When most people think about filmmaking, they often imagine expensive lighting setups, large production crews, and countless pieces of equipment carefully positioned around a set. While there is certainly a place for that approach, my relationship with lighting has always been much simpler.

I have always been drawn toward natural light.

One of the things I love most about natural lighting is that it allows an environment to remain authentic to itself. Rather than completely reshaping a location with artificial lights, I prefer to observe how light already exists within a space and find ways to work with it. Whether it is sunlight passing through a window, the warm glow of a sunset, or the soft overcast light of a cloudy Vancouver afternoon, natural light often creates moods that feel genuine and difficult to replicate.

There is an ongoing debate among filmmakers about whether it is better to rely on natural light or build the perfect lighting setup from scratch. Personally, I do not think there is a right or wrong answer. Both approaches have their strengths, and some of the greatest filmmakers in the world use a combination of the two.

For me, however, I enjoy allowing the environment to influence the image rather than controlling every aspect of it. Every location has its own character, and lighting is a big part of what makes a place feel unique. Instead of fighting against those conditions, I often try to embrace them and adapt my creative decisions accordingly.

That does not mean I never use artificial lighting. There are situations where additional lights are necessary to achieve a specific look or solve a technical problem. But whenever possible, I find myself looking for ways to enhance what is already there rather than replacing it entirely.

Over the years, I have also learned that good lighting is not about having the most expensive equipment. It is about understanding how light behaves, how it affects emotion, and how it guides an audience’s attention. A filmmaker who understands natural light can often create compelling images with very little equipment at all.

In many ways, lighting has taught me an important lesson about filmmaking itself. Sometimes the goal is not to control everything. Sometimes the best results come from observing what already exists and finding a way to work with it.

As filmmakers, we spend so much time trying to create beautiful images. But often, nature has already done most of the work for us. Our job is simply to recognize it.