First Attempt at Natural Light Portraiture
March 22nd 2011 18:10
Hey everyone! As a break from my Weekly Photography Challenge posts, I wanted to show you all my first attempt at Natural Light Portraiture.
I've been reading a lot about the subject and have seen a lot of photographs that I absolutely love using natural light in outdoor photography, so I wanted to try it out for myself. I convinced my sister to be my model and we headed off to her school where she teaches this past weekend to try out all the different styles I had been reading about.
Now, most websites say that the best light for outdoor portraits is in the "golden" light: an hour or so after sunrise or an hour or so before sunset.
These pictures were taken about 2 1/2 hours before sunset. The next crop I do, I'm going to try and get closer to that "golden" hour.
Now there were a few differing opinions on whether to use a flash and where the natural light should be coming from, so I really wanted to experiment with that in this shoot. Let's go through them as I show you my 6 favorite shots.
A little more information - I was using a Panisonic Lumix GF1 with a 14-45mm lens (which is not ideal for portraits). Hair/Make-up/Wardrobe/Model = Nicole. And I did use the flash to fill in the light on my sister's face in nearly all the shots shown below below.
This is the first shot :
I love this one because of the eyes and the natural glow from the sun around her hair. This photo was taken with the model sitting on an outdoor staircase with indirect sunlight (sun above and behind the model). The flash was used to fill light on the model's face.
In editing, I only cropped the photo to follow the rule of thirds better and I also enhanced the color and gave it more of a soft focus. The reason for the soft focus was to try and dimish one thing I wish I had noticed while shooting. The green hedge in the background. It seems to be coming out of her head, which I don't like. Comparable, I love the metal railing that travels up the photo, bringing your eyes straight to my model's eyes.
This is the second shot:
I love this shot because the model is barely looking off camera and the lines of the cinderblocks draw your eye to her. This photo was taken in the shade, but with open sky above her. The flash was used to fill in light. I think the color is really nice here and isn't as washed out as some with direct sunlight (see further below).
In editing, again I cropped the photo just a bit to more closely follow the rule of thirds, as well as boosting the color just a little bit. Again, I opted for a bit more soft focusing around the edge (it's just a style I like).
This is the third photo:
As you can see, this is more of a body shot in the same location as the last photo. Still in the shade of the building, but with open sky above. Again, I really loved the lines of the cinderblocks behind my model and I think she's making an interesting shape with her arms that adds to the shot.
In editing, I really wanted to drain the color out of the photo without making it fully black and white or sepia. I felt that her facial expression seemed to call for something less vibrant than full color. So I played with the saturation, highlights and shadows until I came up with this. Her skin and hair have just the tiniest bit of color, while her patterned dress still shows off the blues, pinks, greens and purples.
This is the fourth photo:
This photo was taken with the model sitting on a picnic table, with the sun behind her head. I was working from below and to my right in order to capture the sun flares peaking out behind her (which I LOVE). I also love how the wind gives the photo a sense of movement. I did not use the flash for this photo.
In editing, because I didn't use the flash to fill the light of my model's face, I needed to lighten the photo a bit to really show off the features of my model. Plus, I loved the sun glare so much that I decided to turn the photo black and white so that it became more of a focal point.
This is the fifth photo:
This photo was taken with the model in direct sunlight (you can see it was off to the left of the photo and I was taking the photo from off to the right). I decided to almost center my model in this frame and I really like the out-of-focus foreground and just the peak of the sky near the top of the frame. I know this doesn't follow the rule of thirds, but I love how this one turned out.
In editing, all I really did was boost and antique the color.
This is the last photo:
This is the same set up as the last photo, with the model in direct sunlight (again off to the left, this time I'm still shooting from the right, however, much tighter). I love the day-dreaming quality of this photo. And although the direct sunlight is a bit harsh on the edge, I also think it contributes to that day-dreaming feeling. The only thing I wish I could change is the framing, since a few fingers are missing from the shot.
As for editing, I did the same as before, boosted and antiqued the color. The only thing I don't like from the post-processing in the color of the sky (now more of a yellow, then a white&blue)... But I don't think most will be looking at the skyline compared to the model.
Critiques and comments are more than welcome below!
I've been reading a lot about the subject and have seen a lot of photographs that I absolutely love using natural light in outdoor photography, so I wanted to try it out for myself. I convinced my sister to be my model and we headed off to her school where she teaches this past weekend to try out all the different styles I had been reading about.
Now, most websites say that the best light for outdoor portraits is in the "golden" light: an hour or so after sunrise or an hour or so before sunset.
These pictures were taken about 2 1/2 hours before sunset. The next crop I do, I'm going to try and get closer to that "golden" hour.
Now there were a few differing opinions on whether to use a flash and where the natural light should be coming from, so I really wanted to experiment with that in this shoot. Let's go through them as I show you my 6 favorite shots.
A little more information - I was using a Panisonic Lumix GF1 with a 14-45mm lens (which is not ideal for portraits). Hair/Make-up/Wardrobe/Model = Nicole. And I did use the flash to fill in the light on my sister's face in nearly all the shots shown below below.
This is the first shot :
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography
I love this one because of the eyes and the natural glow from the sun around her hair. This photo was taken with the model sitting on an outdoor staircase with indirect sunlight (sun above and behind the model). The flash was used to fill light on the model's face.
Pros & Cons (Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography)
In editing, I only cropped the photo to follow the rule of thirds better and I also enhanced the color and gave it more of a soft focus. The reason for the soft focus was to try and dimish one thing I wish I had noticed while shooting. The green hedge in the background. It seems to be coming out of her head, which I don't like. Comparable, I love the metal railing that travels up the photo, bringing your eyes straight to my model's eyes.
This is the second shot:
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography
I love this shot because the model is barely looking off camera and the lines of the cinderblocks draw your eye to her. This photo was taken in the shade, but with open sky above her. The flash was used to fill in light. I think the color is really nice here and isn't as washed out as some with direct sunlight (see further below).
Edits (Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography)
In editing, again I cropped the photo just a bit to more closely follow the rule of thirds, as well as boosting the color just a little bit. Again, I opted for a bit more soft focusing around the edge (it's just a style I like).
This is the third photo:
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography
As you can see, this is more of a body shot in the same location as the last photo. Still in the shade of the building, but with open sky above. Again, I really loved the lines of the cinderblocks behind my model and I think she's making an interesting shape with her arms that adds to the shot.
In editing, I really wanted to drain the color out of the photo without making it fully black and white or sepia. I felt that her facial expression seemed to call for something less vibrant than full color. So I played with the saturation, highlights and shadows until I came up with this. Her skin and hair have just the tiniest bit of color, while her patterned dress still shows off the blues, pinks, greens and purples.
This is the fourth photo:
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography
This photo was taken with the model sitting on a picnic table, with the sun behind her head. I was working from below and to my right in order to capture the sun flares peaking out behind her (which I LOVE). I also love how the wind gives the photo a sense of movement. I did not use the flash for this photo.
In editing, because I didn't use the flash to fill the light of my model's face, I needed to lighten the photo a bit to really show off the features of my model. Plus, I loved the sun glare so much that I decided to turn the photo black and white so that it became more of a focal point.
This is the fifth photo:
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography
This photo was taken with the model in direct sunlight (you can see it was off to the left of the photo and I was taking the photo from off to the right). I decided to almost center my model in this frame and I really like the out-of-focus foreground and just the peak of the sky near the top of the frame. I know this doesn't follow the rule of thirds, but I love how this one turned out.
In editing, all I really did was boost and antique the color.
This is the last photo:
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography
This is the same set up as the last photo, with the model in direct sunlight (again off to the left, this time I'm still shooting from the right, however, much tighter). I love the day-dreaming quality of this photo. And although the direct sunlight is a bit harsh on the edge, I also think it contributes to that day-dreaming feeling. The only thing I wish I could change is the framing, since a few fingers are missing from the shot.
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography
As for editing, I did the same as before, boosted and antiqued the color. The only thing I don't like from the post-processing in the color of the sky (now more of a yellow, then a white&blue)... But I don't think most will be looking at the skyline compared to the model.
Critiques and comments are more than welcome below!
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