How to Get a BEAUTIFUL Portrait by Window Light March 3, 2010
Posted by Emily in : Photography , trackbackI photographed my friend Annette last week.
She’s beautiful. I know.
She used to model for my bridal store in Dallas, Texas. I could always count on her to model in every runway show.
She is a great live model.
When she responded to the casting call I posted a couple weeks ago, I was excited to see that she moved to Utah. Because I like it when my Texas friends move to Utah.
I don’t think I’ve ever had an easier photo shoot. EVER. The camera LOVES her and she is a natural in front of the camera.
We had the BEST time laughing, talking, and running around to different locations.
Honestly, she is so photogenic, I could have edited EVERY ONE of her images.
This head shot is one of my favorite images from her shoot.
It looks equally stunning in black and white.
I ONLY used window light. No overhead lights, lamps, or flash. JUST WINDOW LIGHT for this image.
Here’s the proof:
This is a snapshot straight out of the camera (zero editing on this image) to show how I shot this image so you could try to duplicate this window light portrait.
First off, what you don’t see is a HUGE window that spans the length of the room. I had Annette sit across from the window on the couch. Lucky for us, it was an overcast day, which made the light very diffused. I had her hold a silver reflector to bounce even more light onto her face. Because the lighting was so soft, she had to hold it quite close.
After metering the shot, I shot this at ISO 200, F5.6, and 1/30th of a second on a tripod. Without a tripod, this image would have been blurry. A general rule about when you should use a tripod and when you can hand hold your camera is this: You should never hand hold your camera when your shutter speed is shorter than the length of your lens. For example, I shot this image with an 18-200 mm lens. I NEVER hand hold this camera at less than 200th of a second because my lens is 200 mm long. Even if my focal length is not 200 mm, (say it’s 80 mm or something) I still use a tripod if I’m shooting at less than 200th of a second. Remember how I feel about blurry images? This is why my tripod goes everywhere with me.
I’ll post more images from her shoot in a couple of days! I’m still editing some of them. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL.
In the mean time, I’d love to see some of your window light portraits! Start shooting and send me a message!
Comments»
beautiful images. You are doing a great job Em…dont discount YOUR talent LOL.
These pictures are GORGEOUS! You do a beautiful job, Emily. Gosh, is it too late to enter the headshot casting call for when you get back to Kansas? If not, I want to do it, too!
Thank you so much for the other day. I had a blast talking to you, and it was like you’d never left. I can’t wait for you to get back here.
By the way, the white blouse turned out VERY well! I did a really slim, slightly puffed sleeve on it that came to within about 2 inches of my elbow with a narrow band at the bottom. Also, because there was a crease in the sleeve that I couldn’t iron out, I used the crease to put in three pin-tucks going down the length of the sleeve. It all turned out beautifully, and if I had a working camera I’d send you a picture. As it is, you’ll have to use your imagination or just wait until you get back here so I can show you in person.
I think I am going to submit her head shot for my residency application!!! LOL
Perfection!! Wow she is gorgeous and this is a stunning image. I love window light and I think the reflector made the light on her face even more magical. You are so good too at explaining things. I see some awesome Emily Lesher Photography workshops in the future.
Emily IS a fantastic photographer! Honestly, I just smiled, and she ran around me in circles getting the shots. Thanks emily!