Underwater Hand Lighting Test
- Samuel Skipp
- Feb 5, 2025
- 2 min read
Introduction I decided to try out an underwater lighting test using a small water tank and my computer screen as a virtual background. The goal was to see how different lighting setups could change the mood of the shot. I also wanted to create a chaotic, blood-like effect using red lighting.
Setup and Execution I placed my hand in a small water tank with my computer screen behind it, displaying a virtual background. For lighting, I used Two SmallRig LED lights to highlight the scene while keeping the shadows and depth intact. Then, I added an LED tube light set to red, which completely changed the feel of the shot, making it look intense and chaotic—almost like blood in water.
One of the biggest struggles was dealing with reflections and glare from the water and the glass tank. Adjusting the LED angles helped reduce them, but some distortion still remained. Getting the right balance between the red lighting and visibility of my hand also took a bit of tweaking.
Observations and Challenges Using a computer screen as a virtual background worked well overall, but it had some limitations. The brightness and resolution weren’t perfect, and I had to adjust my setup a few times to make sure it looked right. Next time, I might experiment with different backgrounds or even try diffusing the screen’s light to make it more realistic.
Conclusion and Next Steps Overall, this test was a great learning experience. Mixing practical lighting with digital elements worked really well, and I learned a lot about how color can completely change the mood of a shot. Next time, I’ll play around with different light intensities, background visuals, and maybe even some camera movement to make the shot feel more dynamic.
This experiment gave me some cool ideas for future underwater and lighting setups for my upcoming short film Oxygen, and I’m excited to keep pushing my cinematography skills further!
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