How to create flattering natural light portraits
It's a common misconception that bright sunshine is the best light to take a good photograph. This is very often not the case – especially with portraits. The reason that harsh sunlight is not ideal is that it is very harsh, unflattering and actually quite uncomfortable for your model's eyes (squinting, anyone?).
As a portrait photographer myself, I rarely photograph at midday on sunny days. I instead opt for shooting much later in the day, when the sun is lower in the sky, which gives a much more atmospheric effect and offers much more flattering light.
But what happens if you have no choice but to shoot a portrait at this time of day?
There are things you can do, and in this post I'm going to talk you through a couple of very simple steps you can use to get flattering light in bright sunshine.
What is open shade?
Open shade is an area out of direct sunlight but still offering an abundance of even, filtered light.
Open shade means your subject is standing in the shade so direct sunlight is not hitting them, but they are looking out of the shade towards the open sky. As a result, they will still have lovely catchlights (small reflections of light) in their eyes, which is crucial for a great portrait.
When the sun is blazing down, open shade can be found in the shade of large walls or buildings, for example. In this project, I'm going to show you a simple area of your home that can be used to achieve beautiful open shade – the simple doorway.
My set-up
I was working with limited resources for these images. I'm not going to lie to you. I had a very sunny day, a toy from my son's room and an uncooperative dog. Not ideal!
So, first of all, let me show you the light that I was working with, which should help you to understand the context:
It was a very sunny day on the front steps of my house. These shots were taken around midday, and you can see that this light is far from ideal. Lots of areas of very bright light and lots of areas of shade.
Initially, and in the absence of a cooperative model, I grabbed a toy from my son's room. Firstly, I placed the toy in direct sun on the front step and took a photo:
Can you see how harsh the sun is on his face? The light is pretty much directly above him and, if he was real, he'd be squinting.
The areas of light are high contrast too. This means that the light bits are very light and the shadows are very dark. It's not a flattering light at all, but I have a simple solution for you.
The simple solution is to move him back into the even, open shade of the doorway.
He's now in open shade. He's still 'looking' out at lots of light, but there is no direct sunlight hitting his face. Can you see that there is still light reflecting in his eyes?
Feeling a little braver now that I had found some lovely light, I decided to attempt to photograph the dog. I grabbed a chew, took a deep breath and tempted her into position.
First, I took a couple of images of her in the direct sun on the front of the steps:
You can see that she's squinting and the shadows are harsh. Not great!
So I'm going to move her back about 2 feet into the shade of the doorway. Not too far back that the daylight isn't shining on her face, but far enough that she's not in the direct sun:
Better, right?
Not ideal, but I had a 2-minute window before she grabbed the doggy chew out of my hand!
Give it a go
I'd love for you to give this a go.
Try different angles. Get your subject to move until you get the right light on their face.
Why not shoot from above and get them to look up a little? Try shooting profiles. Shoot details.
Throughout your experiments, try not to block the light too much with your body. Keep looking to check the light is right and, most importantly, ensure they have those catchlights in their eyes.
Catchlights really make your model look 'alive' – there's nothing worse than flat, dark eyes in a portrait.
In regards to settings, if you are using a camera that allows you to change the settings manually, then I would suggest:
ISO: Depending on the light you have available, start with 200–400.
Aperture: A wider aperture (lower number) will give you a lovely blurry background.
Shutter speed: Keep your shutter speed above 1/125 to avoid camera shake.
Camera mode: Aperture priority or manual mode.
Focus mode: Single point, and keep your dot aimed at the eyes. Always focus on the closest eye to you when shooting a portrait. Your eyes NEED TO BE SHARP!
Focal length: If you are shooting with a zoom lens, then make sure it is zoomed in to 35mm upwards. Never shoot a portrait with a wide angle such as 18mm, as the face will be distorted and your model will look dreadful!
If you're not too sure about what the camera settings mean, then why not check out my Get Camera Confident Course for beginners?
If you are using your phone and have portrait mode, then use it. It'll give you a lovely blurred background. When focusing your phone shot, just tap on the eye area to ensure you get nice, sharp eyes.
Here are some more examples of portraits that have been taken in open shade:
If you'd like to understand why your camera does this and what to do about it, The Camera Kickstart takes you through the basics in simple, practical steps, without making you wade through a camera manual or learn a load of jargon.
It takes a couple of hours to work through and is designed to help you feel more confident using your camera beyond Auto.
Sarah Lester is a professional photographer with more than 20 years of experience behind the camera. She’s been teaching beginners since 2008, helping people feel more confident using their cameras in a clear, simple and jargon-free way.
Her online courses have already helped thousands of students get to grips with their cameras and start taking photos they’re proud of.
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