10 Tips for Making Natural Light Portraits
1 Decide what type of picture do you want!
Think carefully: will you need extra clothes, make-up and time for styling? Is it an environment portrait, or is it showing the person´s personality or in a familiar situation?
2 Location, Location, Location
Think for example by a river, lake, hills or in the park? Or do you want to represent your subject in the middle of a city with the architecture, traffic and crowds? There’s the option of using a room indoors too and don’t forget to utilize doorways, windows, staircases and pillars.
3 Determine the quality of the light
In the middle of the day it´s extremely difficult to work with the direct sunlight. Consider working at mid morning or after mid afternoon. Hard light creates dramatic shadows, to obtain this you need to have the person face the light directly. When working indoors, determine what time of day offers the best window light (north, south, east or west).
4 Getting your positioning right
When on location, find what you think is a good place for your model to stand or sit. Don’t make the person look directly at the sun! Have your model turn 360º degrees gradually and observe the change in the lighting to find the best positioning!
5 Use the light to your advantage
On nice bright days, try with the sun directly behind your model! A spot under a tree is what you need when the direct sunlight is too bright, but check that the shade is homogeneous. Shadows are great way to add contrast having the light pointing directly to the side of your model.
6 Window photographs
Employing the sunlight through a window can make for dramatic portraits. It works particularly well if you have the light on just one side of the subjects face, leaving the other in shadow. In a position next to the window work with the contrast between the light and the dark. When the light coming through the window is too bright, you always have the option of using curtains or a blind to diffuse some of the light.
7 Camera techniques
Focus on the eyes and blur out the background so it doesn’t attract any attention away from your subject.
8 Communication is vital!
Interact with your model. Have conversations to discuss ideas so they know how you want them to pose or where you want them. Give an example and pose yourself and take breaks!
9 The type of light
The quality and color of the light changes to the time of day, season and the weather. Some days you’ll have warm and yellow light, on others natural light will possess a blue tint...
10 Try it for yourself
Ask family or friends to help you out it´s a great chance to practice your techniques!
