As a professional photographer with a BFA in photography in design, I have a very strong grasp of my craft. I personally choose to utilize natural light in the majority of my work. I believe everyone relaxes outside in the natural beauty of the world and there's a certain radiant quality I can achieve when using natural light that just isn't there when working with artificial lighting. However, this is absolutely a preference thing! I have several friends who are photographers who create incredibly beautiful work utilizing off camera flash. I love that you can create an entirely different look by lighting this way and one of the biggest benefits for photographers who choose to use lighting is that they have far more control over what they can do and where they can. They are in complete control of the entire situation.
Call me crazy but I like working in the moment. I like the opportunity to see my clients in a setting with the natural light we have and utilize it to create these beautifully warm images that really allow the people I'm photographing to SHINE! And I'm more about capturing moments and emotions than stagnant poses. So for me, I find more flexibility when I'm not constrained by extra equipment and I can just feel the moments and document them.
However, I did go to a school that taught us all about shooting with strobes and flash and all manner of lighting situations. And I'm so glad I had that opportunity because it really helped me decide what I wanted to do and why. Even now - I continue to research and examine other ways to shoot. I think it's incredibly important to know how to work in any situation... even if it's not our ideal situation. And I did have one such instance occur when I am really glad I had the knowledge and means to still provide artwork for my client.
On a recent senior session, due to the start of the school year and some time delays on the day of her session - we ended up running out of daylight quicker than I expected. I was lucky enough to get to do the first portion of her session in the studio and then when we headed downtown we still had tons of daylight. I was able to use reflectors from the pavement and walls to get enough fill to create the images my clients know and love.
By the time we got to Rock Springs for the last portion of her session, the sun was starting to go down. I knew that I was going to need a little extra light to be able to get the sharp, crisp images I was wanting. So for these I had an assistant hold a simple video light about 45 degrees off to camera right. At this point we still had some nice ambient light so we just cranked the light all the way up and had my assistant stand way back to give it a little fill.
At the end of her session, it was pretty dark and the pine forest out at Rock Springs was even darker so this time I had my assistant stand at 30 degrees to camera left. This created some darker more dramatic shadows across Erin's face. So the only light in this image is coming from my little video light. Then I had my assistant stand behind and to the right of my client and pointed our little video light down at the back of her head. This set up created an awesome hair light/back light/halo effect. By moving my assistant directly behind her, she ended up being completely silhouetted. Add a little flash to the shot and fire it directly at her to achieve a more glamorous look.
There are tons of other ways you can set up lighting to create really dynamic and impactful images, and I'm really pleased with what we were able to achieve with our simple lights at my client's senior session. I still prefer natural light, but I love that I have the knowledge and equipment to be able to make a tricky situation work. Plus, I fully believe that if you're hiring me as your professional photographer - it's my responsibility to be able to work with whatever the day throws our direction. A little knowledge goes a long way!
By: Stephanie Gagnon
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