I think every photographer when they first start out, they start out doing natural light photography. I still love making the most out of natural light, whether it be high noon, or golden hour. I don’t like sticking with just one, I want to explore light at all hours of the day, and in all situations. It’s good to be versatile, because you never know what kind of situation you will encounter.

Overcast days will always be one of my top favorite lighting conditions to shoot in. The sun is hidden behind the clouds, and the clouds act as a diffuser for the sun. You get really nice tones, and even lighting.

Then you have the contrast to shooting overcast which is high noon. It’s not a lot of people’s favorite to shoot in, but I love it because it challenges me. My number one tip for shooting in this lighting is, if you have shade maximize it! For this particular shoot I actually did not have a reflector handy with me, but if you have one this would be the optimal time to use it. The reflector will help you get nice even lighting to your clients face.

Don’t have a reflector? That’s okay! There are natural reflectors all around, you just have to find them. For example: If the sun is hitting a red, or orange wall, face your client towards that wall. The sun will reflect nice warm tones. If you want cooler tones, find a cool colored wall.

The above photo is an example of how I found a natural reflector. The sun was out in full force, so we found this shaded spot near the water. The water reflected enough light for me to able to shoot in this area.

Then there is my ultimate favorite which is golden hour! Golden hour happens twice a day, before the sun has fully risen, and before the sun has set completely. It provides such soft, romantic lighting, and I love maximizing this in the summer.

I know this photo looks awkward among the other ones, but I wanted to show an example of natural lighting indoors. This can be really tricky, because you can only shoot at certain times of the day to get this nice, almost over cast look. I have my mini-blinds raised to let in the most amount of light, bumped up my ISO, shooting at a lower than normal shutter speed, and keeping my aperture at 2.8.

When I do detail shots at a venue for the blog, I make sure I am near the biggest window with the most light coming through to get the best result.

Shooting at dark is one that is very tricky if you are not planning on using a flash of any kind, or using a tripod. You need to make sure that if you are shooting a client, your subject is very well lit by another source (lamp post, lights from a neighboring business, etc.) I would suggest heavily practicing before attempting to shoot a client with no flash assistance. 

Night is something I am always practicing, because I love the way everything looks at night all lit by the city. I want to push the limits, and learn all aspects of natural lighting.

That’s what I want all of you to take away from today’s post: Push the limits, and learn everything you can to master your craft.

Do you like shooting in natural light, or would you prefer to shoot with flash? Leave a comment down below so we can have a discussion(Please keep your comments constructive, and never bash someone else!).

Until next time……..Stay beautiful my friends!

Love,