# Cinematography with Natural Light | Domestika

> A course by Albin Sjödin · Photography & Video · Beginner
> 17 lessons (3h 9m) · 95% of the 203 student ratings are positive

Lighting in cinematography has the power to seamlessly convey the message of a narrative and move the viewer with emotion. Cinematographer and director of photography Albin Sjödin is fascinated by the possibilities that lighting brings to a scene. He is known for his delicate yet striking use of lighting and has worked on music videos for labels like Sony Music, and for brands such as adidas and The Absolut Company. 

In this course, Albin shows you his entire process when working with available light. From the pre-production process and working with mood boards and storyboards; the shooting stage using different intensities of light; to the post-production in DaVinci Resolve.

## Who is this online course for?

This course is for aspiring cinematographers or for anyone interested in expanding their perspective on cinematography.

## What is this course's project?

Plan and create images for a scene, using available light in daytime and nighttime.

## Requirements and materials

To take this course, you don’t need any previous experience in cinematography.

As for materials, you will need basic camera equipment, a computer with DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Photoshop, an idea for a scene, an actor, and some basic light-shaping tools.

## Content

### Introduction

Hi! Welcome and thank you for choosing my Domestika course. In this first stage, you will learn about me and how I got into filmmaking, what inspires me, and what has led me to how I approach my work as a cinematographer.

### Pre Production

In this unit, we will be starting the pre-production process for our final project. In this case, I will show you some tools on how to break down and re-create a scene from the film. We will create a moodboard to share with our crew, have a look and understand our equipment essentials, work with a storyboard, and scouting the right location for our scene.

### The Shoot: High Key (Daytime) Lighting

In this part of the course, we will shoot our scene in a daytime setting, creating a brighter feel for the scene. We will be lighting using the available light from the windows of the location, and we will be reflecting and cutting light to shape the images.

### The Shoot: Low Key (Nighttime) Lighting

In this part of the course, we will shoot our scene in an evening/nighttime setting, creating a darker feel for the scene. We will be lighting using the available light from the windows of the location, and we will be reflecting and cutting light to shape the images. We will also be adding light from a few table- and floor lamps in the room.

### Post Production

In this unit, we will be creating a quick edit of our scene, and move on to one of my favorite processes of making a film; color grading. I will talk about my experience with color grading, and what I feel could be important to bring into that process as a DOP. We will then look at what we have created, and talk about how the two different lighting settings differ from each other and how the difference makes us feel in regards to the script and the story of the scene and film. Lastly, we will speak more broadly about what we have explored and learned, and how you can reach out into the world with your work as a filmmaker.

## Audio and subtitles

**Audio:** English, Spanish (Latam), French, id, Italian, Portuguese, ro, Turkish

**Subtitles:** Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, ro, id

[Cinematography with Natural Light](https://www.domestika.org/en/courses/2585-cinematography-with-natural-light)