Did you know better lighting can boost your reels reach?

 

“How do I fix my low reel views??!”

 

This is one of the top questions I get from 1:1 clients.

 

Most of us start this IG journey equipped with a smartphone, a pile of books, a general idea of what looks good, and sleep deprivation from staying up too late (again) finishing that latest friends to lovers romance.

 

Not many of us start with pro photography and video experience, and yet we are suddenly expected to consistently post beautiful content.

 

There is NO gatekeeping here, so read on to learn my favorite practical (and easy) tips for filming reels that stop the scroll (no professional gear required because who wants to spend money on that when there are books to buy?).

 

The number one factor that impacts the quality of your photos and videos is lighting 

 

Picture this… you see the most aesthetic sunset and ask your friend to take a cute moody picture of you in front of it.

 

They take an excessive amount of photos (because options) and hand you the phone back and… 

 

You realize that either you are too shadowed to see, or the sunset is washed out, so no one will ever be able to fully appreciate the fairytale masterpiece it is. 

 

Or maybe you get a sudden burst of inspiration while reading late one night (because, of course, all the best ideas hit at the most inconvenient times) and head to your bookshelf to shoot. 

 

You flip on the lights and get to work but are frustrated by the awkward shadows and horror movie yellow tinge in all your clips. 

 

It’s clear how lighting impacts your images and video content, even if you’re not sure why it’s happening.

 

Most cameras (even professional ones) simply can’t clearly capture super bright and super dark at the same time. The technology is no match for the range of your beautiful eyes.

 

And overhead lights tend to feel unnatural on camera because of the color of the light and the harsh shadows they cause. (Is there anything more frustrating than blue tinted images or the shadow of your phone ruining your beautiful flatlay?)

 

Know how to use your available lighting

 

Phone cameras do best in indirect, natural (sun) light, making your content look bright, clean, and fresh. This is the secret to that clean girl aesthetic.

 

The easiest ways to find this kind of light is to shoot near a window or in a shaded area outside. The shade keeps the light even, soft, and the kind of no filters needed flattering we are all looking for.

 

I love shooting by the window in my home office/bedroom/library. 

 

Take a look at these images to see how distance from my window impacts my shots: 

 

Below, I was closer to the window and you can see how bright and crisp I appear.

 

 

 

In this next clip, I stood pretty far back from the window. You can see how the light is a bit warmer, dimmer, and ultimately not as flattering as the first. A lot of detail was lost.

 

 

Can you guess which reel had more engagement? 

 

If you guessed the first one, you are absolutely correct. Good lighting is key to creating eye-catching and professional looking content. 

 

People are more drawn to content with good lighting than with poor lighting

 

But this is not the only or best way to shoot, and you might find that something else captures the type of look you are going for, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

 

Play with shadows and direct light, backlighting, lamplight, reflections… The possibilities are endless when you understand how light effects your images. And experimentation is the best way to get comfortable with this and find your unique style. 

 

Another example where I played with light:

 

In this image, I set my book near a window with that lovely indirect sunlight. Notice how the color is cool and even across the page. It is a clean and highly detailed image (I mean, look at the page texture!)

 

 

Below, I decided to play with the direct sunlight and shadows across my bed. You can see that the color is a lot warmer, and the shadows add a fun and interesting element to the image. 

 

 

This is also eye-catching, but in a completely different way, and it’s all because of the lighting.

 

TLDR practical tips for better lighting in your content

 

• Instead of shooting a video of yourself with a window directly behind you, turn so the natural light hits your face.

 

• If you’re shooting when it’s dark out (and don’t have a fancy video lighting set up), switch off the overhead lights and set up a couple of lamps for a soft, moody glow. 

 

• The color of your overhead lights tends to compete with sunlight coming through a window, so don’t be afraid to flip the lights off if that’s messing with the color you are going for (I ALWAYS turn my lights off when I film or take photos!).

 

• Have fun and experiment to get to know how light impacts your images. Never be afraid to try something new.

 

Now that you’ve had your crash course on lighting, go experiment and have fun with your content creation. 

 

Want to learn more about boosting your reel engagement? Book Reels Made Easy dives deeper into how to create scroll stopping reels.