Tag: professional lighting experts

TV Sports Lighting Experts

Posted on by J3551CA

The lighting and special effects that the correct illumination can create looks effortless when it’s executed properly, particularly in TV sports broadcasts. The result can be stunning and contribute to the entertainment factor. Lighting for sporting events is also immensely complicated and complex, requiring the services of professionals of the caliber available at Frank Gatto Lighting.

Lighting at sporting events must provide the right amount of illumination for athletes on the field or drivers on a race track, along with the fans in the stands. The lighting arrays must provide illumination that’s uniform in all areas of the field or track without any dark spots or shadows that will interrupt the action. Dark spots and shadows will affect the performance of the athletes.

The angle and height level of the lights are just as important as the brightness factor. Individual beams or banks of lights can distract or even blind athletes at a critical moment. It requires extensive knowledge of the type of lights being utilized, the requirements of the area to be illuminated, and a high-level of experience in the industry to provide the best range.

Sporting events don’t always occur under optimal conditions and temperatures can adversely affect the type of lights being used. Traditional arrays required significant warm up times and were extremely sensitive to temperature changes. If one light went out, an entire bank could also be affected. Lighting masters know the value of LED lighting to combat those problems and provide a more economical solution.

There are dozens of techniques and possible solutions for illuminating any sports venue and Frank Gatto Lighting is the creator of new groundbreaking LED lighting techniques that are now being used in TV sports coverage around the globe. Illuminating sporting events for TV is complex and it’s a specialty in which the company excels.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101
Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 
We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

      

Common On-Camera Lighting Mistakes

Posted on by J3551CA

There are no do-overs in live broadcasts making proper illumination critical. It enables audiences to see the action and is used to focus attention. It also enhances the mood. Illumination quality is important for a variety of factors ranging from the type of camera being utilized to the intensity of the image being broadcast.

Appropriate on-camera illumination is an art form that requires extensive education and can require years to master. Lighting is an element that’s always present in broadcasts. The trick is to create illumination set-ups that are “invisible” to viewers.

Under Lighting

Insufficient lighting is the most common problem seen in on-camera broadcasts. Typically a mistake made by the inexperienced, it occurs when a light meter isn’t utilized. The problem is that cameras don’t “see” light the same way as the human eye. Trying to correct for insufficient light with the camera increases the noise and graininess of the images and affects the focus.

Harsh Light

Also known as hard light, many novices confuse harsh with bright. Hard light casts unwanted shadows and will make the entire broadcast appear like an amateur production. Bright lighting can be achieved with softer lighting that also works to make subjects look friendlier and approachable. It’s infinitely more flattering to subjects.

Flat Image

A flat image occurs when there’s not enough demarcation between the background and foreground. It’s a snafu that can be extremely difficult for beginners to discern and happens when the subject is too close to the background and there’s no sense of depth. Viewers don’t know where to focus their attention. It can be remedied in a variety of ways using light, color and distance.

Light Temperatures

Balancing warm and cold illumination is important and desirable, but not when it’s casting harsh shadows on one side of the subject. The balancing act is especially difficult in live shots that are taken near windows with sunlight. Viewers will be able to tell there’s something “off,” even if they’re not able to tell exactly why.

Know the Basics

Individuals can alleviate the most common on-camera lighting problems by thoroughly understanding the basics, using a good light meter and practice. Lighting difficulties can be easy to rectify by recognizing their potential before they occur. “Mistakes” can also be used to create special effects for certain types of productions. Practice makes perfect.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101
Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 
We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

Why Lighting Attracts Bugs

Posted on by J3551CA

Whether it’s a campfire or a JumboTron, light sources attract insects. Traditional incandescent bulbs emit light in the color spectrum that’s particularly attractive to bugs. Bulbs that produce a yellow or orange-colored hue are less attractive to insects and it’s the primary reason that yellow “bug lights” were created.

Navigational Aid

The question of why insects are drawn to light sources is multi-faceted. Bugs use light to navigate their surroundings whether they’re apparent during the day or only come out at night. Nocturnal insects use any available light source as a navigational beacon. The larger the illumination source, the more forcefully they’re drawn to it.

Insects that are attracted to light are known as positively phototactic, a term used to describe bugs that are drawn to light. Insects navigate by keeping the moon or sun on a constant angle in relation to themselves. When confronted with the bright lights used by humans that emit in all directions, it confuses them and interferes with their inborn navigational abilities.

Food and Mates

Additionally, many insects utilize certain types of plants, along with evening-blooming flowers, as part of mating rituals and a food source. Many of those plants reflect a small amount of UV rays and traditional lights also emit small amounts of ultraviolet light, which further leads to the attraction.

Bright Solutions

Any light source will attract bugs, but switching to LED lights is one remedy that’s been successfully utilized in-home lighting arrangements. LEDs emit light in the yellow/orange spectrum that’s less attractive to the unwanted pests. The light difference is generally invisible to the average eye, since humans aren’t equipped to see in the same wavelengths and frequencies.

The downside to traditional bug lights is that they tend to attract insects that are larger. LEDs with a yellow hue are far better at not attracting insects than any other, though if individuals haven’t switched to a more energy-efficient LED, a yellow bug light is the second-best option. The yellow color in LEDs isn’t noticeable to humans, but makes a difference to bugs.

LED lights are eco-friendly, less expensive to operate, and emit illumination in the spectrum that’s least attractive to insects. That means fewer bugs at any gathering and more enjoyment for everyone involved.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.

            

How Lighting can Affect Colors Seen on TV

Posted on by J3551CA

Everyone has seen a TV broadcast where the colors just didn’t look quite right and wondered if it was time for a new TV. The problem isn’t the TV. It can be the lighting used for the broadcast, their positioning, the camera, or the lighting in homes. A curved screen can distort the light that touches the screen in brightly lit environments.

When the lighting problem originates in the studio, there’s little that viewers can do to create a better viewing situation. One reason colors appear off to audiences is the type of illumination being used. Lighting must be placed properly and focused appropriately so the camera can capture the images correctly and reproduce the color accurately. The filters being used in the studio may not be the right devices for the job.

The second factor that affects broadcasts is the amount of light that’s being emitted. Too much illumination will make images look dull and washed out. Too little light will create unwanted shadowing and make it difficult for the cameras to capture images in true color.

Cameras also impact the way colors appear. All cameras don’t detect color wavelengths in the same way. When professional lighting experts undertake illuminating a specific space, they also pay attention to the cameras being used. If a camera can’t properly detect the specific color, it will result in an estimation of the shade based on a primary color model that also represents shades of gray.

Ultimately, proper lighting techniques that enable cameras to accurately reproduce colors are the responsibility of the lighting director. An experienced lighting professional understands the properties of different types of illumination, where best to position the lights, and even the capabilities of the cameras that will be broadcasting the images.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

We can be found on Social Media at the following links.