Whether you're taking a snapshot of your child, photographing a project for your blog, or just shooting for fun as a hobby, you can dramatically change the look of your photographs instantly — you just have to know where to go in your home. I took a carefully styled and selected collection of objects (okay, it was my breakfast), placed everything on a few pieces of scrap wood for simplicity's sake, and moved the little mini-vignette to three distinctly different areas in my house that are very differently lit.
First I went to the closest place, my kitchen counter. I have a mix of fluorescent and incandescent lighting, but… yuck. Not a good look. These types of artificial lighting not only cast harsh shadows, they all have different color temperatures which can make a photo look too cool, too warm, or even worse — cool in some spots and warm in others.
Here's a pulled-back shot of my not-so-beautiful kitchen counter lighting setup:
Moving on. How about natural light? Beautiful, strong sunlight — that should do the trick, right?
While direct sunlight looks loads better than artificial light, we've still got lots of harsh shadowing to deal with. Plus this directional light really points out the flaws in whatever we're photographing — it's not very forgiving.
Here's a shot pulled back from this better-but-not-quite-there-yet direct sun photograph:
So what's the secret? Natural light, yes — but indirect natural light.
Here's a wider angle on this indirectly-lit photo:
Find a window during the day that doesn't have light streaming directly through it — a north or south-facing window is a good place to start — and you're golden. Indirect natural light bathes your subject in a more even, pleasing manner… and instantly transforms your scene from dreadful to divine.
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(Images: Sarah Dobbins)
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Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Great tip. Will give it a try.
Wow, it seems so obvious, but it hasn't been in my prior thinking. It will be now. Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you for this simple and valuable tip!
Thanks for the great tip!
I'm a food blogger and this is how I take all my food photos. If you want to soften the shadows in the photo, just place a piece of white foamcore opposite the window to 'bounce a little light into the shadowy areas.
haha, that is breakfast??
: )
Great "preuve a l'appui" how-to demo. I'm sorry that your coffee must have been cold after all that experimentation. Thanks!
Great tip! I'm definitely going to try this out. Love the coffee mug, by the way. :)
That mug is beautiful - I love vintage pieces like that!
Awesome tips! I love your wood backdrop. I keep meaning to get a big roll of white paper to create my own sweep.
Here are more photo and styling tips from bloggers Emily Henderson and Morgan Satterfield. I got to see them impart some wisdom at Alt:
http://thenestinggame.com/2012/01/25/learning-from-the-pros/
My grandmother has that set of cups. Beautiful picture.
Excellent idea. I wouldn't even think to create a blog post about this but it is so needed. Thanks.
I used to have that same little cup, but in green! I had it in my first apartment, and it had a chipped rim. What a nice memory :)
Thanks. Now I want cookies!
Excellent timing! I've been having trouble photographing some polymer clay jewelry lately, and for some reason, never thought of this! (I should know better, too, since I DO think of north light for painting and all that...) Thanks!
Thank you so much!
Good tip. Keep in mind though, that if you want interesting photos, direct light is not always the enemy. It just depends what look the photographer is trying to capture. Direct sunlight is a good way to pick up on textures because of the shadows.
such a small change for such a big result. thanks!
(& yummy breakfast!)
wow thanks. Indirect daylight it is from now on :)
Great....now if only I could move my windows around to accomodate better photos. Any suggestions?
Natural light is the best :)
coolspacesindonosti.blogspot.com
If you want to get even more involved, the things outside the window are also going to affect your light. A red brick wall bouncing light into your room will warm everything up and make it cozy. A cool white wall, or green foliage, is going to cool down your light a bit. And of course your wall paint color will also bounce indirect, colored light on the objects within the room.
Cookies for breakfast! My kind of nutrition!
Great tips. It is also amazing how an amateur like me can filter the photos with all the amazing aps out there! Check out some of my shots..would love your thoughts.
xo
E
http://www.urbanchiqueness.com
how many scraps of wood do you have around the house? lol
only recently i learned this tip too having started my own blog. i prefer this method as opposed to tweaking photos using applications - personally, they just seem 'fake' or overdone. of course photos published using apps look great but i prefer doing it the old school way and knowing what my readers see came from my efforts entirely.
I also keep a large piece of styrofoam stashed for photo ops – sometimes you just need something to bounce light off. I do my own passport pics and occasionally need to do some product photography for clients. But I'm in no way a professional photographer, so this was an interesting tip.
Great article, it just goes to show you dont always need photo shop and years of experience to achieve different effects with your online photography.
We have loads of problems photographing our rugs on our website and sometimes we find it is better to use as much natural light as possible without direct beams of light that shine through windows as this can over expose the picture.
www.therugretailer.co.uk
Ha, this is great! When I was photographing a bunch of stuff that I wanted to sell, I used my wooden drawing boards in the same exact color as above as a background for all the items. What a difference it makes!
The only thing was that I used a combination of different lights. Some of the items I was photographing were too large to be propped in the space where I was using the direct light, so I had to find other ways to photograph it with a nice background.
Great tips overall!
COOL! I take a lot of food photos of treat-related things, even though I'm a Children's Book blogger and this tip is VERY VERY HELPFUL!
Before I clicked on this I thought it was a digital Photoshop type effect you apply, from looking at the small left and right photos. My mind. was. blown. I've been staring at them for a good five minutes wondering about the algorithm or whatever; thank God this isn't some unimaginable magic filter.
Er, certainly not a south facing window. Sun is consistently pouring through mine year round. Even when it's not a direct sunbeam, the light is much too harsh from a southern exposure on a sunny day.
If it's overcast, any window will do! Grey skies are perfect for nicely lit photography.
Great tip and I really appreciate the pulled back shots of the three areas so I can see what the lighting really was.
Smiles,
Lesli :)
Try an easy DIY light box made from a cardboard box and some diffusion paper. It has made the biggest difference to my food photography.
I only have south-facing windows, so I'm pretty much lumbered with direct light. However, if the light is filtered through plain net curtains, would that create the desired effect?
Oooh, I love that mug too! Who's the maker?
Thanks so much for the tips! I'm always trying to make my pics look a little more "professional"... lots to learn!!
The Mug is made by a old danish firm, and is not produced anymore. Bing og Grøndahl is it called. You can find the in every lawsale in denmark.
A friend with only south facing windows puts almost white paper over them when she is shooting. Works great. Eliminates the glare.