Article Directory :: Arts & Entertainment Articles Portrait Lighting - Learn 4 Tips to Shoot Like a Pro By Autumn Lockwood Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 17May2010 Word count: 478 Viewed: 488 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site Though it may seem simple from an outside perspective, portrait lighting is one of the trickiest photography skills to nail down and takes years to master. On the plus side, because of the posed and scheduled nature of portrait photography, it is also one of the easiest ones to practice. If you want to start a studio out of your house, here are a few helpful tips to remember before you do your first shoot. Brighter Isn't Better Hard, bright lights definitely make shooting a breeze and give you plenty of illumination to properly expose your photos. However, harsh bright lights are rarely flattering and should be avoided especially if you want natural results. The best lighting for portrait lighting is soft light. You can get this quality of light in the shade, on overcast days or by using photo umbrella reflectors in the studio. Soft, even light is easier to work with and will help compliment your subject without accenting their possible flaws. Light Setup Two lights should be sufficient for portrait lighting. Use one main light to determine the tone and direction of your light, then offset it with a second light placed near the camera. This will soften any harsh shadows and help even out the contrast. Another way you can get this effect is by placing a light above the camera and one fill reflector below the camera. Both of these solutions will give you great results with very little equipment. Use What You Already Have If you don't have money to spend on a professional light setup, you can often get near-professional results by using a few desk or floor lights. For even more control, try using sheets to reflect the light around the room. Treat everything in your house like lighting equipment and you may begin to find unique opportunities to really play with your portrait lighting, all without the need to buy gear. Don't Forget the Sun We often associate portrait photography with studio photography, but the truth is that the two are not codependent. You can get incredible results using natural light if you know how to properly use it. For example, if you have a large window in your house, you can use it as a source of natural light. If you're taking pictures outside, use a big sheet of white poster board (or foam board) as a reflector and point it at your subject to minimize harsh shadows. Much like every other sort of photography, portraiture requires practice, patience, and a whole lot of love. What it doesn't require is a whole lot of professional equipment or piles of cash. Be creative with the materials that you have and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the results you achieve. Portrait lighting is all about subtlety, but that doesn't mean that it's not incredibly fun! Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Visit our website and see our large selection of white picture frames in a variety of styles, sizes and shapes. Shop online to see our antique white picture frames or call 1-800-780-0699. EasyPublish™ this article - publishers click here More articles by Autumn Lockwood

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