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In a world full of built-in flashes and cameras with automatic everything, its easy to forget how rewarding natural light photography can be. Though achieving great results without studio equipment and a flash can be more challenging, using only the light available to you at that moment will make you a stronger photographer and can often end in strikingly beautiful imagery. Many of photography’s greatest minds swore by working with the environment rather than manipulating it. If you think youre up to the challenge, here are a few things to keep in mind before you set off into the world:

Control Your Light
You may not be able to control the level of natural light or its clarity, but you can still manipulate certain aspects of the way it interacts with your subjects. For example, when you take pictures in your house, you can open or close the curtains or blinds to change the amount of light coming into the room. This also works for creating focused directional light. If you’re in a room with two light sources like windows, you can always cover one side to get the focus and direction of light that you want. Experiment with how moving around buildings and other structures can change the way your images turn out.

Dodge the Sun
Though it sounds reasonable that the best time to attempt natural light photography is when the sun is brightest, high noon is actually quite the opposite. The bright and direct light in the middle of the day can cause high contrast, hotspots and stark shadows in your pictures. If you do happen to want the harsh look of direct sunlight, then noon may be a good time. However, if you’re looking for soft and even light for portraits, you’ll get much better results in the early morning hours. Morning air has a sort of clarity to it that is hard to describe, but youll immediately see the difference in your images. Additionally, youll find that overcast days are perfect for the natural lighting of subjects; images will be bright but free of harsh directional shadows.

Control Your Speeds
If you use a film camera instead of digital, you should use a medium range film speed like 400 to make sure you’ll be able to shoot in most lighting situations. High and low speed films are incredibly situational and may end in your working around available light rather than with it, which can be time-consuming and cause missed shots. Its also good to choose a shutter speed for the day (you’ll get good at judging these as time goes on) and only adjust the F-Stop, or vice-versa. The fewer things you have to worry about during your shoot, the more in the moment you will be.

Taking pictures with natural light can be one of the most enjoyable experiences (or the most frustrating) a photographer can have. As you use work more regularly in natural light photography, you will see more successes and less mistakes. By applying these tips, paying attention to detail and having fun, your portraits will soon be proudly hanging in a beautiful unique picture frame.