The Best Lighting For Outdoor Portraits – How To Take Beautiful Portraits With Lighting In Mind
One of the most important aspects of a good portrait is the lighting. If your expression and pose are perfect – but the lighting is bad, it can take away from an otherwise nice portrait. The job of a professional Photographer is to not only pose you and guide you through the session – but to also place you in the best possible lighting. In the below post, I will explain the best lighting for outdoor portraits.
Golden Hour Has The Best Lighting Of The Entire Day
Perhaps the best lighting for outdoor portraits is during “golden hour.” Golden hour is the last 60 minutes or so before the sun sets. You can find out the exact time the sun sets for any given day and location by using a sunset calendar. During golden hour, the light is soft and flattering and also gives off a golden hue. If you are taking portraits at the beach, or another location where the sun sets low on the horizon, this can create stunning portraits! Whenever possible, I recommend booking your session at this time.
Shade Is Better Than Direct Sunlight
If you cannot schedule your session during golden hour, scheduling the session at a location that has a lot of open shade is your next best bet. Portraits taken in the shade are much better than portraits taken in direct sunlight. While portraits taken in direct sunlight have more light, the quality of the light is not as good as the quality of light in the shade. Direct sunlight creates harsh light with unflattering shadows on your face. And shade creates soft, flattering light that make you look your very best.
The Direction of The Sun Is Also Important For Outdoors Portraits
Another technique to get the best lighting for outdoor portraits is to take portraits with your back to the sun. With the sun at this direction, the lighting on your face is evenly lit. It also avoids the sun shining in your face that may cause you to squint your eyes.
If you are new to taking outdoor portraits, hopefully this has been helpful. Thanks!
