Mixing your lighting for portrait sessions – Whitstable beach portraits

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Here are some examples below of how to get different pictures by modifying your lighting (the portraits are on Whitstable beach and seafront). Natural light can produce vibrant colours and long shadows (depending on the time of day) but makes for a harsh direction light. You can place your subject into the shadows but think about what you’re doing next. Is it to fill in with some reflected light or to fake the sunlight and build the picture up from scratch? Both are valid in different situations. Do you want a kicker light that is the sun itself or fake it with off camera flash? You’ll decide what’s best for you depending on the look you’re trying to achieve.