TIPS FROM THE PROS: Make It Fun

ABOUT THE COLUMNIST

Photographer and cinematographer David Haynes has travelled the world capturing iconic images for organizations such as National Geographic and the BBC. His work can be seen in magazines, newspapers, on book covers and in private collections.

Now he’s sharing his skills with us in a new “cut and keep” column on everyday photography.

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Something that can completely change the dynamic of a picture is lighting. It can add depth, shadow and contrast to your shot and you don’t need to have a studio or expensive lighting equipment to achieve great end results.    

In a few simple steps, I’m going to show you how to use nothing more than a window.  

Let’s start with a simple head-and-shoulders portrait. You need a window with indirect sunlight, the bigger the better — a full-length window or patio door is perfect! This broad spread of light is soft and flattering for portraits — and big enough to allow your subject to move around a little without affecting your end result.

Try to place your subject so the background isn’t cluttered. The further away objects are in the background, then the more out of focus they will be.  

Turn off house lights; this avoids different color casts on the subject’s skin.

Now every camera is different so grab your manual and follow these steps to set up your camera — if you’re using a point and shoot or smartphone, it’s unlikely you’ll have these settings, so feel free to skip steps one through three and move onto step four.

1. A Mode (aperture priority). You’ll usually find this on the dial at the top of your camera, the one with all the shooting modes. Turn the dial to A. Open the aperture as wide as possible — by setting the smallest f number — this is often via a thumb wheel or pad but you can check your manual for the method — this gives you a shallow depth of field, which means you’ll throw your background objects out of focus.

2.  Set your ISO to “Auto ISO” — so you don’t need to worry about changing exposure as you move and try different angles and positions. This is generally a menu setting, but your manual will show you how.

3. Your manual will also show you how to set your white balance. Setting it to Daylight (usually a little sunshine symbol) will give fairly neutral colors, setting it to cloudy or shady will make everything look warmer but may be too much depending on the colors of your room.  So play away until you’re happy with the look.

4.  Focus on the eyes. If their head is at an angle to the camera then focus on the eye closest to the camera.

5.  Lenses. If you’re using the kit lens that came with your camera then zoom it all the way in (probably to 55mm). This will help throw the background out of focus and give a more flattering look. If you have a longer lens, then use that and zoom to 70mm or longer for the most flattering look.

Now shoot away, and try different poses and positions:

• Angling your model’s head to the light creates a gradient from bright to shadow across the face — giving the image dimension. The contrast of that gradient depends on how close to the window they are: Closer gives more contrast and further away gives less contrast.

• Sitting them lower than the window will move the reflections in their eyes higher and can look nicer in the image.

• Try opening and closing curtains/blinds in the rest of the room to give a brighter or darker background and a very different mood. Step further away (rather than zoom out) to include more of your surroundings in the frame.  

• Trying to photograph younger children? Sit them a table and give them something to do — it will keep them in the light and give you time to get that amazing shot.

• You can make a mini studio by using a sheet or backdrop behind the subject to hide unwanted background clutter — it will be out of focus if far enough back. Try a brightly colored backdrop to add some more interest to the scene.

• Add some creativity by sitting your subject on a prop — like an old chest.

• If you feel comfortable with the exercise, then take it up a step and try a reflector — you can make your own with a simple white sheet of paper or card to bounce back light into the shadows. Hold the reflector so it’s bouncing light from the window onto the part of their face or hair that’s in shadow. Move it around until you find the best position.  

Remember, as with everything, practice makes perfect and make it your own. It’s what you like that matters; there are no rules to creativity.