Without a doubt, lighting is one of the key factors to consider in portrait photography, whether it be artificial light or natural light. Both of these kinds of lighting pose pros and cons in various situations.
Natural light gives the photographer the obvious advantage of varying the locations of their portrait session as it may be held outdoors without the size limitations of a studio space. This plays well for family sessions, especially those with young children, as they can interact freely infront of the camera, both with each other and their surroundings. The session can move easily from location to location as the photographer sees fit without the restrictions of lighting equipment.
Natural light can also have the advantage of affecting the mood within an image, depending on the time of day and season that the session takes place. Sunrise winter sessions offer a beautiful cool freshness to its images, whereas those taken just before a warm summer sunset often feature a stunning backlit glow.
The main disadvantage of using natural light in portrait photography is that you rely heavily of the weather. Bad weather will mean postponing outdoor sessions, and heavily overcast or darker days will mean either postponing indoor sessions or turning to artificial light. Ever changing light can provide inconsistencies to contrast, brightness and colour of a subject, making the photographer work harder to achieve consistent results in-camera.
Artificial light also has its pros and cons. As just mentioned, and perhaps its biggest advantage, artificial light allows you to carry out a session regardless of the whether, in either day or night. Its light provides consistency to contrast, brightness and colour, allowing the photographer to focus their attention on other aspects of the session. It also allows for greater control over the position and strength of the light and shadows that fall on the subject, which can also lend itself to a high degree of creativity using light.
Whereas natural light allows for greater spontaneity, artificial light can be attributed to a lack of spontaneity, as the subject is limited to stay in the area of the lighting setup. For this reason, artificial lighting is often more suited to subjects that are somewhat easier to contain and more stationery, for example, adults, older children and young babies.
No matter the choice of lighting type in portrait photography, each comes with it's pros and cons, and each will suit certain situations more readily that the other.
Natural light gives the photographer the obvious advantage of varying the locations of their portrait session as it may be held outdoors without the size limitations of a studio space. This plays well for family sessions, especially those with young children, as they can interact freely infront of the camera, both with each other and their surroundings. The session can move easily from location to location as the photographer sees fit without the restrictions of lighting equipment.
Natural light can also have the advantage of affecting the mood within an image, depending on the time of day and season that the session takes place. Sunrise winter sessions offer a beautiful cool freshness to its images, whereas those taken just before a warm summer sunset often feature a stunning backlit glow.
The main disadvantage of using natural light in portrait photography is that you rely heavily of the weather. Bad weather will mean postponing outdoor sessions, and heavily overcast or darker days will mean either postponing indoor sessions or turning to artificial light. Ever changing light can provide inconsistencies to contrast, brightness and colour of a subject, making the photographer work harder to achieve consistent results in-camera.
Artificial light also has its pros and cons. As just mentioned, and perhaps its biggest advantage, artificial light allows you to carry out a session regardless of the whether, in either day or night. Its light provides consistency to contrast, brightness and colour, allowing the photographer to focus their attention on other aspects of the session. It also allows for greater control over the position and strength of the light and shadows that fall on the subject, which can also lend itself to a high degree of creativity using light.
Whereas natural light allows for greater spontaneity, artificial light can be attributed to a lack of spontaneity, as the subject is limited to stay in the area of the lighting setup. For this reason, artificial lighting is often more suited to subjects that are somewhat easier to contain and more stationery, for example, adults, older children and young babies.
No matter the choice of lighting type in portrait photography, each comes with it's pros and cons, and each will suit certain situations more readily that the other.