tendency is to use an average shutter speed like^1 / 250 sec-
ond with a smaller-than-usual aperture like f/11. Smaller
apertures will sharpen up the background and take atten-
tion away from your subject. Preview the depth of field to
analyze the background. Use a faster shutter speed and
wider lens aperture to minimize background effects in
these situations.
Backlighting.To take advantage of golden sunlight,
turn your subject so they are backlit, or use cross lighting.
Backlighting voids the harshness of the light and prevents
your subject from squinting. Of course, you need to fill-
in the backlight with strobe or reflectors. You also need
to be careful not to underexpose. It is really best to use a
handheld incident meter in backlit situations, but if you
have no meter other than the in-camera one, move in
close to take your reading on the subject. In backlit por-
traits, it is best to give each frame an additional third- to
half-stop of exposure in order to open up the skin tones.
Cross Lighting.If the sun is low in the sky, you can
use cross lighting, otherwise known as split lighting, to
get good modeling on your subject. Position the child so
that the light is to the side but almost behind him or her.
Almost half of the face will be in shadow while the other
half is highlighted. You must be careful to position the
subject’s head so that the sun’s sidelighting does not hol-
low out the eye sockets on the highlight side of the face.
You must also fill in the shadow side of the face. If using
flash, the flash exposure should be at least a stop less than
the ambient light exposure.
Softening with Scrims.“Scrim” is a Hollywood
lighting term used to define a large sheet of mesh or
translucent nylon material that diffuses a direct lightOUTDOOR AND NATURAL LIGHTING 39FACING PAGE—In this beautiful portrait by Kersti Malvre, the light is contrasty and overhead in nature. Kersti tilted her subject’s head
up to fill the shadows and diffused the image in Photoshop to lessen the lighting contrast.
ABOVE—Positioning your subject near an overhang, such as this wall and overhanging ivy, makes the overhead light more frontal in na-
ture. In this lovely portrait by Fran Reisner, the lighting comes from above and to camera right, producing a nice shadow side of the face
and attractive lighting ratio.