Day light
Day light refers to the temperature of the sun light around noon and is 5600 degrees of Kelvin, or 5600K (5500K in some sources). If your camcorder has a preset for a daylight or an “outdoor”, most likely it is 5600K.
Indoor light
Indoor light usually refers to the light with the colour temperature 3200 degrees of Kelvin, or 3200K. If your camcorder has a preset for an indoor light it is most likely 3200K.
Available light, or shooting with available light usually means that a cameraman is not going to use an extra light sources. Available light may be a light from the sky (direct sun light, shade, clouds), a light from the ceiling in the room, multiple light sources of the same or different colour temperatures.
Flattening the shades
If you are shooting in the isolated room with one light source on the ceiling, and the person of your interest is located right beneath the light, you’ll get ugly shades: raccoon eyes, the “beard”, terrible video. Try to use the camera light. You’ll see the difference. The image you get will look more like a news shot: bright object on the front, dark background. And you’ll get rid of those ugly shades.
Make it lit (speeches during reception)
That’s the major function of the lighting: make it lit. If covering the speeches during the reception is part of your plan, take it seriously. Don’t rely on available light. There might not be one. Your camera light may not be strong enough. And if you are planning to stand with your camera light on right in front of the podium, you may block the person speaking from the rest of the audience. Not good.
Set up a lighting kit. That is the light set up on the stand. Be in the room well in advance. If necessary, leave your previous location earlier. Find out, where the speeches are going to be delivered from. In most cases it is going to be a podium. Find location for your camera before the reception has started even if the speeches are not scheduled until the end of the dinner.
There are two opinions on lighting among wedding videographers. Some videographers advertise with the lines such as “Unobtrusive lighting”. It might as well be translated by customers as “I can’t afford the lighting kit” or “I have no idea how the lighting works”. The truth is: your camera won’t be able to create an image without lighting. And the light is your major tool alongside with your camcorder.
First of all, look with some extra amount of criticism at any of you previously shot videos. Don’t worry about outdoor footage. Go straight to indoor stuff. Put yourself in the position of the bride and try to find something you could have done better. Compare it to National TV broadcast and analyze the difference. Why the faces on your video are too shady? If the person stands by the window (by TV, by fish bowl, by white wall), why his or her face is too dark compare to background? Or why his or her face (or white dress!!! think of the bride) is bluish on one side and yellowish on the opposite side? Keep watching and analyzing, you’ll be able find more interesting things.