It’s surprisingly easy to create stunning indoor portraits of family members with window light. Of course, it’s easiest to just grab my phone and take a slew of candid shots wherever my grandchild is. But just a little more effort gets me from ok to stunning.
I have learned to see light. I notice how the light falls on a face; whether it’s harsh light from overhead casting ugly shadows under eyes and nose, or illuminating the hair from behind with a glow that turns an imp into an angel, or soft light on one side of the face leaving other the side in intriguing shadow. I’m tuned in to the quality of light, too- if it’s gentle and flattering, or bright and harsh. I even notice the color of light- cool blue morning light, warm golden sunset light, martian green fluorescent light or overly orange incandescent light. I’m aware when light is bouncing off surfaces into the face. Light bouncing off foliage and grass can throw a green cast into a pale face. A bright shirt can bounce it’s color into the wearer’s face and even into another face close-by.
But getting back to window light. I love to use the gentle light from a north facing window on a child’s face. I know we can’t always get a truly candid shot that also has perfect lighting, but a little gentle direction or lots of patience can produce an excellent portrait. I have asked a child to look at something out the window and then grabbed a shot. This works for north facing windows or an east facing window in the afternoon or a west facing window in the morning.
South facing windows are trickier. The southern light is often too bold except on overcast days. On bright days, a sheer curtain can diffuse the light or just enticing the child farther from the window reduces the glare. By sad experience, I can tell you that shots taken with the child’s back to the window rarely turn out well. The window becomes a blinding white background behind a dark face with indistinguishable features. But don’t be afraid of shooting with the child’s shoulder toward the window with face straight ahead. (The child’s body is 90 degrees to the window and you are facing the child.) As long as the window light is gentle, the side of face closest to the window will be lit from the side while the other side of the face will be shadowy. This isn’t a problem because highlights and shadows are what give dimensionality. Even light tends to flatten, but shadow adds depth. If the light is bright enough, you could ask the child to take a step or two backward so her shoulder is aimed at the window wall instead of the window. This allows the window light to skim across the face which provides gentle light with less contrast between light side and dark side of face. If this makes the face too dark, have the child turn slightly toward the light. You can also stand with your back to the window and the child facing you to get light that spreads evenly over the entire face.
The purpose of all this effort to use window light is to make images that beautifully portray your loved one in the best possible light.