What do photographers mean by 'good' light?
Sure, you need a camera to take a picture. But you also need light. And if you’re primarily a natural light photographer, like me, then not just any light will do. You want to have good light.
So what does it mean to have good light?
In a portrait studio you can control the lighting however you want by using different light sources and modifiers. You can use lights and modifiers outside the studio too, but when you shoot outside your main light source is the sun. And the quality of the light—how good it is—changes throughout the day based on the position of the sun. The quality of light is influenced by how much it is softened by the atmosphere, whether by its position in the sky or the amount of cloud cover on any given day.
I’m sure you’ve had photographers encourage you to book a late afternoon portrait session, or heard them raving about the ‘dreamy’ or ‘glowy’ light. I’ve definitely uttered “Look at that glow!” in my sessions before. We mean that the quality of the light is soft, warm and gives even shadows and beautiful skin tones. It actually does make you look better in your photographs!
If you’ve spent any time on Instagram or Pinterest scouting for photographers or scoping outfit ideas I’m sure you’ve seen beautiful photos that just seem to have a glow about them. The colors are warm and skin is soft and even. To achieve those dreamy Instagram-worthy photos you need to shoot in good light. So how do we do that?
These ideal lighting conditions happen at a time referred to as ‘Golden Hour.’ This happens naturally right before sunset and right after sunrise when the sun is closer to the horizon. As the sun gets higher in the sky the light becomes more harsh and isn’t as flattering because the light falls more vertically and there is less diffusion through the atmosphere. This can result in harsher shadows which aren’t ideal for portraits.
I prefer to shoot in the mornings or late afternoon when the light will give us that warm glow but I understand that isn’t possible for every family. Harsh lighting can be saved by careful location scouting and posing so we can definitely find a time to take beautiful photos for you!
I have young children myself and I know that late afternoon sessions can be tough for littles. This is especially true in the summer when the days are long and kids and mamas are tired at the end of the day! If you think your kids won’t be able to hang late into the day for a summer shoot, I recommend that you consider booking a morning session or aiming for spring or fall when the golden hour comes earlier with the shorter days. There is still ‘good’ light to be found earlier in the day, it’s cooler, and everyone is well rested. The major thing we will have to contend is a little dew that maybe hasn’t burned off yet.
So book that afternoon session and plan to give the kids a later nap to get them through, or promise donuts after that early morning session is over. You won’t regret it!
Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a post!