Lighting Techniques for Point-and-Shoot Cameras!
Lighting is a very important key in any type of photography with any type of camera. Cameras are nothing more than light capturing devices. No matter how big or how small, no matter how expensive, every camera is a light capturing device down to its very core. Whenever you take a photo, especially of a person, light is going to play a major role in how well your photo appears. Along with your other settings (ISO, Aperture & Shutter Speed) the amount direction and softness/hardness of the light source is something you have to consider and being a new photographer or new to photography your first general impressions of how to use light is generally not correct. I know because I see the mistakes made all the time and I myself have been guilty in the past.
What to look out for. Outdoor photography is probably the most difficult photography in terms of lighting because you are limited in the control that you have of the light with your point-and-shoot camera. I was with a group of friends the other day and they wanted to take a group photo. It was a cloudless, bright day and the immediate reaction was to have everyone stand in the open with the sun facing them. The thought process is that the sun will light the face and you will get a great shot. Here’s the problem with that and it’s something you wouldn’t think about. The sun can be a very hard light source meaning it is very, very bright and can make your subject seem unnatural. Also with it being so bright and directly in your subject eyes, it makes them squint and the shadows the light creates can be unflattering.
For outdoor photography, as much as possible you want to utilize shade. Find some trees or the shade of a building to use. You can always use your flash to brighten up your subject just enough to where the lighting looks more natural. Using shad in the outdoors will give your subject an even tone and their features will seem natural and unforced.
If shade is not an option then you will need to be more resourceful. I wouldn’t use the sun as the direct source of light if possible but rather a secondary or rear light source. It is easier to control the settings of your flash and flash output than it is to control the output of the sun. If you use the sun as a rear light source you can get great lighting of your background imagery and still light your subject evenly using your cameras flash and their features will seem more natural and the shadows will not be as harsh.
There are many, many more options to lighting and we are just starting to touch on the basics. I’ll go over some indoor lighting techniques in the next post.
Until next time, Happy Shooting!
-Robert Hillis
