SHOOTING AGAINST A WINDOW

Over the years I have been asked many times to set up an interview shot against a highrise office window. The biggest challenge to that is being able to get enough light on the subject so that the background is not blown out. The next challenge is how do I possibly pump enough light inside without blinding the subject or causing a major power outage by overtaxing the power grid. Ok, don’t despair, there are quick and easy solutions.

First, carry a small 2 x 3 double net in your package. Strategically placed in the background you can work in at least a part of the window background to give a glimpse of the panoramic view, sort of a compromise, split the difference kind of thing. Then if you don’t have a small hmi, or kino flo, you can always drop some CTB in front of your 1K and get enough light on the subject to balance. Throw a plant or flowers in front of your net to help hide it, give yourself as much depth as you can to help blurr it out and you’ve got a great looking interview.

By Robin Hirsch