Lighting for a Recovery Shot

Important thing to remember is that Camera Lenses see things a lot darker than what the human eye sees.

It is very important to have the appropriate lighting for recovery shots and in-studio production.

It is very important to remember that camera lenses see things a lot different then what the human eye sees. You might think you have enough light but you actually don't. You'll end up getting grainy footage because there just is not enough light.

You can light almost any setup with simple three-point lighting, a backlight to separate the subject from the background, a key light that is the brightest light on the camera side of the subject, and a fill light to adjust the contrast created by the key light.

For me the key light is the most important if you only have one light because it is the brightest light on the subject. It is important to set the key light on one side of the object to make it have a 3D look. Otherwise, if you shine the key light directly on the subject it will give it more of a flat look.

A properly set backlight is often the most obvious distinction between an amateur and a professional. Find a place to put the backlight so that you get a nice rim of light on the subject edges. You will need to hide the light support and protect the lens from backlight flares.


If you are going for drama and suspense, you may not want to use a fill light at all. If you are using a fill light, make sure to adjust its position and brightness to control the contrast created by the key light.

Want to transform your recovery shot from dull to exciting? Follow these lighting tips above.

Now a lot of you might be thinking that you just can't carry 3 lighting set ups into the field.

Sony HDR-FX7 Camera
With Litepanels Micro Pro

These lighting effects can be easily replicated using video lights.
I recommend using the Litepanels Micro (or Micro Pro) for your key light. This is done by attaching the light to the hot shoe of your camera. I recommend using this light set up for the key light because it gives you professional LED lighting (natural look). It also includes 3 filters that slide into the faceplate of the light. They can be used separately or in combination. Another feature with this light is that it has a dimmer. You can control the amount of light being portrayed. The light is powered by 4 AA batteries (Pro is 6AA) which will give you around 30-45 min of light power. You can use lithium batteries which will give you around 6hrs of power.



To get your back light you can simply attach a Video Light to a Gorillapod. The Gorillapod allows you to attach it to a tree limb or basically anything. I would recommend attaching it to a tree limb to the side, above the subjects. You will get the back light effect by pointing the light at the subjects head and shoulder areas. This give the footage more of a 3D look instead of the subject mixing in with the background.


Now that was a set up for a night recovery shot. During the day, it is important to use the natural light. The simplest, easiest, cheapest lighting effect you can use during the day is the sun. Using a simple white poster bored, you can use the "bounce light" effect by reflecting the sun on the opposite side of the subject. This brightens up the shadows that the sun(key light) was portraying on the other side of the subject.

I recommend positioning the subject and the camera so that the sun shines on the edges of the subject from behind. You do "dress up" the recovery shot scene (cleaning the animal and etc.) This is the time to position the animal and hunters in the direction that will accomplish this effect. For recovery scenes early in the day, "dress up" the scene so that the camera will be able to look in an east to southeasterly direction. As the day progresses and the sun appears to arc across the souther sky, position the camera so that it is looking in that direction. After noon as the planet turns you will want the camera to be looking in a more westerly direction.

If at all possible do not film your recovery shot during the 1-2 hr range from Noon. This is the time that the sun is at it highest and will generate a lot of shadows. If you must film during this time use the poster bored or a sun reflector as a bounce light to balance out the shadows and the bright lights. Another option is to move the recovery shots to where they are under trees and a lot of shading.



It is little differences like lighting that will make the quality of your video stand out and be that much more powerful.

*Some tips were taken from the "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" Blog
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