This installment in the series will teach you a bit about how to use light. We learned in a previous post about how to use our camera to control the light, but how do we use that to our advantage? I never recommend using your pop up flash. Use it as a last resort only, but in this lesson, you'll learn how to avoid it in the first place.
This post will focus on finding available light. These are all simple snapshots that anyone can do.
First, and most obviously, shoot outdoors. If you can plan where to shoot, opt for outside where light is plentiful and surrounds your subject. Having said that, there can be too much of a good thing. You never want your subject facing direct, midday sun. Your result will be a squinty, shadowed face like this:
Instead, try and shoot 1 hour after sunrise (yeah right!) or one to two hours before sundown. In the summer, I shoot as late as 8:30pm. The light turns an orangy red and is simply to die for
If changing time of day is not an option, find a shady spot that still gets a bit of filtered sunlight
Or, try turning your subject around so that you are the one facing the sun. Not only will they not be squinting, but you will get a beautiful natural hair light
And just because the sun goes MIA, it doesn't mean you have to call it a day- clouds are nature's light diffusers. Shooting during a overcast day has many advantages, including being able to shoot wherever you want withour fear of harsh lighting. If you can, set your camera to the "cloudy" mode to counteract some of the blue cast
Ok, so let's pretend that shooting outdoors is not an option. What do you do then? Find that outside light! This is why God invented windows. I adore window light. There is something so classic about an image shot with window light spilling on a little one
Sometimes, you catch them at just the right moment and are able to use the light to illuminate their profile.
Another thing to keep in mind is to go where the light is. It may not be obvious from one perspective, so try moving around a bit. You might find that perfect shot
Here, I got down real low instead of shooting overhead. From this perspective, the light is falling across his sweet little face
Sometimes, you are forced to shoot with a window behind the subject. No problem, just make sure you are exposing for the subject, not the window. In this case, there is a huge window behind the boys, but it fills the entire room with light, so there is enough to illuminate their faces while creating a gorgeous effect behind them
You can even use artificial light when needed. Here, I used our fluorescent kitchen light by changing my settings to color balance the green light. (If you can't do this, you can always change it to a black and white in a pinch)
Here, the only light in the room was our living room lamp.
Not sure if the light you are using will be good light? Check your subject's eyes. Those little flecks of light, known as catch lights, give life to your subject. You also want to make sure your subject is facing the light source.
So let's turn him around 180 degrees, shall we? See the difference?
So now you know a few tricks to help you next time you are caught in less than ideal shooting situations! Try experimenting with the light around your house, you'd be surprised at the types of images you can create!
Got a question? Suggestion for a topic? You can post a comment below or email me at
Happy snappin!
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