It's not difficult to create a lovely portrait that your friend will love. If you have no flash and no studio lights, then why not consider window light?
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.
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?
Once you have made a decision on what sort of portrait you want to create, then think about your lighting. First and foremost your lighting is the most important thing in your photography portraiture is no exception.
I will help increase your understanding. Firstly, in order to create beautiful portraits you need to examine the qualities of light. Is the light hard or soft? Hard light is otherwise known as strong light. It's the light you see on a very bright, sunny day that creates lots of bright areas and lots of dark shadows.
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.
Now that you have the ideal exposure take a grey card and place it in front of the lens. Set your camera to the settings of the light meter. Take a photo. Set the photo of the grey card to the correct white balance on your camera. Now your white balance should be ok. It's been set for the conditions you are shooting in.
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.
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.
Window light can help soften shadows and provide an "all over" direction. This depends on whether the window light comes from the person's top and side and not directly from above. If you have lots of light from above then try and find a large window. This will help throw light on the persons face evenly. Once light is spread evenly across someone's face you will have a greater chance of softening the emotion of the photo.
When shooting a portrait using window light think about the emotion that the light has on the overall image. A nice, diffused window light can often create an endearing affect. This works really well for weddings especially. Alternatively if you want to create something dramatic, try a different direction and quality of 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.
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.
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?
Once you have made a decision on what sort of portrait you want to create, then think about your lighting. First and foremost your lighting is the most important thing in your photography portraiture is no exception.
I will help increase your understanding. Firstly, in order to create beautiful portraits you need to examine the qualities of light. Is the light hard or soft? Hard light is otherwise known as strong light. It's the light you see on a very bright, sunny day that creates lots of bright areas and lots of dark shadows.
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.
Now that you have the ideal exposure take a grey card and place it in front of the lens. Set your camera to the settings of the light meter. Take a photo. Set the photo of the grey card to the correct white balance on your camera. Now your white balance should be ok. It's been set for the conditions you are shooting in.
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.
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.
Window light can help soften shadows and provide an "all over" direction. This depends on whether the window light comes from the person's top and side and not directly from above. If you have lots of light from above then try and find a large window. This will help throw light on the persons face evenly. Once light is spread evenly across someone's face you will have a greater chance of softening the emotion of the photo.
When shooting a portrait using window light think about the emotion that the light has on the overall image. A nice, diffused window light can often create an endearing affect. This works really well for weddings especially. Alternatively if you want to create something dramatic, try a different direction and quality of 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.
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