We’re back with another edition of Photo Tip Friday. Today we are talking about lighting. This is a make or break element of any photo, and just understanding a few simple things will instantly give your pictures a better look.
To get started repeat after me-“lighting a photo correctly is not hard”. Maybe you just laughed to yourself self, but really finding good light is possible in almost any situation.
If you don’t know this already, the best light is found early in the morning just as the sun is coming up or about an one hour before sunset. This light is best because it is even, meaning it doesn’t create lots of shadows on your subject. Depending on the weather and conditions it can be warm (a nice yellow light) or cool (a soft blue light). While both of these are different they are equally easy to work with. If you are hoping to get some nice portraits this is should be your go to lighting.
Another easy aid to help you know you’ve got ideal lighting conditions is to look for catchlights. Catchlights are the little white squares that can appear in a subject’s eyes. If your subject eyes look dull and boring chances are you haven’t got enough lighting. Simply move to another spot till you get those eyes to sparkle. Large windows with northern light are great spots inside a home to find nice lighting for an indoor picture
Shooting in the shade is usually great no matter what time of day since it offers a nice flat light (meaning no shadows). So if you have full sun and need a spot look for some shade. Trees are decent shady spots too, but be careful this coverage can be uneven and create pockets of light on your subject.
Finally lets face it, sometimes we have to get the shot in less than ideal conditions like the middle of the day with full sunlight. One of the easiest things to do in this situation, if you don’t have a flash, is put your subject’s back to the sun. You will need to expose for the subject, and this may blow out your background a bit, but overall it is a much better option than having a squinting subject with hot spots on their face.
We shoot beach session during the golden hour, and we know it’s what helps to give these images that dreamy glow and even lighting. Today we are sharing another session to prove our point. It was a lovely night, and we were especially excited this family wanted to include their dog. We love having furry friends in our photos.
PS: Even though summer is winding down, we still have a couple spots left for beach sessions. Shoot us an email for more info.
