By Amy Renfrey
Have you ever tried to create a lovely portrait but not known how? It's not a hard thing to create a beautiful portrait. The secret is the lighting. You don't always need thousands of dollars in photographic lighting to create a beautiful portrait. In fact all you need is a window.
If window light were so good why doesn't everyone use it? Well, the answer to that is that they do not know how. Many enthusiast photographers don't work with the light properly. They simply do not know how.
So what is the secret to stunning portraiture? First of all, think about what type of portrait you are taking and why. Do you want people to see your grandfather as the sweet old man as you see him? Or would you prefer to show him as a hard-working man in love with the land and enjoying his horses? The first portrait would be considered a traditional personal portrait and the other might be considered an environmental portrait. The two are very different. An environmental portrait is a photo of someone within their environment. It tells the viewer about them as a person and what they do. In fact, showing what they do tells us about them as a person. A personal portrait shows someone in a gentle and positive light. Which are you going to do?
The simple answer is they do not understand light. The difference between an enthusiast photographer and a professional photographer is a solid, and very deep understanding, of light. If you are an enthusiast, and you have struggled with photography, don't feel bad.
Window light is one of the most beautiful types of light for portraits. So if window light were so good why doesn't everyone use it? Well, the answer to that is that they really haven't examined light or understood it. Many enthusiast photographers don't work with the light properly. They simply do not know how.
The way to do a custom white balance is as follows: Take your light meter and place it on the persons face. Face the light meter towards the window light with the invercone extended. Now press the side button and take a reading. Make sure the light meter and the camera have the same settings. For example if the light meter tells you that F1.4 and 1/60th of a second is ideal, and your lens is unable to go to F1.4 then you may not use the setting. Move your light meters dial to the aperture you want to shoot at. It will then give you a reading you will able to set on your camera.
When you shoot portraits you can chose a variety of colour temperatures depending on the look and feel you are aiming for. If you want something upbeat and happy then you may chose a white colour temperature. This occurs with the sun being at the highest in the sky. If you want something soft and endearing you may choose to shoot when there are warm colours in the sky. Usually portraits look nice when the colour temperature is white.
The direction in which your light is coming from is very important. The direction of light will dictate whether you have shadows under the nose or not. This can make or break an image and you will feel pleased or disappointed with the results depending on where the shadows fall.
The direction of where your light is coming from will also dictate the outcome of your portrait. Shadows under the eyes and nose are due to the direction of light. This can create a hard looking portrait. If you are aiming for a gentle and soft emotion, then this type of light is not suitable. You may feel pleased or disappointed with the results depending on where the shadows fall.
What about shadows on the other side of the persons face? You may notice that if you stand the person too close to the window you will see shadows on the side of their face that isn't directly under the window. If you find that this is the case then try moving the person back from the window. The light will reduce but you can always bump up your ISO to compensate for this.
When shooting a portrait using window light think about the emotion that the light has on the overall image. Window light can often engage your viewer. This is a technique that wedding photographers use. Alternatively if you want to create something intense, with a sense of drama, then try a hard side light. You might try side lighting instead. That's another topic for another time.
Consider window light as a wonderfully accessible way to shoot portraits. Always make sure you have plenty of light and use a tripod. Window light is soft and subdued and ideal for portraits. Face your portrait towards the light, not away from it. The direction of light needs to light the persons face to help create a gentle and soft look and feel. If you use window light in this way, you will be better equip to handle many lighting situations.
If window light were so good why doesn't everyone use it? Well, the answer to that is that they do not know how. Many enthusiast photographers don't work with the light properly. They simply do not know how.
So what is the secret to stunning portraiture? First of all, think about what type of portrait you are taking and why. Do you want people to see your grandfather as the sweet old man as you see him? Or would you prefer to show him as a hard-working man in love with the land and enjoying his horses? The first portrait would be considered a traditional personal portrait and the other might be considered an environmental portrait. The two are very different. An environmental portrait is a photo of someone within their environment. It tells the viewer about them as a person and what they do. In fact, showing what they do tells us about them as a person. A personal portrait shows someone in a gentle and positive light. Which are you going to do?
The simple answer is they do not understand light. The difference between an enthusiast photographer and a professional photographer is a solid, and very deep understanding, of light. If you are an enthusiast, and you have struggled with photography, don't feel bad.
Window light is one of the most beautiful types of light for portraits. So if window light were so good why doesn't everyone use it? Well, the answer to that is that they really haven't examined light or understood it. Many enthusiast photographers don't work with the light properly. They simply do not know how.
The way to do a custom white balance is as follows: Take your light meter and place it on the persons face. Face the light meter towards the window light with the invercone extended. Now press the side button and take a reading. Make sure the light meter and the camera have the same settings. For example if the light meter tells you that F1.4 and 1/60th of a second is ideal, and your lens is unable to go to F1.4 then you may not use the setting. Move your light meters dial to the aperture you want to shoot at. It will then give you a reading you will able to set on your camera.
When you shoot portraits you can chose a variety of colour temperatures depending on the look and feel you are aiming for. If you want something upbeat and happy then you may chose a white colour temperature. This occurs with the sun being at the highest in the sky. If you want something soft and endearing you may choose to shoot when there are warm colours in the sky. Usually portraits look nice when the colour temperature is white.
The direction in which your light is coming from is very important. The direction of light will dictate whether you have shadows under the nose or not. This can make or break an image and you will feel pleased or disappointed with the results depending on where the shadows fall.
The direction of where your light is coming from will also dictate the outcome of your portrait. Shadows under the eyes and nose are due to the direction of light. This can create a hard looking portrait. If you are aiming for a gentle and soft emotion, then this type of light is not suitable. You may feel pleased or disappointed with the results depending on where the shadows fall.
What about shadows on the other side of the persons face? You may notice that if you stand the person too close to the window you will see shadows on the side of their face that isn't directly under the window. If you find that this is the case then try moving the person back from the window. The light will reduce but you can always bump up your ISO to compensate for this.
When shooting a portrait using window light think about the emotion that the light has on the overall image. Window light can often engage your viewer. This is a technique that wedding photographers use. Alternatively if you want to create something intense, with a sense of drama, then try a hard side light. You might try side lighting instead. That's another topic for another time.
Consider window light as a wonderfully accessible way to shoot portraits. Always make sure you have plenty of light and use a tripod. Window light is soft and subdued and ideal for portraits. Face your portrait towards the light, not away from it. The direction of light needs to light the persons face to help create a gentle and soft look and feel. If you use window light in this way, you will be better equip to handle many lighting situations.
About the Author:
Amy Renfrey is the author of several photography ebooks and a monthly photography emagazine. She shows you how to take stunning photos every single time, even if you have never used a digital camera before. Click here to learn photography the easy way.