LED light placements

I'm new to DSLR video, and have a cheap LED light on it's way, and a dual bracket so I can put it and my new Rode mic on my 7D.

I expect most of my video will be athletic stuff from my Crossfit box, or outdoor footage of the family, outdoor interviews etc.

I assume that, like speedlites, direction of light is super important, and getting it off camera and axis is important - unlike a speedlite though, bouncing it from the hotshoe isn't going to be a great option when I'm mobile and at the gym.

In those situations, when you need a level of portability, is simply using it in the hotshoe, on axis, going to look ok?

this may be something answered in beginner DSLR video tutorials - if so, does anyone have lighting tips and tricks they can share?


Thanks!

LED lights are really like any other light source and require proper placement and modification to achieve the look you want. Even lighting off axis from the camera, a single point light is not going to be as flattering as a proper 3 point lighting. Unfortunately bouncing the light isn't going to work very well as I don't think the cheaper LED lights have enough power to illuminate very well when bounced, not like a flash.

Using the LED will work sufficiently to expose correctly, but I'd say don't expect the best result. Expect shadows and improper overall exposure. The point is, the LED will help achieve an acceptable exposure, but it isn't going to look great. Considering you're running and gunning, without a large lighting setup, you're not going to have many other option though.

RevvdImages wrote in post #16731024
LED lights are really like any other light source and require proper placement and modification to achieve the look you want. Even lighting off axis from the camera, a single point light is not going to be as flattering as a proper 3 point lighting. Unfortunately bouncing the light isn't going to work very well as I don't think the cheaper LED lights have enough power to illuminate very well when bounced, not like a flash.

Using the LED will work sufficiently to expose correctly, but I'd say don't expect the best result. Expect shadows and improper overall exposure. The point is, the LED will help achieve an acceptable exposure, but it isn't going to look great. Considering you're running and gunning, without a large lighting setup, you're not going to have many other option though.

Thanks for the advice! The first gym I plan on shooting in has some nice banks of natural windows, so I'm planning to use them as a main light. I don't have the LED lights in hand yet, so I don't know how much punch they pack - I may be able to balance with them though, we'll see how it looks.

A lot depends on what and how you are shooting. Outdoor lighting tends to be closer to the the camera axis because you are using it for fill to soften the shadows from overhead sunlight. If you are creating a scene indoors then you can light it accordingly, but if there is a lot of movement then you might want the lights close to the axis.

Cheap LED lights are like cheap flashguns. They produce light but not with a great deal of power so the lighting tails off very quickly and has very little reach. They work if in close but the light seldom looks natural or flattering.