Better Photos with Better Lighting

It can be tough to capture nicely lit images in real life activities when the activities don't revolve around perfect lighting conditions. Here are a few thoughts to help you evaluate your next photo opp with a more critical eye.

1. Direct Light is Harsh - by direct light, I mean the bright mid-day sunlight is shining in your subject's eyes or on part of their face. It's not very attractive when people are squinting and the light won't be flattering either. Try to get your subject under some shade (though avoid patchy tree shade where there are pockets of light shining through the leaves). If possible, shoot early in the morning or very late in the afternoon when the light is softer.


2. It's True about those Cloudy Days - cloudy days are better to photograph on because they produce nice, soft, diffused light on everything. However, you'll need to pay attention to your subject's eyes and check if they are in shadow or if they have really dark eyes. In either of those cases, turn your flash on so that their eyes will be visible. (They will need to be within 5' for the flash to be effective.)


3. To Use or Not to Use Flash - I avoid using direct flash as the main source of lighting whenever possible, though there are unavoidable instances. When you're indoors during the day, try to open up as many window shades and use as much natural light as possible. Move your subject close to the window, but remember to avoid that direct light. If you haven't tried the night setting on your camera yet (the little icon of a person in front of a black background with a star in the corner), give it a whirl - it can work wonders indoors, not only for night scenes. You'll have to hold the camera still for a little longer, but it does a nice job of using ambient light and less flash.