This blog has talked on many occasions about the importance of flash, how to improve your photos with this tool and the need to use it in the studio and especially at a professional level. However, there is another much more powerful tool, eternal or ephemeral, depending on what terms we speak, but equally powerful: the natural light. Sometimes we focus too much on image quality, sharpness, etc… and we forget that natural light offers us wonderful results if we know how to play with it. Yes, it’s true, sometimes you don’t have this light and you have no choice but to use the flash… But, what if you can have it? Would you know how to use it to get impressive photographs? Keep reading and you will learn a lot of tricks to control something as beautiful as sunlight. But first, I have to introduce you to our complete mega guide on lighting in photography so you can delve into the subject whenever you need to.
Four aspects of light
The first and most important thing is that you know the four most important aspects of light and that you learn to manage them to obtain the best results or at least the desired results.
A) Address: the light can be frontal, lateral, zenithal or rear. Let’s see them one by one.
- Front light: If you place the subject facing the light source (such as a window) and you stand between them, the subject (or object) to be photographed will receive the light from the front. You will get an image without textures but in return you will be able to capture more details.
- side light: the subject receives the light from the side, so you get to increase the volume and highlight textures.
- Back light: when the subject is between you and the light source, you can achieve silhouettes and other effects such as an aura around the figures you are photographing.
- Overhead light: This type of lighting is the one that comes from above. It can help you achieve different effects, although in portraits it causes unflattering shadows. Hey, a trick: If you stand higher than the subject and make them look up, you will get a frontal light from a much more attractive perspective.
B) Intensity: There are two factors to take into account, the first is to check if there is the necessary light to set the diaphragm opening and the shutter speed that we want. The second, does this light give us the atmosphere we seek for our photography? You should know that you can play with the intensity of the light available to you and modulate it according to your wishes. Here I give you some tips: if you are indoors, you can move the subject closer or further from the source depending on the amount of light you want it to receive, you can also put a plain white curtain on the window or door, or use tissue paper or any another diffuser. Outdoors, look for shadows or objects that can reduce the excess light that bothers you or, on the contrary, use reflectors as fillers when necessary.
C) Quality: On many occasions, the amount of light is not as important as its quality. And this is measured based on your preferences, what you expect from that image. There are two types of lights: smooth either hard. Hard light is the one that causes high contrasts and well-defined shadows. It adds more drama to the scene. Soft light, on the other hand, achieves much more diffused shadows.
C) Temperature: Most likely, you already know what I mean, if not, don’t worry, I’ll explain. The temperature refers to the color that predominates in an image over the rest (said very briefly). If an image has a more reddish or orange temperature, it will convey warmth, unlike if the color temperature tends to blue, which gives us a colder feeling.
How can you control this factor? Well, in two very simple ways, one with the white balance of your camera, another taking advantage of the light of the first or last hours of the day, or the hours in between. Dusk and dawn offer us more orange, pink or golden lights, while in the late morning or early afternoon, we get the opposite result. Another trick is to use filters, colored diffusers or reflectors.
Tips and tricks to master natural light
If you master these four aspects that I just mentioned… you are already almost an expert! Anyway, here are some tips and tricks so you can get those impressive photos without resorting to flash or other artificial lights:
1. If you are in an indoor place, look for a window!!!: who says window, says skylight, door, or any element that allows light from outside to pass through.
two. Play with window shadows: sometimes blinds or other elements can create very attractive shadows.
3. Study the light: knowing how light behaves in a given space will help you know the perfect time to get the image you want.
Four. Plan your activity according to the light: We have already commented that the light changes throughout the day. Think about the effect you want to obtain and organize your agenda for your session at the ideal time.
5. Get the necessary material: filters, diffusers, reflectors… Just because you don’t use artificial light doesn’t mean you can’t use these accessories 😉
6. Shoot in RAW mode: It will be easier for you to make the necessary adjustments on your computer, if you don’t know what I mean, read this.
7. Photography from different angles: in this way you can check the effects of light on your subject and choose which one you like the most. (A trick to photograph babies: use a pouf or cushion and you can move it without it knowing!).
8. Upload the ISO: if the light is insufficient you can raise the ISO value of your camera, but remember, the higher the ISO, the more noise your image will have.
9. Larger diaphragm opening: do not forget that the larger the opening, the more light will enter.
10. Use a tripod: if the object is static or you can get the subject to be, slow down the shutter speed, for that you will need a tripod to prevent the photo from being shaken (ie, moved). Here is a selection of the tripods that Mario recommends.
Try to put all these tips into practice and you will see the excellent results that natural light can offer. Believe me, her beauty is nothing compared to that of the flash.
To say goodbye, I leave you with some examples. I hope it has been useful to you! 🙂 At the end of the article there is a button to vote/recommend it on Facebook, Twitter and Google+, in case you liked it.