Without it, there wouldn’t be photography
Ever wonder why your photographer always asks to do outdoor sessions in the evening time? It’s not a scheduling thing normally. It all has to do with that giant orb of light floating in the sky. The sun can be the most helpful thing or it can be a huge pain in the butt. Here’s are a few facts about light, whether indoor or out, that everyone should know before going to a photo session.
The Sun
- I can’t control where the sun is in the sky. I can however, control what time we have our sessions. Say you ask to do a session at 1pm. The sun is going to be high in the sky and thus will cause major shadowing under the eyes. It causes squinting and just in general doesn’t look appealing. There are certain things I can do. I can bring a big light to flash in your face to offset the sun. This will create beautiful images, but can be cumbersome and difficult for small children as the don’t usually like bright lights.
- In most instance, I will bring a reflector. It’s easy to transport and can create beautiful lighting from the light available. A reflector takes the light from whatever angle it’s coming from and reflects it back in the direction that I point it at. So if the sun is coming from behind, I’ll be able to get a beautiful backlit image with the sun and still have enough light on your faces.
Off Camera Flash
- In some cases, I will have to bring a flash with me. Say we’re scheduled to do a session and it’s super gloomy outside. We can still get really great images with a flash. Basically, off camera flash is exactly how it sounds. It’s a light on a stand instead of on my camera. I can move this light around anywhere I want and get amazing shadows or fill in on dark days.
- I strictly use flash in my studio. While I LOVE natural light, having the ability to control my lighting is very important to me. In studio, I use a giant parabolic umbrella by Paul C Buff that could make you fly away like Mary Poppins. The point of the giant umbrella is to diffuse the light to not only fall softer, but in a bigger area (meaning on all subjects).
When putting together your session, I will determine whether outdoor or in studio is better. I will take the guess work out of timing and lighting because, well, that’s my job. My goal is to make your session as stress free as I can so we will always have these discussions in plenty time prior to the session date. If you’re interested in booking a session, you may do so here.
