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How to Take a Photo in Natural Light

To take a photo in natural light you need very little equipment. All you need is your camera, a reflector and some knowledge. Noon light on a clear day is bright and harsh. It throws deep shadows under the eyebrows and the chin and creates contrast that most cameras have difficulty handling. Dawn or dusk light, however, throws long shadows and models faces and figures beautifully. It is known as "sweet light." Hazy days give a soft light that has little contrast and is ideal for portraiture. It can be directional and wrap around the subject giving a three dimensional look.

Things You'll Need

Hand-held meter (optional)
81A filter (optional)
Reflector
Tripod (optional)

Instructions

Outdoor Portraits
- 1
  Select a suitable background, being careful to take the direction of the light into consideration.
- 2
  Place the subject in the shade, depending on the light conditions, and position the subject for the most pleasing composition.
- 3
  Measure the light falling on both sides of the face with a hand-held meter. You can also measure the light with the camera's meter by going right up to the subject and measuring the light on both sides of the face.
- 4
  Take the average of the two readings to get the base exposure.
- 5
  Use a reflector on the shadow side to reduce contrast if necessary.
- 6
  Put a warming filter, 81A, over your camera's lens, if shooting in full shade or on a cloudy day. Increase the exposure by one-third to one-half a stop to compensate for the filter.
- 7
  Take the photo. You should make several exposures, at least four. Do two exposures, in half-stop increments, giving greater exposure, and two, in half-stop increments, giving less exposure than the base exposure.
Indoor Portraiture
- 8
  Pose the subject next to as large a window as you can find, preferably one with a northern exposure.
- 9
  Remove any objects from the background that may detract from the picture.
- 10
  Use a reflector on the shadow side of the subject to boost the light and reduce the contrast, if you wish.
- 11
  Use a hand-held meter or the camera's built-in meter to measure both sides of the subject's face and average the exposure to get the base exposure.
- 12
  Move the reflector towards or away from the subject to adjust the contrast to your liking. Put the camera on a tripod and take the photo. You should make several exposures, two on each side of the base exposure, to ensure that at least one will be satisfactory.

Photography