Lighting skills equal success
Unquestionably the in-depth knowledge of lighting is the single most important skill necessary to advance a career in the production business. Lighting skills alone might not lead to a successful career but in my 37 years in this business I have never met a successful cameraman who did not master the skill of lighting. I have however seen too many freelancers who didn't think that lighting skills were important enough to dedicate learning time and now are either struggling to stay in business or they have moved on to something else.
There's an unfortunate attitude that exists among many video photographers, and that's "who needs all that, in my job I'll never get to use it". True, if you don't know how to do it nobody will ever give you the opportunity to do it, why should they if you don't know how. Then how will you advance your career or if you are a freelancer how will you get better jobs and better paying clients? Are you hoping that better opportunities will come knocking so you can learn more? That would be a dream way to advance a career but in the real world that's nothing more than wishful thinking. A skilled successful professional probably only uses 10% of his knowledge on most assignments, then why should he ever bother to learn the other 90%? Because it is the extended knowledge, the ability and skills to always be ready to do something more for the client that made him successful and in demand.
The skill of lighting is a never ending learning process that will last your entire career. Dedicated professionals are never satisfied, they will always look at their work today as an improvement of what they did yesterday but not as good as they will do tomorrow.
The tutorials illustrated throughout this site are for fundamental techniques that you see everyday on broadcasting television; this is what clients want to see. Once you master these techniques you can take your work to any direction and become as creative as you can be, but without a good foundation even the best castle sooner or later will come crumbling down.
Although you will see many lighting diagrams throughout this web site, lighting by the number is a good way to get started but relying on diagrams is not the best way to acquire lighting skills, you have to see what lighting does. Look at the light from different angles, how does it shape subjects or objects, not only artificial light but even most important the natural light. Learn how the sun behaves, the times of day when you can get the most pleasing light and how you can apply all this to your business.
Until you develop you own skills, look, learn and try to duplicate what others have done. Next time you go to a movie look at the lighting, try to guess what type of light the lighting director used, the direction of the light, the shadows created by the light. What was the director trying to tell with lights, was it a specific time of day? A dramatic effect or what else.
Throughout this site you will see many lighting techniques that you can implement immediately, this should only be the beginning, and the rest is up to you.
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