Tips for Natural Indoor Light Photography

If you are trying to improve the quality of your indoor photography images, try using natural light. Because not all natural light is created equal, there are a few tricks and tips you need to use to ensure you are utilizing natural light to create beautiful indoor light photography.

Diffuse the Light

When you are trying to achieve a soft look in your indoor images, you may need to diffuse the natural light coming through your window if it is too harsh. You can do this easily by simply closing your set of sheer curtains, or by hanging a white sheet in front of the window. A 5-in-1 reflector kit will also soften the light by making the light fall evenly on your subject’s face.

Vary Distances

To make the best use of indoor natural light, place your subject close to the window. You will ensure bright and well-lit facial features by placing your subject only one or two feet from the window. If you want to create a different, more illuminating image of your subject, place them further from the window. This will create an interesting backlight to your indoor lighting image.

Turn Out the Lights

You are not going to want to add any artificial lighting to your natural indoor lighting. It will just end up throwing off the white balance as it competes with the natural indoor lighting. This will leave your final image looking anything but natural. If you find your indoor natural lighting isn’t creating the exact natural look you are aiming for, try using a reflective surface opposite the window to get the light to bounce back.

Camera Set–Up

Make sure you have your exposure settings set up just right for low light conditions when shooting natural indoor light photography.

ISO

If you’re shooting under bright, sunny conditions, start with an ISO on your camera of at least 400 indoors to avoid having an underexposed image. You may get some noise in your image, but you can deal with that during post production.

Aperture

Widen your aperture on your lens from Beachcamera.com to around f2.8 to make the most of the available natural indoor light.

Shutter Speed

When trying to capture an image using natural indoor lighting, lower your shutter speed to avoid noise. A tripod will be extremely helpful to avoid camera shake when using slow shutter speeds.

White Balance

You will have to set your white balance on your camera when shooting natural indoor light photography as well. You may choose to set a custom white balance or to use the shade setting on your point and shoot camera from Beachcamera.com. Overhead lighting will play havoc with your white balance, and add shadows to your subject. It’s better to turn off all overhead lights before shooting your natural indoor light photography.

Use these tips to use natural indoor lighting to improve your indoor photography skills.