Seeing The Light-Part 2

How obsessive have you been this week about the light around you?  Hopefully you have been paying attention both indoors and outdoors.  Today we’ll be discussing creative lighting for indoor photos.  This post is perfect for those of you who love to take pics of your children doing what they do in their rooms, playroom, dining room, kitchen…you get the idea.

Here are my favorite indoor light sources: Okay honestly, I have one favorite indoor light source.  But there are so many options for that one light source!  So, what is it?

Window light.  This may seem obvious but there is so much you can do with one good window.  

For example:

Front light:  Set your subject right smack in front of the window and have them look outside.  This will give you very even light with no shadows on any part of the face.  It’ll also give you great catch lights in the eyes.

Side light:  With your subject sideways to the light you will get some shadowing on one side.  This creates depth dimension and gives you a completely different look verses front lighting.

Small disadvantage to side lighting is that you can lose the catch lights in the eyes.  To fix this have your subject turn slightly more towards the window.  Or just embrace the depth of the eyes created by the shadow.  This girly of mine has the darkest brown eyes you’ve ever seen so I love this photo with out the catch lights.

Back light:  I am in love with back lighting.  It’s makes your subject glow and gives an ethereal, almost fairy woodland feel.  To make it work for you just make sure you expose or the subject’s face.  You don’t want to lose the detail and it’s better to have the background overexposed in this case.  That’s the look you are going for after all.

Yummy!  Look at that delicious light!  Now go have fun in your own house.  Study the windows in your home and which ones are best at different times of day.  And enjoy the fabulous photos you’re going to be taking of your children!