Wedding video event reception lighting, on camera or tripod mounted

[Greg Fiske]

What lights would everyone recommend? Tripod has the pros of being less noticeable maybe? Cons, you'd have to have a ton of light to light up the dance floor (1000w LED?)? On camera, pro you have better light for single subject. Cons, can't really use on a stabilizer? Doesn't have to be the best light, just something that would help reduce the purple/red lights that these venues love to use.

[Jeff Harper]

Greg, you absolutely need light, most times at a reception, of course.

I use lights on 2 cameras, and one or two on lightstands if there is room. I usually have two lights going, if not three or four. More lights mean I can turn them down lower. More lights make my dancing footage better and is nice and soft.

I don't know about using a light on a stabilizer, I don't use a stabliizer yet, but that sounds like an issue, that you would have to recalibrate the Merlin or whatever when you put the light on.

[Greg Fiske]

I guess that's good way to look at it, get one of each. Which would you start with, on camera or on tripod?

[Jeff Harper]

Do you mean on a light stand or on camera? I guess on the camera would be more important, because then you always have your light. If you have to move from the dancefloor to the cake then you lose your light if it's on a lightstand, unless you move it, which is not even practical.

Bottom line, if I could only have one light it would be on my camera, for sure, and I would personally want the Comer 1800. It is expensive, but it has a waming filter for indoor light balance and allows for very natural looking color in your footage. It is also powerful with a dimmer, which is a must...dimmer really isn't optional in my book, got to have one.

With the Comer 1800 you would run the light at it's lowest power for the cake cutting, etc, cause it's all you need, but for the first dance you just crank it up, and your good to go. One day you could try getting a light stand that will extend at least 9' high and you put that in a corner, say near the DJs speakers pointing down, and then you really have some nice light.

Google comer 1800 and you can find it a LAColor. Taky is the guy, and he's a great person to deal with. You can find cheaper lights if need be, he has those too.

[Don Bloom]

Greg, actually depending on the light you choose you can in fact run a stabilizer. Would I want to run a handheld unit like a Gidecam or Merlin with a Sony light (or any light) that has a big honkin' battery hanging off the back? Nope, but something with an arm and vest you can absolutely run a light again though, just not with a big battery on it or even a cable to a battery beltpak as it would throw the balance of the sled off. I have run a LP Micro, and an LP Mini both on different occasions on both a Steadicam Pilot and a Flyer LE. the micro runs off of AA batteries so there is no real weight to it and the Mini ran off the AB batteries on the sled which also powered the camera and monitor so there was no issue either.
So if you're thinking about using something with an arm and vest you can certainly do it, a handheld, you probably could but make sure of the light you use and the power supply it needs.