Lighting and photography is a topic that people spend YEARS learning and perfecting. I am a natural light photographer, which is pretty self-explanatory. I don’t use any lighting set up, even when photographing indoors. Lighting can be a complicated subject, but I wanted to share some information about how YOU can get perfect pictures!

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When booking a session, you’ll probably notice that I recommend either a morning or an evening shoot. There is a method to this madness! When taking photographs when the sun is at its highest point, it creates A LOT of issues. The biggest one is the struggle of bright sunlight and shadows. You are generally either facing the sun which creates squinting and generally not so cute facial expressions, or the light is creating harsh shadows across your face. Full sunlight makes the photographer’s job a whole lot harder!

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Have you ever heard of “the golden hour”? This is a magical time in the morning or evening where the light is at its best – AKA the perfect time for a photo session! It falls in the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. Depending on the season, it is usually around 8am in the morning or 6pm in the evening. While your on your commute to or from work, make a mental note of the light! Even though it may be difficult to get out of bed early enough to go take pictures, it’s worth it. Trust me!

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Overcast days are another great time to photograph. No sunlight means almost no shadows, so it can open up lots of options for locations. There have been sessions where we have had to beat the rain but ended up with AMAZING photographs! A good example is Stephanie’s senior session in the summer of 2015. The morning we chose was grey and overcast, but it meant we could go just about anywhere and have great defused light!

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I hope this gives you a better idea of how natural light works in photos and the best times to book your photo shoot! Summer is just around the corner which means gorgeous light in Maine. Contact me to talk about a session of your own!