using natural light and not studio lamps

[ester]

Hiya,

 

I was wondering if anyone knew examples of good photographers who dont use

flash but only natural light? My lights are not very good and i am sick of

spending so much money, so i would like to be able to study other

photographers who use only natural light. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

thanks, Ester

[root]

My last three uploads use window light reflected off a white mat board. It works for some poses, but has limitations.

 

You really do need catch lights in the eyes and a large diffuse light source to reduce skin irregularities.

[ester]

Thanks Carl, lovely photos by the way. Uneven skin not such a problem because right now my focus is on children but catchlights are. I've tried bouncing flash off of white reflector boards but the catchlights look awful, have two in each eye. Plus the light still looks a bit fake. Am going to try again later with silver reflectors and natural light so that maybe i'll get more light. THanks for the response, regards, ester

[michaelmowery]

Hi Ester,

You can check out my work to see some examples of natural light photography. Look at the

kids portfolio the last six images. Also under my portrait portfolio nubers 18,20, 22-25.

When you say your lights are not very good what do you mean by that? I can make the

cheapest flash make you look good. It is all in the hands of a professional that knows his or

hers lighting.

 

http://www.michaelmowery.com

[ester]

Michael, I've run out of time but i wanted to that those are lovely photos and exactly what i am trying to get at. If you dont mind I will write again later to tell you about which lights I am using. Thanks again Michael, regards, ester

[aeaster]

Esther, I don't know if my experiences and examples would be helpful to you or not, as I do not photograph people. But I have never used flash or studio lights on any of my works shown here on Pnet.

[ester]

Andre, I would love to hear how you lit your last few still life photos, I am not sure if it is suitable for portraits but i also wanted to try and start photographing flowers and i think it might be perfect for that. Thank you so much for the offer of help, regards, ester

[john_murphy1]

Unfortunately, there's a good reason many of us spend money on flash equipment, namely,

good light is hard to find. Ask any nature photographer about the hours he spends waiting

for just the right light to appear. Furthermore, human subjects, particularly children, won't

sit still long enough for a great photo even when the light is right, rendering flash a

necessity.

[judson_phillips]

Monte Zucker is doing a lot of this. If you go to his website, he has a lot of examples.

[giuseppe_miriello1]

I generaly use a window to get lateral light - better if it has white tents - and a passive reflector to fill in the shadows... i also use on-camera flash at -2.0 ev (or sometime the passive reflector itself) to provide catchlights in eyes. <br><br>

Passive reflectors are a transportable and affordable way to shoot with natural light indoors and outdoors, their skin is interchangeable so you can get white, golden, silvered (bluish cast) skins to change light quality... in the case you are interested to them go to www.lastolite.com and make your pick...

[ester]

Hey thanks Giuseppe, sounds like exactly what I am looking for, I am also going to study your wondeful photos so I can see the possibilities. Thanks again, Ester