Fashion Photography: Using Natural Light for a Diy Shoot

Natural lite can be one of the almost unpredictable parts of photography – and also ane of the nearly beautiful.

Any type of or style of photography presents countless challenges. Whether you're capturing people, buildings, or wildlife, there are a million different ways things can go wrong or take unexpected turns. Now, throw in working with the ever-changing sun, random weather, and unpredictable clients, and you've simply scratched the surface of using and shooting with natural calorie-free.

Overcoming the variability and challenge of natural lite photography begins and ends with understanding the sunday. This guide will teach yous what you lot demand to know, like how to program a shoot at 12pm on a sunny day, or what lens to utilize during a sunset, or what to capture when the day's light is all simply fading fashion. Hither's how you lot can take your best photos yet using just the light supplied by the dominicus.

What Is Natural Lite?

Put simply, natural lighting is sunlight. In natural lighting photography, the sun acts equally the principal light source. Y'all tin dispense natural light, for instance by bouncing it off reflectors, merely you cannot fundamentally change it, the way you lot would a stand up light.

Natural lighting doesn't just occur outdoors. Think of early morning sunlight spilling through a window, or a soft orange glow enveloping a room before sunset. In these cases, the natural light is known as ambient calorie-free. Ambient light is the available low-cal in an environment. You can set boosted lights, or even shut the blinds, but ultimately, that natural calorie-free volition occur no matter what you do.

Ambient natural light photography indoor setting — *Image via Photographee.eu*

We're going to take a look at how you lot tin can work with natural light to your reward, taking improve photos and in turn helping your portfolio and photography career.

Components of Natural Light Photography

Unlike using and buying lights for indoor shoots, natural light photography limits your command. It also dictates when and how you plan your photo shoot.

Now, simply considering you're giving upwardly control in some ways doesn't mean you take no control at all. In that location are a few dissimilar factors and things to consider near natural low-cal earlier y'all go into your next photo shoot. The obvious offset step is to consider the weather and what the clouds are doing. But overall, the main components of natural light are the colour temperature, the direction of the light, and the intensity of the low-cal. Once you know what to wait from these components, you tin can better empathise the light you lot'll exist working with.

1. Color Temperature

Agreement color temperature is a crucial part of knowing how calorie-free and color works together to impact your last product. Put simply, the color temperature of lighting is either warm or cold. The temperature is measured on something chosen the Kelvin scale, which starts at g kelvins (warmest light) and goes to 10000 kelvins (coldest light). The colour temperature of natural light shifts with the time of twenty-four hour period.

Common cold blue light occurs before sunrise and afterward sunset
Bright white light occurs midday
Warm golden light occurs subsequently sunrise and before sunset

Color temperature Kelvin scale increments — The eye picture was taken during evening golden hour and shows a warm lite at 3500K. The left motion picture shows 5500K – bright white, midday light. The picture on the right was taken during blueish hour, right after sunset. At 10000K, it is highest on the Kelvin scale.

For a full breakdown on colour temperature, read our guide to the Kelvin scale.

2. Intensity

When information technology comes to natural lite, intensity refers to how strong or bright the light from the sun is. Lux is simply the unit of measurement of measure out for lights forcefulness. For example, bright daylight is anywhere between 111,000 – 120,000 lux, while shade during the middle of the day is effectually 20,000 lux.

Light intensity (lux) range between shade and direct sunlight — *Shot midday, this naturally lit photo shows how light intensity (lux) can vary drastically betwixt shade and directly sunlight.*

It'southward important to know how intense the light will exist before going into the shoot then that yous can play ahead. This volition include things like picking the right speed film (160, 400, 800), or bringing neutral density filters based on the lighting. More than on that later.

3. Direction of Calorie-free

Direction of light at different times of day — The left photo shows gilt hour calorie-free, when the dominicus is casting light horizontally beyond your bailiwick. The middle photo shows the light during sunrise, when the low-cal is casting at a 45° angle and quickly climbing in the sky. The right photo shows midday low-cal, which mostly beams vertically down on your discipline, creating harsh light and loftier contrasting shadows.

The direction of light is the angle at which the lord's day is effulgent. It'southward an of import component in understanding the shadows and positioning of your model or subject. The dominicus is always moving throughout the day, so you need to keep track of what angle it'south taking and how this affects the scene in front of you lot. At midday, the sun is directly overhead, creating intense light. At aureate 60 minutes, the sunday is casting calorie-free horizontally, creating softer calorie-free and longer shadows. Equally the direction changes, y'all might need to reposition the model, find a dissimilar bending of a building, or look for a particular time of twenty-four hours.

Determining shadow placement as well as the angle and color temperature of the lord's day are a perfect job for the Sunseeker App. This is a cheap solution that allows you to await at the sun's trajectory for any given day. Information technology also offers timestamps and an augmented reality overlay letting you lot know at what time the sun will be where.

Now that nosotros know the science backside what certain times of day volition look like, permit'south get into what you can do to adequately fix for natural light photography throughout the day.

Midday Lighting

Color Temperature – 5600K – When the sky is articulate and the dominicus is highest in the sky, the general color temperature is around 5600K
Intensity – effectually 100,000 lux – The sun's absolute intensity maxes out around 111,000 lux and when covered past clouds can exist as low as 1,000 lux. Be certain to check cloud embrace and UV intensity before leaving for your shoot.
Management – xxx – 90 degrees – Because the lord's day is at its highest in the heaven, expect harsher shadows throughout the heart of the day.

This is objectively the hardest time of twenty-four hours to shoot. No affair what yous're shooting, be it landscapes or portraits, the sunlight volition be harsh and the shadows will be a directional nightmare. First, endeavour to avoid shooting during this time of twenty-four hour period. 2d, that never works and you're always going to find yourself shooting at this time of twenty-four hour period. These are the keys to midday photo shoots.

Find Shade

You can simply command the sun'south shadows to a sure extent, whether information technology exist the fashion they cast across a model's confront or the fashion they add contrast and depth to your image's groundwork. To combat the harsh shadows of midday calorie-free, selection a location in a shaded area. Whether it exist on the side of a building or from a tree, in the middle of the day, adumbral areas are notwithstanding bright enough (around 20,000 lux) to illuminate your bailiwick'due south confront.

If you're taking portraits, don't make your model stare into the sun for an hour-long shoot. Not but will they have to squint while looking into the behemothic flaming ball in the sky, simply the shadows might be cast downward across their face from their brow or nose, covering their face up in unappealing ways. So, look for shade in any way possible. Even if your subject area is completely covered in shade, there will be enough sunday to provide a softly diffused low-cal for your shoot. Open up your aperture and bring a reflector to provide a little bit of fill light on their side.

Natural Light Photography at midday — *Each of these photos was taken outside during the eye of the day, in the shade of a edifice.*

Read our tips for shooting portraits with natural lighting.

Some other obvious solution for harsh midday light is neutral density filters, or ND filters. This is essentially putting sunglasses over your lenses. These filters volition let you lot to open upwards the aperture for a shallower depth of field, while not letting in too much light.

Y'all can purchase different sizes and strengths of ND filters. Just be sure to cheque that information technology's the strength and size that your lens needs. Every photographer needs one or ii ND'southward on paw for natural calorie-free shoots. Read this explanation of ND filters for everything y'all need to know well-nigh picking and using the right one.

Go Within

Now perhaps my favorite method of shooting portraits during the center of the day is…within! The light spilling in through windows provides a brilliant, soft key lite if you lot position your model the right style. You can fifty-fifty throw upwards some diffusion, like a shower liner across your window, to make the light even softer. The photos beneath were taken indoors, correct next to a diffused window.

Natural Light Photography at midday indoors — *These two photos show how harsh midday light can become a soft and lengthened central light when shot from indoors.*

Golden Hour Lighting

Color Temperature – 3500K – Equally the sun sets, the warm, tungsten light spilling out is going to be the most orangish and saturated temperature you can find throughout the day.
Intensity – effectually 400 lux – The sun is setting during golden hour and the lights intensity has dimmed so much that you can put away all ND filters y'all own and prepare to open upwardly that aperture. This is when you'll maximize your lens' potential.
Direction – 30 – 0 degrees – The sun is just about to autumn below the horizon, which volition cast long shadows from everything its touching.

Often regarded every bit the best fourth dimension of solar day for photography of any kind, this period lasts anywhere from xxx minutes to half a day. Information technology occurs twice during the 24-hour interval – right afterward sunrise and correct before sunset. The length of golden hour depends on your proximity to the Globe'south equator; the closer you are, the shorter golden hour lasts. Color temperature for this type of light is effectually 3500k. This provides a warm, tungsten hue that'south also very soft, making for an overall heavily diffused light source.

Considering it's such a warm and diffuse light, golden hour photography isn't especially catchy. But in that location are a few things to keep in mind when you become out your camera.

Long Shadows

Because the lite is closer to the horizon every bit it sets or rises, expect there to be longer shadows bandage from whatever you're photographing. You also need to consider your own shadow then it doesn't make its way into your shot. I similar to utilize a wider lens if I'm shooting towards the sun, and a longer lens if I'm shooting away from the sun to avoid my own shadow actualization in the frame.

Golden hour shadows — *The dominicus is shining parallel to the footing at golden hour, creating extra long shadows.*

Underexposure

If your subject is blocking the sunlight you might find that their face is somewhat underexposed. Bring some type of reflector or poster board that can bounce low-cal back onto their face.

Using a reflectors helps to bounce light during golden hour — *Aureate hour tin can be somewhat dark – apply a reflector to bounce light onto your model and expose their face better.*

Also, this might go without saying, but expect your images to be more on the golden/orange side of things. Plan your model's wardrobe and overall shoot accordingly.

Y'all learn more about this special type of light in our guide to golden hour photography.

Blue Hour Lighting

Colour Temperature – 10000K – The lord's day has now dipped below the horizon and the remaining calorie-free is a common cold, blueish-ish tint.
Intensity – around <1 lux – At present that there's non a viable calorie-free source in the sky, the intensity of the suns light is now reduced to most cypher. The only remaining light is a fraction of the suns rays that haven't been broken up in the atmosphere and ozone.
Direction – 0 degrees – At that place are no shadows because the sun is gone. This is when y'all pull out your trusty tripod and get ready for longer shutter speeds, with no worries of harsh contrast or shadows.

Artificial lighting during blue hour

Lasting for about one-half the fourth dimension as gold 60 minutes, blue hour comes before sunrise and after dusk as the small amount of sunlight is broken upwards throughout the ozone, leaving nothing but a blue hue. Information technology merely might be fifty-fifty more dreamlike and visually bonny than gilded hour. It'll be over before you know it, though, and so come up prepared with these tips.

Supplement with Artificial Light

This cursory catamenia of time is a bridge between daytime and nighttime. Business and city lights begin to turn on, when the lord's day has just set or is just virtually to make its appearance. Information technology's a great opportunity to capture interesting artificial lite sources, like neon signs or street lights.

Artificial light at blue hour — *Supplement the fading light of blueish hour with artificial lighting from signs, windows, and traffic.*

Bring a Tripod

There's a meaning lack of light, then you'll desire to bring a tripod. That's because you'll need to open the shutter for a fleck longer. Call back anywhere between one/60th of a second and slower. There'due south always the option to crank upwards the ISO, but this could bring unwanted noise. If you're shooting portraits or long exposures, you want as piffling dissonance every bit possible.

Use a tripod during blue hour

A skilful way to seal the deal on a all the same, non-blurry photo is to buy a cablevision release of some sort. They're going to vary based on the brand and model of your camera, so be sure to cheque that the cable and photographic camera body are compatible.

Getting abroad from relying on the timer has made me a more comfortable lensman. It's a matter of really hitting the shutter and taking the exposure for exactly how long I want, as opposed to a set time on the photographic camera. Information technology's almost the photographer's intuition (and also making sure your camera doesn't blow over by a sudden gust of air current).

At that place'southward more to find in this guide to bluish hour photography.

Night Photography

Astrophotography at night — *Image via Martina Badini*

I know this article is about using natural light as your lighting source for your landscape and portrait photography. But, darkness is even so natural light, and in that location are a few quick things I demand to mention about shooting at night.

E'er bring a tripod.
Open your shutter to let your camera collect all of the available light.
Use your timer on your camera, or buy a cable release, to minimize the shake of pressing the shutter.

Most of the time, night photography involves long exposure photography, which is super simple to do and can produce insanely stunning results no matter the camera you're using. You don't necessarily demand bogus lights like businesses, cars, and signs. You can likewise use the night sky if you're somewhere abroad from the city; leaving the shutter open can actually collect enough light from the stars and the moon.

Get more tips and insight in this guide to nighttime photography.

It doesn't accept expensive equipment and huge lights to pull off a photo. In fact, some of the about beautiful images yous'll e'er capture will all exist thanks to the sun. Keep practicing at different times of day and yous'll start to intuit how to photograph the scene based on the intensity and direction of the light.

Want to learn more about lighting your photography? Check these out.

half-dozen Tips for Portrait Photography Using Natural Lighting
The Secrets to Shooting Perfect Portraits with Natural Light
The Ultimate Guide to Bogus, Natural, and Mixed Lighting
Color Temperature and 3 Bespeak Lighting Basics
13 Photographers on Lighting Techniques for Small-Upkeep Shoots

Cover image via Sarawut Aiemsinsuk