NZPhotographer Issue 43, May 2021

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Getting The Most From Natural Light by Charlotte E. Johnson LIGHT TYPES Top left: Hard light. Top right: Soft, diffused light. Bottom left: Flat light. Bottom right: Shade. Observe the difference in the transition of light to shadow on the model’s cheek between the top left and top right images (hard vs soft light). See how diffused lighting retains shadows and depth in the model’s face compared to flat light and how muddy the image shot in shade looks compared to the others. Model: Monnie Jay. OVERVIEW Natural light can be the most beautiful form of light under the right conditions but, most of the time, it’s not quite as simple as heading outside and snapping a photo. Our strong New Zealand sunlight often results in less than flattering results for portraiture – think shiny skin and harsh shadows. You could wait for an overcast day when the sun is hidden behind clouds to take your photos but, whilst this lighting won’t give your subject harsh shadows, it doesn’t allow much contrast and is quite flat. The examples above are the exact opposite of each other; what is known as ‘hard light’ e.g. direct sunlight, and ‘soft light’ e.g. an overcast day. You can tell the difference by looking at the transition between light 22 May 2021 NZPhotographer
and shadow. Photos with very little or no transition were taken in hard light, whereas a gradual transition is the result of soft (or at least softer) light. Soft light is much more commonly used for portraiture as it is typically more flattering, especially for anyone with blemishes, wrinkles, or shiny skin. Despite this, hard light shouldn’t be entirely overlooked though it can be more difficult to work with and you might need to do more post processing. Because of the look of hard light, you may feel you can’t capture a good portrait in bright sunlight. In this article, I want to share several tips and tricks I’ve found for using any kind of daylight for portraiture, including (and especially) bright sunlight. THE HUMBLE REFLECTOR If you search online for how to photograph people in bright sunlight, one of the most common responses is to move your subject into shade. Whilst this will avoid the pitfalls of harsh light, it is a bit boring and you may as well have stayed indoors. Shaded areas don’t offer much contrast or depth to the lighting and can even cause your auto white balance to take on a blue or green tint, making skin tones appear muddy. To make your subject pop in shade, you need to introduce some light via either a reflector or a flash. Every portrait photographer should own a 5-in-1 reflector. They’re cheap, compact, and oh-so versatile. This is where you go and check the back of your ‘photography cupboard’ to dig out and dust off the reflector you bought all those years ago but never used. Hint: if it’s really old, open it up outside as they can go flakey! The 5-in-1 reflector has a reversible zipped cover with silver, white, gold, and black sides and the cover fits over a collapsible frame with diffusion cloth. They come in a range of sizes and shapes – a large reflector will be a softer light source than a small reflector but can be more difficult to handle. You probably know all this already, so here’s a handy table with more information that perhaps you weren’t aware of. USES PROS CONS SILVER Highly reflective, neutral colour. Use to create highlights or fill shadows. Relatively hard light with contrast. Can be used from a greater distance than a white reflector. Be careful not to reflect light into your subject’s eyes. WHITE Subtle reflection of light, neutral colour. Useful for creating highlights or filling shadows. Soft light. More flattering than the silver cover for shiny skin, wrinkles, or blemishes. Must be positioned much closer to the subject than a silver reflector, limiting the type of shot captured. GOLD Same as silver but with a warm tone. Can be used to add warmth to an image or simulate golden light. Has a bad reputation due to over-use in the 70’s. Needs to be used appropriately. BLACK Absorbs light. Used to create subtle, soft shadows. Useful for creating depth in flat light. As with white, must be positioned close to the subject. DIFFUSION Diffuses light like a softbox. Softens hard light. Ideal for use with direct sunlight. Smaller sizes may not entirely cover your subject whilst larger sizes are more difficult to hold in position. As well as the uses above, a reflector can be used as a plain background in a pinch, a ‘flag’ (something that blocks light), a windbreak, or to create a breeze to give movement to hair which is how I often use mine, I call it wafting the model! Of course, all these things are much easier if you have a second pair of hands, but you could (and I do) just clamp a reflector to a stand or tripod. There is a right way and a wrong way to use a reflector to light your subject. Put simply, never angle your reflector to bounce light upwards. This creates a Halloween-horror look, similar to holding a flashlight under your chin. Shadows are in the wrong place and catchlights are in the bottom of the eyes. We are so used to NZPhotographer May 2021 23
Page 1 and 2: ISSUE 43, May 2021 CREATING PORTRAI
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS 7 10 18 22 31 32 38 44 64
Page 5 and 6: Summit Session 1 Coversvation Photo
Page 7 and 8: Behind The Shot with Sandra Benson
Page 9 and 10: Remarkable Form, Exceptional Functi
Page 11 and 12: Lavender Dreams Nikon D780, 50mm le
Page 13 and 14: Pure Beauty Studio Shot Nikon D780,
Page 15 and 16: Top & Bottom: Girl on a boat Nikon
Page 17 and 18: Photo by @ryandomenico Tamron 28-75
Page 19 and 20: Top: Pandemic Plantation Bottom: Se
Page 21: Lockdown Cement High Country Deer,
Page 25 and 26: Utilizing window light can give ama
Page 27 and 28: CREATIVE LIGHTING Left: The model h
Page 29 and 30: NZPhotographer May 2021 29
Page 31 and 32: WHY DO WE NEED PHOTOGRAPHS? With bi
Page 33 and 34: WATER BALLOONS CONNULL LANG To capt
Page 35 and 36: WHITE WASH PAMELA JOHNSTONE A diffe
Page 37 and 38: NANA'S WATCH ANN KILPATRICK This is
Page 39 and 40: Yes! I’m on the road again and as
Page 41 and 42: Top: Gorgeous spices and herbs fill
Page 43 and 44: 2017 2018 2019 2020 Digital Cameras
Page 46 and 47: BIANCA BRATTON 46 May 2021 NZPhotog
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Page 50 and 51: LYNN FOTHERGILL 50 May 2021 NZPhoto
Page 54 and 55: GRAEME HOWAN 54 May 2021 NZPhotogra
Page 58 and 59: NOEL HERMAN 58 May 2021 NZPhotograp
Page 62 and 63: $120 / YEAR or $12 / MONTH SUBSCRIP
Page 64 and 65: Finding Flow in the Landscape by Ri
Page 66 and 67: CURVED FLOW LINES Curved flow lines
Page 68 and 69: USING FLOW LINES AS LEADING LINES A
Page 70 and 71: WINTER READERS' SUBMISSIONS Winter
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MILLINER'S ARTISTRY F7.1, 1/8s ISO1
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SOLAR HEAT TEXTURE This abstract im
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EFFERVESCENCE Panasonic TZ220 @ F6,
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GROUP HUG Canon 80d, 24-105mm @ F4,
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"THE GOAL IS NOT TO BE PERFECT BY T
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NZPhotographer Issue 43, May 2021

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