Getting good natural light for portraits is an easy concept to understand. It can often be difficult to find the perfect location, but once you know what to look for, it becomes easier. This post is dedicated to helping you take good portraits and learn how to see and use good natural light.
I recently posted a series of portraits on Flickr. I got a great response, so I though I’d explore why these portraits were successful. I was just playing around with a new camera and decided to shoot some quick pictures of a bunch of kids that I teach English to here in Taipei, Taiwan.
I use the term “quick pictures” very deliberately. All of the portraits were taken on a playground at playtime and I’m sure you know that 5 year-olds don’t stay still for very long.
What’s nice about this playground is that it’s got great light that is fairly even all over it. Before we talk about the light specifically, let’s look at some other things you need to remember to get a good portrait.
First, of course, you want an interesting subject. Cute kids, old wrinkly people, skateboarders, and monks are among my favorite subjects.
Learn more about natural light portraiture after the jump…
