Julia Swain

We all want huge, powerful lights on set, but we have to keep in mind the beauty and versatility of small units as well.

With advancing lighting technology, there are some beautiful daylight LEDs on the market that can be used to extend light throughout daytime interiors.

No one goes to an event like the annual NAB Show without doing their homework first.

When shooting in the style of electronic newsgathering, especially as a solo journalist on location, there is so much to take into consideration.

Getting your key light just right can get complicated when considering the blocking of the actors, the space and what units you have at your disposal.

We have a lot of tools to measure exposure, but to me, the light meter is the simplest and truest.

A big misconception in our industry is that daytime exteriors are the easiest time to shoot because of the amount of available light.

Something that seems a bit underestimated is the power that practicals have.

I stopped doing documentary production when I moved to Los Angeles and had since been doing narrative and commercial, so when I was suddenly presented with a documentary series where I was not allowed to bring many lights, I was very intrigued.

As most of us are experiencing new lighting technology, physical gels are slowly becoming obsolete with new LEDs.

I try to head to the NAB Show in Las Vegas every year, and this year was probably one of the best experiences I have had.

Key lighting seems like the simplest idea when setting up a scene with light as it’s the main light on the subject.

There are a few categories or functions of light when calling for a specific unit to be used in a scene.

One mark of a good cinematographer is someone who truly understands how to utilize both the capabilities of their camera and their lights together.

Color temperature is one of the many properties of light that we can change and take advantage of when it comes to shooting.

If you are going to invest in equipment as a cinematographer or lighting technician, lights are a good way to go.

Some cinematographers and lighting technicians can get into a situation troubleshooting a setup and overthink the approach.

In general, we appreciate lights with direction.