional grade cameras. Nothing wrong with this camera

[@indymogul]

@@CaseyMcBeath1 Love you, Casey!

[@danielakachi3666]

Never knew about the ND on a window trick👍👍!!.. Thanks for this video, this helped me cool off. A lot is happening in the world at the same time, Nigeria here we trying to end police Brutality #EndSars I also know other countries like Thailand,Indonesia and more facing Injustice. ps: The subtle BLM 🙌

[@jeveetsoibam]

What about using a reflector to fill in more ?? Won't it give the subject a pop out of the background?

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

You said fill in more, but in these examples we wanted to darken her fill side. If we had more direct sun in another back window, we could could do that as a back light

[@CineMilledUSA]

I dig her socks....hehehe.... nice work again guys!