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.
The trouble is that with this is that no one uses window light properly. Many photographers position the subject in front of the window. They do not turn their subject to face the window. By turning the subject to face the window it is a great way to take advantage of some beautiful light. It's not only beautiful but it's ideal light for portraits.
Many photographers don't actually use the light from the window to illuminate the subjects face or eyes. Instead they photograph the subject side on or with the window light from behind. This method will not work and you will be quickly disappointed with the results.
So let's now look at some ways to create lovely window light portraits. First, think about the quality of the light coming through the window. Is it hard or soft? Usually the light is soft. A portrait looks fantastic when the light is soft. Blemishes are reduced, skin tone evens out and there are no harsh shadows under noses or eyes. It's really an ideal kind of light for portraits. Think about the temperature of the light.
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.
Soft light, or diffused light, is the light you see on a cloudy day. The light softens and the bright areas even out and don't leave many shadows. The intensity (brightness) of this light is fairly low. This kind of light is best for portraits. Diffused light is good for portraits because it reduces skin blemishes, evens out and softens skin tone and generally looks a lot nicer. Light also has a temperature. You'll see this in the form of colour. Have you ever noticed on some days the light looks a little bluer than other times? And have you ever noticed that at around dusk the light looks orange and yellow? This is commonly known as temperature, or hue. This phenomenon occurs because the sun shifting across the sky at different times will bring differences in colour temperature.
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 of light is very important too. It's good to get a window that is quite long so the majority of light comes from the person's top and side, not directly from above only. If you have too much light from above only, then shadows under the nose and the eyes may occur. To avoid this, try and find a window that is quite large. This will help disperse the light evenly.
If you find that you still have too much shadow on the opposite side to the window, then try using a reflector. A reflector can bounce the light back onto the persons face to fill in the shadows. This works very well in some situations.
If you place your subject too close to the window you may see more contrast on the persons face. If you want softer light and less shadows, move them away from the window. This will even out the light across their face, but darken the overall exposure of the image. Simply adjust this by increasing your ISO.
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.
Window light is great for portraits. Use a tripod with your shoot and get the right position before shooting. Before you shoot carefully examine the quality, contrast, temperature and direction of this light. If you work with light in this way you begin to look at all the very subtle aspects of your portrait. Once you begin this process you will begin to find the sheer enjoyment of portrait photography.
The trouble is that with this is that no one uses window light properly. Many photographers position the subject in front of the window. They do not turn their subject to face the window. By turning the subject to face the window it is a great way to take advantage of some beautiful light. It's not only beautiful but it's ideal light for portraits.
Many photographers don't actually use the light from the window to illuminate the subjects face or eyes. Instead they photograph the subject side on or with the window light from behind. This method will not work and you will be quickly disappointed with the results.
So let's now look at some ways to create lovely window light portraits. First, think about the quality of the light coming through the window. Is it hard or soft? Usually the light is soft. A portrait looks fantastic when the light is soft. Blemishes are reduced, skin tone evens out and there are no harsh shadows under noses or eyes. It's really an ideal kind of light for portraits. Think about the temperature of the light.
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.
Soft light, or diffused light, is the light you see on a cloudy day. The light softens and the bright areas even out and don't leave many shadows. The intensity (brightness) of this light is fairly low. This kind of light is best for portraits. Diffused light is good for portraits because it reduces skin blemishes, evens out and softens skin tone and generally looks a lot nicer. Light also has a temperature. You'll see this in the form of colour. Have you ever noticed on some days the light looks a little bluer than other times? And have you ever noticed that at around dusk the light looks orange and yellow? This is commonly known as temperature, or hue. This phenomenon occurs because the sun shifting across the sky at different times will bring differences in colour temperature.
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 of light is very important too. It's good to get a window that is quite long so the majority of light comes from the person's top and side, not directly from above only. If you have too much light from above only, then shadows under the nose and the eyes may occur. To avoid this, try and find a window that is quite large. This will help disperse the light evenly.
If you find that you still have too much shadow on the opposite side to the window, then try using a reflector. A reflector can bounce the light back onto the persons face to fill in the shadows. This works very well in some situations.
If you place your subject too close to the window you may see more contrast on the persons face. If you want softer light and less shadows, move them away from the window. This will even out the light across their face, but darken the overall exposure of the image. Simply adjust this by increasing your ISO.
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.
Window light is great for portraits. Use a tripod with your shoot and get the right position before shooting. Before you shoot carefully examine the quality, contrast, temperature and direction of this light. If you work with light in this way you begin to look at all the very subtle aspects of your portrait. Once you begin this process you will begin to find the sheer enjoyment of portrait photography.
About the Author:
Amy Renfrey is a professional photography teacher. She shows you how to take stunning photos every single time, even if you have never used a digital camera before. Click here to discover/ how to take beautiful photos every time you press the shutter button.
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