Guide to Capturing Natural Light Portraits with Flash and Ambient Lighting
Almost everyone who starts out in photography does so relying upon ambient light. As you grow in the field and start to develop a body of work, you begin to look for ways to obtain more control over your images and the first step is artificial lighting. At first, this can be daunting because you are now in total control of this new element of your photographic process whereas before, you only had to adapt to what was already present. In this tutorial, we’ll boost your understanding of flash and teach you how to capture natural light portraits with flash.
Understanding the Balance Between Natural Light and Flash
When it comes to flash photography, a lot of photographers mistakenly assume that flash can’t look natural. Of course, this simply isn’t true. In fact, we can show you, step-by-step, how to make your flash photography look as though you only used natural light. The “secret” lies in understanding the balancing act between flash power and ambient exposure.
When you’re looking for the right balance between the ambient light and your flash, a good way to start is to dial in your camera settings using only the natural light first. This will set the foundation for the lighting that you will build upon with your flash. When you do add your flash, it will serve a fill light. Note: Regarding your camera settings, most cameras have a maximum sync speed of 1/250th.
The C.A.M.P. Framework
We follow this sequence as we work through portrait sessions:
- Composition
- Ambient Exposure
- Modify/Add Light
- Pose and Photograph
Regardless of the technique we’re trying to showcase, we always want to pay proper attention to composition. To capture convincing natural light portraits with flash, you have to dial in an appropriate ambient exposure. For natural looking light, keep your ambient light brighter in-camera and your flash power low. Do the opposite to create a dramatically lit image. As we mentioned, high flash power or low ambient exposure will make the lighting in the scene look more dramatic and less natural.
Matching Light Quality and Source Size
In general, you want to match the artificial light with the natural light. So if the ambient light is soft, you’ll want the light coming from your flash to be soft as well. If the light is hard, you’ll want the same from your flash to keep the look of your image consistent. This is where light modifiers come into play as they give your greater control of the light coming from your flash.
Understand the effect of light source size: the larger a light source is the softer the light it will produce. Conversely, a small light source will produce a harder light. Generally, softer light, which is more flattering light, is used for women while a harder light is more suited to men.
Time of Day for Natural Light Photography
The time plays an important role in natural light photography, and the best time of day for natural light photography depends on the images you want to create. Each time of day has different characteristics of the light; the white balance, the colours, and the direction of the sun.
| Time of Day | Colours | Direction of the Sun | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dusk, dawn, and twilight | Blue | Below the horizon | Low and diffused, calm tone, low contrast. |
| Golden hour, sunrise, and sunset | Yellow, Orange, and Red | Near horizontal | Prime time for photography with soft Western light. |
| Midday and afternoon | Neutral/Hard | High overhead | Can create harsh shadows; finding open shade is recommended. |
Technical Recommendations and Gear
Finding soft, even light is what I always strive for when I want to create a flattering portrait, as it helps to avoid having my subjects squinting, and it avoids the issue of “contrast-y”, harsh shadows falling on their face. Having these tools help immeasurably because they allow you to carefully craft how you interpret your subject matter, including the depth of field and shutter speed.
Recommended Gear
- Camera
- Lens (85 mm 1.2 or 70-200 mm 2.8 are most often used)
- Off-Camera Flash
- Manfrotto Nano or Any Other Stand
- MagSphere 2 (Light Modifier)
- MagShoe 2
When you do add your flash, start with your power settings low and increase it only if you need more. To illustrate our point, we placed the flash on a stand and positioned it at roughly a 45-degree angle off-camera. This helps you to carefully craft how you interpret your subject matter and discover the vision for your photo shoot.