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This Is How Far You Can Get With A Good Understanding Of Natural Light

Jan 8, 2016 by Udi Tirosh 11 Comments

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A lot of the time when we look at a well executed image we think about how it was lit. And a lot of times, the strobes and softboxes and other light modifiers photographers use have a huge impact on the final photo.

But sometimes having a good natural light source and a good understanding of light is all you need.

I saw this photograph by photographer Maxim Guselnikov and was surprised to learn it was all natural light.

Maxim told DIYP how the photo was made:

Here`s breakdown of shoot I did back in May. It was 100% improvised because of the rain so outdoor shoot became indoor one. I use available natural light most of the time so this one is a good example of how you can use available natural light even indoors in impromptu situation.

This one was quite easy thanks to huge, I mean HUGE windows of bookstore in St Petersburg. I tried a few different angles and then finished by placing my model against the window to make her perfectly lit by soft window light. I used Sigma 35/1.4 there and it helped a lot to nail that perspective. Bookshelves lines created great leading lines to Brina while having them as a symbolic wings (which reminds us of the times when books gave our fantasy wings).

So it is a one light setup with a large 5x5m window as a main light at photographers back (my back). You can see the place in additional images.

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NIKON D750, Sigma 35mm Art. 35mm ƒ/1.4, 1/250s @ ISO 200

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The photo was processed in Lr, ON1 Effects & PS, but really kept to a minimum, here a quick before/after comparison:

To help you get the setup, I threw in a selfie which model, me & MUA made there with the same “setup”

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If you want to follow Maxim’s work you can follow him on Facebook, visit his site or follow his 500px stream.

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Related posts:

Photographing the World’s Most Dangerous Church: How Far Is Too Far To “Get The Shot”? Understanding Light – Working with hard light Understanding light – an introduction How to light a bathroom portrait mixing natural light with LED lights and cookies

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: lighting, Maxim Guselnikov, natural light, natural light examples

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.net

About Udi Tirosh

Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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