Ginko leaves in the November light. Gotta love it.
Ginkos have been around for quite awhile, about 270 million years or so (give or take a few days). They are pretty unassuming until autumn when their leaves turn and they create carpets of yellow on the ground. Some folks enjoy it as a tea or a supplement.
I just like to see it.…
I love light. Soft light, natural light, bright light, dim light, light bulb light, strobe light, lightning bug light, moon light, moon shine, light beer, lightning light, and on and on …. It’s either because I’m a photographer or I’m a photographer because I love light.
Window light is one of my favorite types of light and a great simple option for anyone who needs to create a headshot of someone, whether it’s an employee, a personal relationship or a selfie. Just put them (or yourself) by a window and take a picture. You will get a great shot.
Windows offer two basic alternatives, side lighting or full lighting. The photo taken above is for an upcoming book cover and shows full lighting. Gail simply faced the window, gave me a beautiful smile and we got a wonderful headshot. The two photos below are examples of side lighting. Side lighting can be a little tricky due to deep dark shadows on the side opposite the window. (This can be lessened by holding up a big piece of white foam core or something similar to provide fill light.) Side lighting is a little more dramatic and more contrasty than full lighting (it also shows wrinkles better)
The best part of using window light is it does not need any special equipment. Just you, your camera and your happy subject. Experiment.…
Large open interior areas can be tricky to photograph. In fact, any interior area with large windows can be difficult. No matter what time of day or night there are very, very few moments when the outside light matches in the inside light.
In some cases this can be solved by adding light (e.g. big flash units). But sometimes, especially when it is a large open area, like the commercial space pictured above, there is no place to put the lights so they are out of sight and still evenly illuminate the whole area.
That’s the time for innovation! We’ve developed techniques that allow us to go beyond available light photography and create lighting that enhances the scene and makes the space inviting.
If you have commercial space to photograph, take the next step to illustrate how great it is by using enhanced lighting techniques. For more information just reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you. Bill@BrokawPhoto.com…