Lighting How To

Watch this helpful simple lighting tip from photographer Michael Sasser in two steps. It deals with how to shoot portraits in natural light, which makes it perfect for just about any photographer, whether you’re shooting photos of friends and family on vacation, or capturing models in a professional fashion shoot outdoors in sunlight.

As Sasser explains in the easy-to-understand tutorial below, natural light comes in two varieties.

“There are basically two kind of natural light. One is direct natural light and the other is indirect natural light, Sasser says. “Here are my two rules. Rule number one, if you’re in direct light, which means the sun is actually hitting your subject, you want your camera pointed at the sun. Indirect light is any time the sun isn’t actually hitting your face. The key with this is always have the person taking the picture have their back to the lightest point in the area.”

Sasser goes on to demonstrate these two techniques for shooting in direct and indirect natural light while on location on a gorgeous beach in Haiti, presenting clear diagrams with revealing finished image examples. This lighting tutorial is so simple and helpful there isn’t really much else to explain, so watch it below.

Check out more of Sasser’s excellent photography videos on his YouTube channel. Here are three other natural light photography tutorials we have featured recently.

How to Shoot Gorgeous Portraits and Headshots in Natural Light for Next to Nothing (VIDEO)

Here’s How to Shoot Beautiful Portraits on the Beach with Natural Light (VIDEO)

How to Get the Most Out of Gorgeous Natural Light When Shooting Portraits (VIDEO)