Welcome to a start of a four week Ella Photography Series. For the next four Fridays, Noel and Moon will be sharing their photography tips, tricks and challenges to help you take better photographs. Each week they will be focusing on a different topic. This week's topic is light.
 
Hi Noel here, I'm a natural light sort of girl. I love its smoothing effect on skin tones. I love how it plays off a portraits with its lights and shadows. I love, love, love that it's free and readily available. You can get some fabulous natural light right in your own home.

Usually a large window or sliding glass door will give you great filtered light. If you've got a north-facing window, that's even better. You can use the window for excellent portrait light anytime of day except the times when it is receiving direct light. During those times you'll tend to get a lot of harsh lines and shadows in your pictures. Great for some things, but not generally great for portraits. The other added benefit to north-facing window light, are the catch-lights it provides. Catch-lights are those little shining spots of white in the eyes on a portrait. They give the eyes an added sparkle and pop.

To get great window-lit shots I do the following

1. Place your subject facing the window, I usually have my subjects 3 to 5 feet from the window depending on the amount and quality of light.
2. Turn off your flash
3. Stand facing your subject and shoot away

All of these pictures were taken from the light of the same window in my living room. By zooming in on my subjects, the picture is free of my general living room clutter. Check your house for go-to sources of light. Try a sliding glass door, a set of windows, or even a bathroom with a frosted window. 


 

As Noel has shared ways to capture wonderful photos inside, Moon is sharing some tips on taking photographs outside.
 
I, like Noel, am a fan of natural light but it can get a little tricky when you're shooting outdoors. No matter what the weather is like outside, here are a few tips to try the next time you head outdoors.

Low sun: Try taking your photos when the sun is low, either early morning or late afternoon/early evening.



This photo was taken in the summer around 8:00 pm. I had my daughter face away from the light and set exposure for her face and not the light that is behind her.
 
Find shade: If you are taking pictures on a bright or sunny day, find a nice shady spot.



One of my favorite places to shoot is in an alley. If you can get over the spooky factor of alleys, that is. It's always shady between two tall buildings.
 
Aim high: Get lower than your subjects and aim your camera up.



Of course the beautiful fall foliage doesn't hurt either. I had my models get under this huge tree but the shade was spotty and their faces would have had some funky shadows if I had taken them at eye level. So I sat on the ground and shot up at them.
 
Work with what you have: Sometimes it rains. And there's no way to reschedule the shoot...



There are some really cool things you can do to your digital photographs now a days and we will be talking more about Photoshop and actions in the weeks to come so stay tuned!