If you’re a photographer or videographer, there are plenty of times when you need to shoot outside in natural lighting, especially if you’re shooting events and working with musicians, athletes, or other artists. If you’re used to working in a studio, or just growing as a photographer, it can be daunting to shoot outside. It’s frustrating to not have full control over the lighting, but we have some tips to help you adapt to using natural light.
Time of Day
One key part of outdoor photography and videography is knowing the best times of day to shoot and film. As a general rule, you want to work early in the morning close to sunrise, or in the evening close to sunset. At these times of day, the sun is low on the horizon, meaning the light is usually soft and more flattering for portraits.
Sadly though, these times of day are short, and it’s nearly impossible to fit in a full video or photo shoot during “golden hour” either in the morning or the evening. If you can, plan to get to your location early (no matter what time of day you’re scheduled for) so that you can scout out your favorite positions before the lighting is right.
Using the Sun
Whether you can control what time of day you’re filming or not, you can always use natural lighting to your advantage in different ways. The important thing is that you consciously choose how you and your subject are positioned in relation to the sun. If you want your subject to be well lit, make sure you position the sun behind you and your subject in front of you. If you want dramatic silhouettes, position your subject between you and the sun.
Alternatively, if you’re able to take advantage of the weather, you can shoot on cloudy days for soft, dispersed light. If it’s Winter, you can shoot close to the ground to get light reflecting up off the snow. Alternatively, if it’s raining you can shoot dramatic urban night shots with all the street lights reflecting off the puddles in the street. The important thing is to go out and experiment so that you know what works well for you in different conditions.
With these steps in mind, just remember to have fun with it and experiment with different ideas. Even if you’re shooting in the middle of the day with unflattering overhead sunlight, you could position your subject in the shade of a tree, or try different dramatic angles to work around the problem. Obviously you should plan ahead to try and get the best conditions, but there are also plenty of creative solutions for all kinds of lighting.
If you want to see some of our own photos, check out our photography page. Alternatively reach out to us for help with your own project or photoshoot.