Showcase Your Stuff - Photography 101: Catching the light

Playing with lighting can change the whole mood and vibe of a photo. It’s important to light your pictures in a way that best reflects who you are as a brand. When deciding how to light your subject there are two ways – natural lighting and studio lighting. 

Natural Lighting

Natural lighting is using sunlight to illuminate your subject. You can use windows to work with natural lighting indoors or head outside to take advantage of the outdoor glow. With both indoor and outdoor natural lighting, it’s important to consider the time of day, location, and shadows that are going to be cast on your subject.

Finding the best natural light is all about planning around a specific time of day. Ideally, you want enough light to illuminate your subject, but not so much where the sun is high and casting shadows. 

Times of day to shoot in natural lighting: 

• 6 AM – 8 AM – Right after the sun comes up for soft morning light.
• 9AM – 10 AM – Late morning light for those who are not early risers. You’ll have minimal shadows and enough time to enjoy your coffee. 
• Golden Hour – 4 PM / 5 PM  Right before sunset, the Golden Hour. Perfect for soft lighting, the setting sun casts beautiful gold rays from the sky and onto your subject.
• Twilight – 5 PM / 6 PM As the sun is setting and right before you lose all the light, twilight makes for the perfect pre-evening moody lighting. It allows for your subject to be lit while creating a nighttime vibe.

Studio Lighting  

There is little stability in using natural light and many factors can easily change your ability to capture the exact picture you’re looking to take.  For more control when it comes to lighting, you can invest in lights to use while you’re shooting. There are two types of lighting: continuous lighting and strobe lighting.

Image from Peta Pixel

With continuous and strobe lighting, there are a variety of light setups you can use to create your look. It’s best to research different types of studio lighting to see exactly what kind of light set up would work best for you and your brand. 

Continuous Lighting 

Continuous lighting is going to remain the same and stay on and constant. Typically in the form of LED lights, continuous lighting allows you to view the lighting in the shot before you snap the photo.  

Strobe Lighting 

Strobe lighting flashes are synced up to your camera shutter (they can either be on your camera or on stands). When the shutter button is clicked, it triggers the flashes, resulting in a bright stream of light. This is perfect if you want to create a studio-lighting look in your images.

Lighting has an important role in creating the perfect look for your brand. Whether your images are brightly exposed by the sun or moodily-lit in the shadows, lighting will aid in shaping your brand’s visual look.