One of the most important ingredients in photography is light. There are a few different ways to light your subject (front, back, side, etc.) The trick is knowing the right kind of light.
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The flash on your camera is NOT good light. Turn it off. Avoid using the flash if at all possible or save it for those moments when it’s absolutely necessary. There’s one super easy way to know if the light you’re shooting in is good or not. And it’s all in the eyes. Look in your subject’s eyes. What do you see? Dark pits? Shadows? Unnatural color? If so, you’re looking at bad light. This can happen when the sun is directly overhead (shadows). When your subject is facing away from the main light source (dark pits). Or if your subject is sitting next to some really strongly colored light like a warm desk lamp or a strong flourescent light (unnatural color). Now if you have a willing subject at hand, ask them to stay in that same location and follow your eyes (or camera) as you move. Now walk a circle around them, paying very, very close attention to what happens to your subject’s eyes. Are they moving in and out of shadows? Getting darker or lighter? Or are they…lighting up?! STOP! When you see a glisteny reflection in your subject’s eyes, you’ve found it. You’ve found the good light. You’re looking at your very first catchlight (because you’ve literally caught the light in your subject’s eyes). Congratulations! The bigger the catchlight, the better the light.
Tomorrow we’ll talk more about different ways to light your subject. If you would like this and other fabulous photography tips delivered to your inbox every Friday, click here!
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