How much light do we need?

One thing that we sometimes hear from couples who do not want video is that they don’t want any bright lights shining in their face. This misunderstanding comes from the early days of event video when cameras lacked the sensitivity that they have today. Modern equipment is not only smaller than a decade ago, but much more sensitive. There is almost no situation short of a candlelight ceremony where we would have a hard time shooting without additional lighting. Even darker churches usually have enough light for a good image.

Receptions are another story however. It is common for reception locations to turn down the lights so low that if we go with just the light in the hall, we will get nothing but dark grainy images. We just can’t shoot in the dark and expect to get anything worthwhile.

I always advise my clients that I would prefer to use a small on-camera light during the reception. Of course the more light that there is in the room, the less light that I will need to use. Another thing that I request is that they talk to the banquet manager about leaving the lights up for the introductions and main dances. If they do, we can often dispense with the light for these. Unfortunately this is sometimes not communicated to the staff and the lights are turned down anyway.

There are some videographers who bring in lights mounted on stands to light up the dance floor. We do not do that as it would create a safety hazard as well as ruining the atmosphere. But having some additional light is a given at most receptions. I usually use a 10 watt light on top of the camera. It doesn’t flood the room, but provides just enough light to make the image pop.