naturallight

Chasing the Light at White Sands National Park

America’s national parks are a true source of pride. Each is unique in what it offers and this is certainly true of one of the more off-the-beaten-track parks.

Golden Hour: When Sunlight is Warm and Photos are Magical

If you’ve been outside during a nice sunrise or sunset, chances are good you’ve heard the term “golden hour.” It’s one of the best times to do many types of photography and a beautiful time to be outside. This guide will help you understand golden hour, when it happens, and how to make the most of it through various types of photography.

Natural Light vs. Strobes: Everything They Say is a Lie

During the dark ages of digital photography, also known as the early 2000s, I was spending an awful lot of time trying to get my Canon 430EX Speedlite to work as an off-camera flash. Speedlites, by design, were clearly never meant to be used that way.

How to Create Natural Light with Strobes: Big Modifiers and Bouncing Flash

Natural light is one of the easiest ways to shoot portraits with minimal gear. More often than not natural light is soft and flattering to the face. Yet, a photographer who is able to create natural light in the complete absence of it is valued highly. That is of course with strobes. Here’s how you can easily create natural-looking light with flash.

How to Shoot In Natural Light Without Modifiers Like a Pro

Shooting in natural light can be quite difficult. In fact, many photographers gravitate towards studio photography to avoid natural light completely. However, natural light can be manipulated in a way that will produce great work.

The Secret to Amazing Cityscape Photos: A Magic 15-Minute Window

After shooting cities all around the globe for the past 15 years, I managed to publish seven coffee table books featuring cities like Paris, Venice, Los Angeles, and New York. I learned the hard way when was the best time to shoot and want to save you the time and effort so you can make the best photos of cityscapes possible.

How to Build a Fake Sun That Looks Unbelievably Realistic

Want to shoot indoor "natural light" photos... at night? All you have to do is build yourself an artificial sun. That sounds wild, but it's actually neither too difficult nor too expensive -- this 24-minute tutorial by DIY Perks will teach you exactly how it can be done.

Photographer Uses Backyard Shed to Shoot Gorgeous Natural Light Portraits

Calgary-based portrait photographer and YouTuber Irene Rudnyk recently put together a photo shoot that's getting some well-deserved attention. Using just the shed in her backyard and the natural light pouring in, she was able to capture some gorgeous fashion portraits that imitate a popular in-studio lighting setup.

How to Shoot Portraits in Dappled Light

I’ve been photographing weddings for 10 years now, so I’ve seen and dealt with nearly every lighting scenario possible, from a dark church with no windows, to a wedding ceremony at high noon with not a cloud in sight. But one thing most photographers don’t know is how to photograph in dappled light!

On Leaving My Flashes at Home for a Portrait Shoot

It started as a regular booking inquiry from a client. They wanted to book me for an engagement shoot a month before their wedding. The destination was decided (the Port of Jaffa), and the time was set (an hour before sunset).

Shooting Pro Portraits with Window Light in a Tiny Home Studio

If you'd like to shoot studio portraits but don't have access to an actual studio or pricey equipment, you can achieve beautiful results with a minimalist setup in a small room that's bathed in natural window light. Here's a 5-minute video by photographer Irene Rudnyk that shows this type of setup for a recent shoot.

Shooting Portraits in a Bedroom with a Reflector and Natural Light

Here's an inspiring 5-minute behind-the-scenes video by photographer Irene Rudnyk, who shot a series of gorgeous portraits in a bedroom using only natural light and a reflector. This video shows what if you don't have pricey lighting equipment, you can still do quite a bit with just window light and some creativity.

How to Combine Flash and Ambient Light for Better Outdoor Portraits

Moving from using only natural light to flash photography is a big step for an outdoor photographer, but before you ditch ambient light entirely, give this video a look. As photographer Francisco Hernandez explains, you'll often get more pleasing results by pulling some ambient light back in.

In Defense Of Flash: 5 Reasons to Move Beyond Natural Light Photography

Flash is a complicated beast, let’s put it that way.

Say you’ve spent the last few years of your photography journey perfecting natural light, and you know the exposure triangle by heart. Flash comes in to the picture and ruins that perfect triangle, making it more of an exposure square.

Natural Light vs Off-Camera Flash: An Eye-Opening Demonstration

Even a single off-camera flash can make a massive difference in an outdoor portrait shoot, giving you a look that is simply impossible to capture with natural light alone. Photographer Manuel Ortiz demonstrates this beautifully in a quick, eye-opening comparison video.

Useful Tips for Combining Flash and Ambient Light

You may swear by natural light, but sometimes available light just doesn't cooperate. So for those times when you're faced with an overcast sky but need a sunset, or the ambient light is harsh and direct, these tips from photographer Adam Angelides will help you capture natural looking images by combining ambient light with flash.

8 Tips for Making Better Environmental Portraits in Natural Light

Environmental portraits typically portray a person in their natural environment. Different from traditional portraits shot in a studio, locational portraits capture the character of the subject and give insight into their daily life making for a more personal image, generally telling some kind of story about who the subject is.

‘The Revenant’ Was Shot Almost Entirely with Natural Light

The Revenant is an upcoming western thriller film that's inspired by the crazy life of explorer and fur trapper Hugh Glass. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Glass, the rugged and violent movie has one quality that may be of interest to photographers: it was shot nearly 100% with natural light.

Video: How to Use the Sun During Shoots at Sunrise, Noon, and Magic Hour

The sun can be a photographer’s best friend: it is a constant source of light that lasts all day and doesn’t require any power from your end to keep it up and running. However, knowing how exactly to work with a source of lighting that changes over time can be a bit difficult. In the 6-minute video above, director of photography Jon Salmon and his team show us how to use the sun during various times of the day to obtain the ideal lighting during a shoot.

Why Use Studio Lights When You Can Use the Sun?

My name is Jeremy Lebled, and I'm a fashion photographer. I recently just did a shoot to demo Leica's S Camera. My specialty is using just the sun to get a high-end studio look to photographs instead of using dozens of strobes.

Tips for Shooting Food Photos with Simple Tools and Natural Light

With a little ingenuity, you can use everyday objects to craft a beautiful photoshoot of professional proportions. In her latest video on Vimeo, photographer Jenny Woodward showcases how to use natural light and household objects to photograph different bits of food, from cookies to a salad. Most captivating is how she utilizes each household object to manipulate the light around her subject.