At Music Vibes 2025 (if you were there, you know, and if not, check out the video we made on YouTube ;)), I was out filming the crowd and following a shot list with my GH5. The event started at night, so from the first track, it was already a lighting challenge. The energy was crazy, lights flashing, people moving, everything looking incredible to the naked eye; but the camera didn’t quite agree.
We actually had an Aperture LED light, just the one though. And that one became the most sought-after piece of gear at the whole event. The person holding it instantly turned into the human version of “premium access,” and the rest of us were basically begging for our turn. I finally gave up waiting and started bumping my ISO higher… and higher… and higher. On the tiny GH5 screen it looked okay, but when I checked the footage later? Total disaster. Grain everywhere. The colors were mushy, the faces noisy; and in this business, grainy footage might as well be gone footage. You can’t fix that in post, no matter how hard you try (trust me, I tried).
The lesson here: Lighting isn’t optional; it’s part of the shot. Now, before any event, I try to practice my shots in lighting similar to what I expect and keep those conditions in mind when planning gear. I also come over-prepared: extra lights, batteries, and backups. So, I’m not relying on one shared light or gambling with ISO. As the saying goes here in Mediazone, “Over-prepare, then leave it all behind.”
So never count on ISO or “fixing it later.” Bring your own light, share the glow, and save your footage and your sanity!
– Haya
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