“I don’t appreciate seeing black folks that are unlit. If there’s a dark brother, and if he’s in a frame with a lighter-skinned person, you don’t automatically light for the lighter-skinned person and leave him in shadow.”
Ava DuVernay (13th director)
“The conventional way of doing things was that if you put the skin tones around 70 IRE, it’s going to look right,” Berkofsky said. IRE, a unit used in the measurement of composite video signals (named for the initials of the Institute of Radio Engineers), ranges from 0 to 100. “If you’ve got black skin, [dialing it] up to 50 or 70 is just going to make the rest of the image look weird.” The resulting image looks very bright, Berkofsky noted, similar to what you’d see in traditional sitcoms like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or The Cosby Show.
“The main thing you had to worry about is the reflectivity of African-American skin,” Ernest Dickerson, the film’s cinematographer, said in a phone interview with Mic. “I always made sure that the makeup artists I worked with put a moisturizer on black skin so that we [got] some reflections in there.”
Lighting for Different Skin Tones
Film lighting and film stocks have historically been designed for white skin, leaving filmmakers with fewer references and resources for how to light Black, brown, and other non-white skin tones. In fact, film has taken white skin as the baseline. This page collects key lessons and resources to help cinematographers and students develop more inclusive practices. Often, lighter-skinned people and people with more melanin share the same scene, yet the lighting is set for the lighter skin — a problem that becomes especially evident outdoors. Tools like polarizers can help balance exposure and preserve the richness of all skin tones.
Key Principles
1. Don’t Flood with Light
“Lighting dark skin tones does not mean turning every possible light in their direction.” — Tunji Akinsehinwa (MetFilm School)
- Use soft light, not harsh over-exposure.
- Place the darkest skin tones closest to the light source.
- Ideally, give each actor their own source.
2. Control Contrast
- Avoid setups that crush shadow detail or blow out highlights.
- Use reflectors (gold for darker skin, silver/peach for lighter skin) to balance exposure.
3. Don’t Flood with Light
- Polarisers: Deepen tones, reduce glare, and enrich highlights. Especially effective outdoors when lighting mixed skin tones.
- Diffusion: Softens skin texture and helps balance across a cast.
- Warm light & gels: Add vibrancy and dimension to darker tones.
4. Color & Style as Storytelling
Bold colors (reds, greens, neons) can highlight diverse skin beautifully while also shaping mood (I May Destroy You is a strong example).
5. Learn from Masters
- Bradford Young (Mother of George, Selma, Arrival).
- Ava Berkofsky (Insecure).
- James Laxton (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk).
- Ernest Dickerson (Do the Right Thing).
Recommended Articles
- How to light skin tones with Tunji Akinsehinwa – MetFilm School
- Illuminating diversity – Definition Magazine
- Lighting Black Skin Tones with Sade Ndya – Filmmakers Academy
- Reading the Light Right: Asian Skin Tones in Cinematography – Yu-Lun Sung
- It’s lit! How film finally learned to light Black skin – The Guardian
- Digital Cinematography: Lighting Darker Skin Tones – PostPerspective
Recommended Videos
- Cinematic Lighting for Darker Skin Tones
- Helpful Tips For Filming Dark Skintones
- The Ultimate Guide to Lighting Diverse Skin-tones
- Lighting Darker Skin Tones | 7 Cinematic Techniques
- How to Light for Darker Skin Tones in Film (Part 1)
Quick Tips for Students
- Use gold reflectors for warmth on darker tones.
- Bounce light off walls or cards instead of aiming harsh lights.
- Check exposure with your monitor – don’t trust your eye alone.
- Remember: Lighting is not one-size-fits-all. Adapt to the person in front of your lens.