Nellis: Brian, tell me what is the most important concept for lighting and shooting a video.

Copeland: Get it right at the beginning. Try to ONLY shoot when you have the right lighting. You must determine when the best sunlight is for your object or area that is the focus of your video.

Nellis: When do you think is the best time to shoot a video?

Copeland: When I have the ability to choose a time I always push for 1 PM. At that time in Nashville, the sun will be straight above and I won’t have to worry about it streaming through any of the windows inside the home nor will I worry about shadows on the exterior.

Nellis: What if you can not control the time and have to shoot in less than ideal lighting?

Copeland: My simple fix will save your readers hundreds of dollars. Go to Sears or Home Depot and get the Craftsman Tripod Lighting Set it will cost them about $30.00. They can buy wax paper and put them on top of the Sears Craftsman light. This is an important step as it filters the light and creates a soft light as opposed to direct light that washes out the video.

Nellis: Once we have the light, how should it be used inside of a home?

Copeland: You want to bounce it off of the brightest wall in the room. This will spread the light throughout the room.

Nellis: Any other lighting tips?

Copeland: Never EVER shoot into a window. Instead first shoot the outside view of the window and utilize a quick zoom to then enter the room with the video.

Brian Copeland, thank you for the quick tips on lighting and shooting video. For more information about Brian Copeland go to his site on Nashville Real Estate

Video Lighting with Brian Copeland

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