We often forget that the way we perceive light is based on the way we see the sun light reaching over everything. In shade or under hard light, we are used to seeing faces all the time, lit with only one source of light: the sun.
So lots of people tend to mimic the sun by using flash indoors, built in flash. The light coming directly from the camera creates very hard shadows and we have that “washed” white look in snapshots though.
Wouldn’t it be so nice to create a great portrait with the light you are used to seeing? I think so. That’s why natural light is always my first choice whenever it is possible. You can easily see where the light comes from, where its shadows fall, how it will look like before you actually take the picture.
When you are using an slr camera, you are metering natural light, so you know if your camera tells you there is too much light or light is not enough at all.
You use your in camera meter to know if the light coming form a window will be enough to photograph a person by the window. You look for any window in the house. The dining room window, the bedroom window, the hallway window, even the bathroom window. If your goal is to get a beautiful window light portrait, you have to find the light. Going room by room and taking light readings is a nice and fun home assignment that you can do when you are stuck at home or just want to be more creative.
What I like doing is to keep a little notebook and make notes about metering the light from that window. I find it very helpful to study that light. It keeps me on track about the quality of that light. It also trains my eye to not overlook any kind of window, wherever I am. It is specially nice to be able to find light anywhere. And learn how to use it to create a beautiful window light portrait.
These are the questions I ask myself and how I keep the information:
- Which window had that light? Bathroom? Kitchen? Bedroom? Living room?
- What time of the day is the light being metered? Early morning? 7 am? 10 am? 11am? Afternoon?
- Is that a south, north, east, or west window?
- How is the weather outside the window? Sunny? Overcast? Snowing Hard? Dark outside?
- Is there any reflection outside that can change the light? Sun bouncing light on a outside white wall? Is it fall? Does fall colors provide a warmer light?
- Is it winter? Is there any snow on the floor bouncing light to the inside of the room?
- Is it summer? Does the light coming from outside in summer is any harder than the one coming from the same window when it is spring?
- Does the light become any softer in different times of the day?
- Does the sun ever reach that window and the light come through the window?
All these questions will be very important and will help to understand how the natural light works in big windows, tall windows, narrow windows.
The challenges of working with customers on location, in their homes, will be always be big, and these studies sharp our skills.
So where do you meter, when taking pictures by the window?
Just sit your subject by the window, in the brightest window of your home. Turn the person 45 degrees towards the window, so the light comes to lit both sides of the face. You meter for the bright side of the face, so you don’t blow out the highlights.
Sometimes, you won’ like the way the light hits your subject, so you may use a closer wall to bounce that light back, so you have a more even light, but with enough shadows to create depth and 3d feelings.
You can use a 5 in one reflector, a t-shirt, a shower curtain, anything white or silver (and gold too if you want warmer tones) to help you to bounce light. A simple window light and one little help from anything that will bounce the natural light back to the darker side of your subject's face.
See the window light coming from the left and one reflector used on the right side to bounce natural light back. Simple, naturally beautiful.
Now, get ready to practice. Find your own window light and go make a beautiful window light portrait!
by Moni Caron
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