Shooting portraits using natural light means paying careful attention to how that light is behaving and how it falls upon your subject. There are tips on how to ensure that you use natural light to get excellent results that aren’t compromised by harsh or unwanted shadows or blown-out highlights that might take attention away from your subject and undermine your image.
The video below by Julia Trotti from YouTube takes an extensive look at how backlighting can be made much easier by using a high-quality lens. Some pointers are:
- Firstly, while a drop in contrast as a result of shooting straight into the light can create an ethereal feel to an image, lesser lenses can take it too far and also produce orbs and ghosting that you might not notice until you get to the editing stage.
- Secondly, less expensive lenses can struggle with autofocus, again a consequence of the drop in contrast, making it a challenge to produce consistently sharp images. You don’t need an insanely expensive lens to get good results, but good glass can make the process far easier.