Crafting the Natural Light Look: The One-Light Approach to Creating Striking Portraits with a Strobe or Flash

By Sandra Coan

Learn to use a one-light approach for recreating the look of beautiful, natural window light for portraiture!

At its best, natural light is magical for portraiture. The quality of natural light streaming through a window can be extraordinary—gorgeous, wrapping light that flatters your subject and can be used to create multiple looks. For years, photographer Sandra Coan exclusively used natural light in her portraiture work. And while the results could be magnificent, she also learned that she could not rely on it to build a business and create consistently great photographs. That’s because natural light is frustratingly unpredictable: sometimes it rains, sometimes the light is too harsh when your clients are available, and sometimes—depending on the time of year—it’s just too dark.

In order to grow her business with dependably great results and a high level of professionalism, Sandra finally decided to tackle artificial light. She spent years honing her ability to use artificial light to recreate the look of beautiful, natural light. And now, with a simple one-light approach, she produces “natural” light whenever and wherever she likes, creating great portraits in any situation, at any time of day or night. It’s an approach that has led to a successful career spanning two decades and a signature look to her work. Here, in Crafting the Natural Light Look, Sandra shares her knowledge and techniques so that you, too, can learn to quickly and dependably create the look of natural light in your own portraiture. Unlike other books that address artificial light, Sandra’s tone is conversational and easygoing, and she does not cover everything there is to know about artificial light. In fact, there are no two- or three-light setups here. Instead, Sandra’s method is straightforward and easily actionable. She covers:

• The key characteristics of light (intensity, distance, direction)

• Equipment: strobes, flashes, light meters, triggers, receivers, modifiers, reflectors, and light stands—including what she uses, and what she recommends if starting out on a budget

• Shutter speed and its relationship with artificial light

• Where to position the light and the subject for consistent, flattering results

• Creating four lighting patterns and looks with one setup—flat light, loop light, side light, and backlight

• Using a light meter to determine the perfect flash power (whether you shoot film or digital)

• Working with individuals, families, and groups

• The role of shadows in its contribution to the drama and mood of a portrait

• Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• What she does in post-production (very little!)

Finally, in a series of case studies, she brings it all together and shares her thought process as she works through a number of real-world portrait shoots from start to finish. If you’re a “natural light photographer” who’s been either struggling with flash or reluctant to learn it at all, Crafting the Natural Light Look is exactly the book you need to improve the quality and consistency of your portraiture.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rocky Nook
• Release date: Jan 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781681985510

Sandra Coan

Sandra Coan is an industry educator and award-winning photographer specializing in studio portraiture, artificial lighting and fine-art film photography. Since starting her career in 1999, Sandra has become Seattle’s premier maternity, newborn, and family photographer. In addition to running her busy studio, she teaches thousands of photographers each year on respected platforms like CreativeLive and Kelby One as well as at industry events, like WPPI. She is also a regular contributor to Rangefinder magazine, Professional Photographer magazine, Click magazine, and many more. Sandra also hosts a robust community of portrait photographers invested in growing their photography skills and building profitable businesses they love at www.sandracoaneducation.com.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS THE NATURAL LIGHT LOOK?

For years now, I’ve described my lighting style as the natural light look, but I realize describing something as looking like natural light can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people.

Natural light is varied. There is no right or wrong to it. No one way to use it. It can be many things: hard or soft, big or small, flat or directional. As an artist, it’s up to you to decide how to use your light based on the look you’re creating. That requires knowing what you like and knowing what you want.

When I began my lighting journey, my intentions were very specific. I wasn’t trying to learn everything there was to know about studio lighting. I wasn’t even sure I liked studio lighting. I didn’t want to become a fashion photographer or work with models, and I certainly never imagined that I would someday teach others how to do what I do. I just wanted consistency. I wanted to know that I could walk into any room and create images that looked like my version of ideal window light: soft and luminous. I wanted to know that clients who came to me during the deep dark months of the year would get the same quality of work as the clients who came to me in the summer. I wanted to create work that looked like it was taken with the light I was used to getting from the windows in my studio on sunny days, and to create it in the easiest way possible. I also didn’t want to spend a ton of money, and I didn’t want tons of gear taking up my space.

I wanted my lighting to be simple, streamlined, and beautiful. To me, creating the natural light look meant two things:

Crafting light that is big, soft, and consistent

Creating a setup that was just as easy to work with as a window

(Achieving those while staying within my budget was a must!)

I know all of that is possible. Everything I do is done with just one light, one light modifier, a stand, a set of triggers and receivers, and a light meter. That’s it. Not too much and not too expensive. This one-light approach is just as easy as working with one window, and the light it produces is soft and beautiful, always the way I want it to be.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

To get the most out of this book, there are a few things you need to know.

First of all, I’m a film photographer, but you don’t have to be. Everything I’m going to show you works for digital photographers as well as film photographers. And when something comes up that is specific to either film or digital photography, I’ll call it out so you can get the best information for the kind of work you do.

I’m a studio photographer, but again, you don’t have to be. I’ve taught my one-light approach to crafting natural-looking light with strobes and flash to thousands of photographers over the years, and many of them work in their client’s homes, at events, or have small in-home studio spaces. This book and this lighting style is for everyone.

My goal is to show you how to take what you already know about window light to create beautiful, natural-looking light with strobes and flash. You can do that regardless of where you work. The same can be said for the kind of portraits you specialize in. I’m a portrait photographer who works primarily with newborns and families, but you don’t have to be. This lighting style creates a clean, modern look for portraits of all kinds. Whether you shoot lifestyle, events, professional headshots, maternity, newborns, or families, learning to use strobes and flash will change your work for the better.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

You may find it helpful to read the book in order, at least your first time through. I know it’s tempting to skip ahead to the how to sections, but each chapter is meant to build upon the others, so reading them in order will ensure you get all the information you need and help you get the best results.

I’m also including videos for those of you who, like myself, benefit from watching others when learning a new skill. You can access the videos by going to www.sandracoaneducation.com/craftingthenaturallightlook.

Learning this one, simple skill changed the trajectory of my career. It has helped me consistently create the kind of light I want to work with and the kind of photos I want to produce for myself and my clients. It’s helped me develop my style, and it’s helped me build my brand and my business in the process. I know it will do the same for you.

Let’s get started!

CHAPTER 1

FOUNDATIONS

For photographers, light is the cornerstone of everything we do. We use it to tell stories. It’s how we capture moments and show emotion. It’s our creative partner. Because of its importance, most of us have preferences for the kind of light we like to work with. Those preferences shape our style and, if we’re in business, our brand.

For the first twelve years of my business, I branded myself as a natural light photographer. My style was soft and airy. That’s the kind of light I preferred. Over time, that was the kind of light my clients expected to see in their images when they hired me.

Therefore, when I first learned to use artificial light, it became imperative that the images I made with strobes and flashes looked like the photos I had been getting with window light. I wanted that kind of light and made learning how to create it my goal. I studied my natural light photos, and noticed the quality of light I preferred. I paid attention to how I positioned my subjects in relation to the windows in my studio. I looked at the highlights and shadows I was used to getting as well as the shape and position of my catchlights. I found that understanding my preferences and being able to clearly articulate them made re-creating them with artificial light much easier.

Mastering both natural and artificial lighting requires the same base of knowledge. We must understand light quality so that we can consistently produce and control it. We also must understand light direction so that we can use it with intention to add shape, dimension, and visual interest to our images. Understanding light quality and light direction are at the core of what we do as photographers. In this chapter, we will explore them in detail.

Let’s dive in!

QUALITY OF LIGHT

Light is often described in one of two ways: hard or soft.

Hard light is the kind of light we’re used to seeing on bright, sunny days (FIGURES 1.1A–B). This kind of light is very contrasty. It’s characterized by having sharp, well-defined shadows. It accentuates detail and highlights texture.

Soft light is the kind of light we see on overcast days or in open shade. This light can still have beautiful contrast, but the transition from highlight to shadow is more gradual and less defined (FIGURES 1.2A–B).

Details and textures will be less noticeable when using soft light, making it a favorite among many portrait photographers—myself included.

FIGURES 1.1A and 1.1B Figure 1.1a shows hard light outside. Figure 1.1b shows hard light inside, captured with a Profoto B2 strobe without modifier or diffusion. Notice the sharp, distinct shadows on the subject’s face and neck.

FIGURES 1.2A and 1.2B Figure 1.2a shows soft light outside in open shade. Figure 1.2b shows soft light inside, captured with a Profoto B2 strobe and a five-foot Photoflex OctoDome modifier for diffusion. Notice the subtle shadows on her face and neck

Controlling the Quality of Light

We control the quality of the light we are working with by paying attention to the size and distance of the light source and by adding or removing diffusion.

Diffusion

Diffusion is the act of spreading light from a single light source out evenly across a larger surface to reduce its intensity. Clouds do this for the sun. On clear days the sun produces hard light with sharp, defined shadows. On overcast days, however, clouds break up the light, acting as a giant diffuser. This results in soft light and less-defined shadows.

Anything that spreads light out acts as a diffuser. Curtains, sheers, blinds, and frosted glass are commonly used to diffuse light that comes through windows, giving it a softer appearance. Light modifiers, like softboxes, umbrellas, and octoboxes usually come with the option to add or remove diffusion depending on the kind of light your want to create.

Size and Distance

The quality of the light can be determined by the size of the light source you’re working with as well as the distance that light source is from your subject. Small light sources, such as small windows and small light modifiers, focus the light into a beam, much like a spotlight. The result is hard light with and well-defined shadows (FIGURES 1.3A–B).

FIGURES 1.3A and 1.3B In Figure 1.3a, the hard light was created with a small modifier. Notice in Figure 1.3b how the small light modifier focuses the light on the model’s face, with little spill onto the wall behind her.

FIGURES 1.4A and 1.4B The soft light in Figure 1.4a was created with a large modifier. Notice in Figure 1.4b how in addition to softening the light, the large modifier spills light onto the wall behind our model and lights up the space around her.

Large light sources, such as large windows and large light modifiers, spread the light out, producing light that wraps around the subject. This results in a softer look and less-defined shadows (FIGURES 1.4A–B).

What makes a light source small or large is relative