Beginner Basics: Natural Light Portrait Photography

Creating portraits under natural light gives you the flexibility to shoot at almost any time of day with a minimal amount of gear. In this class Matt teaches everything you need to know to take your natural light portraits to the next level. You'll learn what to consider when choosing a camera body and lens for portraits, a formula for dialing in the right camera settings, how to work with bright sun and deep shade, and a ton of tips and tricks aimed at helping you get killer results every time.

Instructor Avatar

Matt Kloskowski

Release Date: 2013-11-19

Lessons

Introduction

<p>Join Matt on location as he introduces the topics that will be covered in this class.</p>

Duration: 1 mins 9 seconds

Camera Bodies

<p>Learn the important factors to consider when picking a camera body to use for natural light portraits.</p>

Duration: 1 mins 41 seconds

Lenses

<p>The lens you choose will have a bigger impact on the photo than the camera body you use.</p>

Duration: 3 mins 3 seconds

Camera Settings

<p>There is a basic formula you can use to help you choose the right settings every time.</p>

Duration: 5 mins 18 seconds

Shooting Under Bright Sun

<p>You can't always choose the time of day to take your natural light portraits, so here are a few tips to help you shoot under even the brightest conditions.</p>

Duration: 3 mins 39 seconds

Putting it into Practice

<p>Matt demonstrates the concepts covered with a family portrait.</p>

Duration: 3 mins 37 seconds

Shoot into the Sun

<p>Sometimes you can shoot into the sun and make it work for your portraits.</p>

Duration: 2 mins 8 seconds

Using the Shade

<p>The light in the shade can be less dynamic than bright sun, but still very useful for portraits.</p>

Duration: 1 mins 33 seconds

Reflectors

<p>Reflectors are a very useful, low cost, and low tech tool for enhancing natural light portraits.</p>

Duration: 2 mins 57 seconds

Diffusing the Light

<p>Another useful tool for natural light portraits is called a scrim, which allows you to diffuse the light from the sun and create your own shade.</p>

Duration: 2 mins 40 seconds