Light: the best tool you already own

Bad light ruins a video no matter what phone you shoot on. Good light hides an old phone. That's why we start here. The best light source you'll ever have is already in your room: the window.

The window

Window light without direct sun is soft and even. Professional softboxes exist to imitate exactly this. Rule one: shoot during the day, one to two metres from a window. Closer and the shadows on your face get harder, further and you run out of light.

What matters is where the window is relative to you and the camera. You've got three options.

Window behind the camera: you face the phone and the light falls straight onto your face. Lit evenly, no shadows. It's the safest choice, but your face ends up flat, like a passport photo.

Window front and to the side: you face the camera, and the window is to the left or right of it, about halfway between "right behind the camera" and "straight beside you". That's roughly 45 degrees. One half of your face is a touch brighter than the other. That's where depth comes from, and it's what makes a face look alive. This is the setup I'd recommend by default.

Window behind you. Don't. The phone sees a bright window, decides there's plenty of light, and turns you into a dark silhouette. More on that in the exposure lesson.

Tip. Direct sun through the window gives harsh shadows and makes you squint. Hang a thin white curtain or just a piece of white fabric over it. The light gets softer and you stop squinting.

The ceiling light: your main enemy

The most common mistake: filming in the evening under the ceiling light. Light from above casts shadows under your eyes, nose and chin. You look tired, with bags you don't actually have. On top of that, most ceiling bulbs are warm, so your skin goes yellow along with them.

If you're filming at night, turn the ceiling light off. All the way. Put a lamp at face level instead, slightly above your eyes, off to one side. A desk lamp, a floor lamp, a ring light, it doesn't matter. What matters more is the colour: go for a neutral white bulb, and use a warm yellow one only if that's all you have. One source at eye level beats three on the ceiling.

A free reflector

With the window to your side, the dark half of your face sometimes goes too dark. To lift it, you need a reflector. You don't need to buy one. A sheet of white paper, a white T-shirt, a piece of foam board or a white wall, placed on the side opposite the window and close to your face, will bounce the window light back into the shadow.

Checking it is easy: watch your phone screen and move the sheet around. You'll see the dark cheek brighten. Once you find the spot, prop the sheet on a chair or a stack of books.

When there's little or no window

Sometimes the window faces a brick wall, or you can only film after work. Then you need one light source. One, not three. Any lamp with a neutral white bulb will do, ideally one you can dim. You put it where the window would be: to the side, slightly above eye level, about a metre away. If the light is harsh, drape white fabric over it or point it at a wall so it bounces.

A ring light works too, but put it slightly to the side rather than straight in front of your face. Head-on it gives a flat image and ring-shaped catchlights in your eyes that tell everyone it's a ring light.

Mistake. Mixing daylight from the window with a warm yellow lamp. Half your face goes bluish, half goes yellow, and that's very hard to fix in the edit. If you really need a lamp next to a window, use a neutral white one: it gets along with daylight.

Do this now

• Open the camera, stand at 45 degrees to the window and look at the screen. Then turn your back to the window and compare.
• Put a white sheet on the dark side of your face and move it around. Watch the shadow change.
• Tonight, turn off the ceiling light, put any lamp to the side at eye level and record ten seconds.