As you know, I go live on Facebook and Instagram multiple times per week, and I often get questions about how I get such great light for them.

Today, I'm going to walk you through the 3 light set-ups I use for my social media pictures, Coffee and Conversations on Instagram, and weekly Ask Me Anything videos on Facebook.

You can use these 3 easy tips TODAY for awesome, complimentary photos and videos in both natural and artificial light. Let’s dive in!

Natural Light

When I go live on Instagram every Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I don’t even use a tripod, ya’ll! My ghetto-fab way of getting the best natural light in my house is to prop my phone up with a folded paper towel on a window ledge in my kitchen. #truestory Do what you have to do to get that beautiful natural light, boo!

Mixed Lighting

If it is a cloudy day or I’m going live in a pinch, I use a ring light in a room that only has a bit of natural light to work with. I use a Diva ring light I found on Amazon (nope, not an ad) and it works wonders. Using two light sources, one from the window and one from an artificial source, creates dynamic range in the photo or video!

Artificial Light

Many times, we have to shoot a video or take photos for social media but are stuck in a dark lighting situation. However, oftentimes a single ring light will do a great job to provide you with the light you need to get the shot! However, if you’d like to up the ante I would suggest using a wand light to add in a second light source, which will add dimension between you and the background.

If you’d like to see visual examples of each of these lighting situations, watch the video below to see it in action!

Let me know your favorite light set up or if you have tips to share…let’s help each other look fly on our selfies and live videos!

(Okay, do I need to stop trying to act cool using words like “fly”?!)

Shine on, friends, shine on.

*No pun intended… Or was it?* 😉