Seeing the Light

I have been getting email after email asking about lighting. What kind of lights do I use? What kind is best to buy? Any tips and tricks for lighting? I really hate to disappoint but I find I keep having to respond that I'm not a lighting aficionado. At least with artificial light. I don't like to use it, ever, unless I have to. I have learned how to use it when I have to but honestly I never like the results as much as what I capture with natural light. It's not my thing. It doesn't come naturally to me and it really doesn't interest me at all. My "studio lighting" set up is big, archaic and inconvenient and that kind of thing just tends to stifle my creative juices. I haven't set it up for over 2 years. I'd rather have the challenge of having to find the light. Having to get as much light as possible out of seemingly impossible situations. And THAT, I can do pretty well. My clients are always surprised when I find the one little place in their home with the best lighting. Bedroom, kitchen, even bathroom. I have used every room in the house. I really have. And because I can recognize good light and I can harness it, I am usually successfully in my results. Gosh, that makes me sound like some kind of superhero of light. Cool.

In other words, just because you are shooting indoors, you do not need a flash. Not always anyway. Obviously, for starters, you've got to find windows and find the place where the light is coming in the brightest (not as in direct light--as in indirect, soft light) and put your subject there. Learning to see where the light is strongest/best is a great way to start. It just takes looking very carefully at the nuances of light. And studying it. Seeing the way it hits a subject. It's subtle stuff and you have to kind of train your eye to see it. But once you do see it, it can become second nature. I don't even think about it anymore. I just know it when I see it. It's even odd for me to articulate it. I hope to try and challenge myself to try to teach you how to see through photos but it feels impossible. I'll keep brain storming at better ways to explain than just these long winded posts.

As far as how to face your subjects once you've found the light, that's kind of up to you and your taste. You can use the lighting as sidelight which shows more of the direction of the light and also will give you the portrait- like highlights and lowlights on your subjects face which can be wonderful and very effective for some shots. Other shots you'll want flat light. I personally love flat light. I think it's, well, flattering. And it's easy because the light just lands on the face and kind of washes the details out. Sound strange? Well, I use flat light with babies (soft and dreamy) and I used too with brides (soft and dreamy). Moms usually love it too...I know that flat light is my friend and I love to look soft and dreamy personally. Not all photographers are hip to the flat lighting like I am. And sometimes it's not as effective as others but you'll need to move your subject around (by rotating them in slightly different directions) as you experiment to see what YOU like. The direction of the light and how it hits your subject will give different vibes and serve different purposes. If the windows aren't giving you the light you need, try a door. An open door. I stand outside while my subject is right inside the door. Perfect light almost every time. Try it. Unless you're in the middle of an ice storm and then, you can save it for a warmer day.

NOW, let me also tell you my secret...it's in the eyes. The eyes are my gage in seeing whether the light is good or not. If my subjects eyes look dark (with no glimmer, no highlight) or if they have dark circles under them, then I know they are not facing the proper direction. It only takes subtleties of movement to get them properly lit. Just watch their eyes and follow their lead. If they look bright, chances are you've got a good shot in the making.

These kinds of observations are how I gage what I am shooting. That's why I like natural light. I can SEE what I am going to get before I get it. And I move my subject around until I find it. With the flash, the image always looks different than what I are see. Pet peeve. I hate that. I like to capture what I see. It's just my thing.

I do realize however that it's not always that easy finding the light. Everyone doesn't live in So Cal where the weather is a sunny 70 degrees everyday. If I lived somewhere with a real winter, I might be out of a job. But, I don't. And I'm not. Lucky for me. But even when I have to find creative ways to manipulate the light, I can usually find a way. One of the most brilliant tools is the photo reflector. This baby will take the light you do have and either make more of it, redirect it, channel it, use it as back light, side light, whatever, so the light works best for your needs. It's handy and affordable and one of my favorite things to use when I need a little help. If you don't have a real one, you can use almost anything for a reflector. In this post, XXX said she used a white piece of foam core. Resourceful girl! I have a white wall (my neighbors house) that reflects the afternoon sun right into my living room for an hour or so everyday and it's like magic hour around here. I just love it. My dark living room gets this gorgeous soft glow that can't be beat. I know it's really hard to imagine without seeing a visual so maybe I'll try to show you how it works through pictures. Hmm. I wish you could come over and see for yourselves! I'll see what I can do in the next few days and get back to you one that. I have even used a glare off of a car windshield more than once to kick up the light when I am shooting somewhere outside. It sounds strange but there are all sorts of ways to find light when you need it. Who knew?

But, I know that I am not alone in my quest for natural light. Photographers like Maile at Relish Portrait Studios have the natural light thing down to a science too. Go over to her blog and see for yourself!

Tomorrow, I will attempt to talk a little about artificial light (gasp) because so many of you want to know. And speaking of the fabulous Maile, she'll be writing a post about her take on lighting at Daily Relish, just for us. You won't want to miss it. She's a master of the light box so I know it will be helpful! Seriously, she's great at natural light and artificial. The total package. Lucky.

Comments

[Chris]

I'm completely with you on this one. I absolutely love natural light and only use natural light. I don't care if it's a patch I find to light my subject, I'll take it. I have no desire to ever use artificial light. Too harsh. Nothing looks better on babies and kids than natural light.

[Alissa]

I avoid using my flash like the plague. Mostly because I only have the pop-up camera flash and it's nearly always unflattering, and the look of natural light is so, so nice. I do love me a piece of white foam-core board, though. I've even managed to convince my kids to hold it for me, one at a time, while I photograph the other. They love to "assist".

[Leah]

I use natural light for all of my weekly photoshoots on flickr. Some turn out better than others (Chicago - need I say more?), but they all look better than with a flash. However, I spend a lot of time with the babies in the basement so I end up using the flash a lot when it's not a posed shot. I really wish my point and shoot looked better with the flash, even though it's not horrible.

[Stacy]

I also try not to use my flash and look for the natural light in the house. Our house windows face NW / SE so sometimes the light isn't that great, but we make due. The flash gets used, but not often. I have a make-shift studio set up in the basement and use that sometimes when I don't have natural light to use and I want to take pictures.

[Julie]

XXX here :) Thought your readers might like to see which post/photo you were talking about with the foam core...I've used that piece of foam core indoors and out to help lighten and balance things out.

http://andtherestishistory.com/2007/02/05/my-best-shot-monday/

[Mommy Jen]

Thank you so much, Tracey, for addressing the issue of lighting. I look forward to the rest of the week's posts. As a very amateur (but budding) photographer, lighting is an area I really struggle with. Thanks again for telling us what you know and sharing the tips of other experts.

[Mommy Jen]

Hey, Tracey! I must be an idiot because I can't figure out how to upload a picture to your Flickr pool. I joined the group, but I don't see how I can upload a picture to the group and not my own Flickr page. Please help :-)

[Linda Lo]

Tracey - excellent post. thank you for taking the time to articulate. It's very helpful to get inside your brain and think about it in those terms.