Week 1 - Natural Light Portraits

Natural light has always been my favourite light source for portraits, so I was pretty happy to start this semester off with this assignment!

60mm, ISO100, 1/60 @ f4

Took this photo of Anda on campus, outside the coffee shop. There was no direct sunlight down there, but the light was reflected very nicely off all the walls and windows. I photographed her with a white wall behind her which reflected light, and also created a distraction free background.

60mm, ISO100, 1/640 @ f2

My best friend was visiting from Adelaide this week, so I took this shot while we were hanging out together in Civic. We walked around Glebe Park, and I was keen to experiment with photographing through some bushes. I got her to stand in a patch of sunlight, and then manoeuvred myself until I had a pleasing view, making sure there were no out of focus branches directly over her face. I liked the effect of shooting through the branches, and I'm keen to use this location again.

As many people know, I do a lot of self-portraiture. And natural light is definitely my favourite form of light of this work!

After receiving this assignment I got all inspired and took some self-portraits in my backyard that evening as the sun went down.

60mm, ISO100, 1/125 @ f2

I'm not too pleased with the flare on my shoulder in this shot, but it's inevitable with the sun shining straight into the lens which was the effect I wanted.

60mm, ISO100, 1/125 @ f2

I cropped the flare out of this shot, and I really like the creamy quality the sun has created. There is still definition in all the areas of the subject - highlights and shadows - but the light shining straight into the lens creates a very dreamy atmosphere which I really like. This was what I was aiming for, so I'm very pleased.