Light is the first thing a brand notices and the last thing most creators fix. The good news is that in Spain you have one of the best natural light sources in Europe, and it is free.

The window first

Face a window, with the camera between you and the glass. Not to the side, not with your back to it. With your back to it you become a silhouette, and that single decision ruins more pieces than anything else.

Look for indirect light: an overcast sky or a lit wall, not sun hitting you head on. Direct sun creates hard shadows and makes you squint.

Taming the Mediterranean sun

From May to September, the midday sun is a brutally hard source. A blind lowered halfway, a thin white curtain or a sheet over the glass turns that harsh light into something soft and flattering.

It is the cheapest trick in the craft and the one that makes the biggest difference to the result.

When to film

In summer, the first hour of the morning and the last of the afternoon. At midday the light falls from above and carves out shadows under the eyes.

In winter usable light shortens a lot, especially in the north. If your working hours leave no daylight for filming, that is the moment to buy an artificial light.

What to buy when the window is not enough

An LED panel with adjustable temperature and a diffuser. With a single light placed at forty five degrees from your face, slightly above eye level, you are already ahead of ninety per cent of what gets delivered.

If you film a lot at night, a second small light behind you separates your silhouette from the background and lifts the perceived quality immediately.

Mistakes that show instantly

The ceiling light on together with window light: two different colour temperatures and a muddy image. The fix is to switch the ceiling light off.

Filming into the light. Filming in a room with greenish fluorescent lighting. And using the phone flash, which flattens everything.

The product's light matters too

When filming detail, turn the product until the light hits it from the side. Side light reveals texture; frontal light erases it. In cosmetics and food, that difference is half the sale.

How to check it is right

Film ten seconds and watch them on your phone at minimum brightness. If it looks good there, it will look good on any screen.

Where to go next

Good light and good sound are worth more than any expensive camera. Our guide on how to become a UGC creator covers the rest.