In this episode we show you how to use a spotlight as the key light in your lighting designs! Yes, there is a way to change these traditionally hard light sources into soft lights that are great for illuminating the faces of your talent. And, an added bonus is that you can position the light much farther away than you would typically position a soft key light. In this video we’ll walk you through the technique and break down the design we used so you can recreate it in the studio or at home. Let’s take a closer look!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX. See https://school.learnlightandsound.com for more info!

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com: http://ko-fi.com/curtisjudd

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:
- Aputure Spotlight Max — Aputure, B&H https://geni.us/1A9aK
- Aputure LightStorm 600c Pro LED COB Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/dSGd4J6
- Aputure Light Dome III Circular Quick-Fold Softbox — Aputure, B&H https://geni.us/AVHU1p
- Aputure LightStorm 600x Pro LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/EreRQa
- Aputure LightStorm 600d Pro LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/3fj3g0g

Some of my other gear used in this episode:
- Sennheiser MKH50 microphone —  B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/iYb065
- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/O8e0
- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/8a8tt
- Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/EreRQa
- Aputure Light Dome III Softbox — Aputure, B&H https://geni.us/AVHU1p
- Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light — https://geni.us/uGkDX
- Amaran Spotlight SE —  Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/4DuyTz
- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H https://geni.us/GWKt
- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H https://geni.us/ABYB
- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/qwsEs
- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/InspOl
- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/gr47

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://geni.us/G7by

Copyright 2024, Curtis Judd

#Lighting #Aputure #SpotlightMax

Index
00:00 Philosophy of lighting
00:17 A common problem…
00:57 The simple solution!
01:52 Benefits of bounced spotlights vs softbox
02:05 Direct light from distance - hard light
02:29 Angles and glare on glasses
03:20 Bounce from a distance makes very soft light
03:44 Spotlight is natively a hard light
04:12 Design breakdown
05:55 Please buy my courses