Natural light headshots across the seasons

It can be pretty tricky to produce a set of homogenous natural light headshots taken across multiple shoots. Natural light is rarely the same from one day to the next – let alone season to season – and the British weather can be challenging to work with.

The most straightforward shoots take place during lovely bright, sunny days when the light is bouncing around nicely making the sitters look amazing. When the light is like this my job is little more than ‘point and shoot’. There’s not too much clever stuff going on during the actual shoot, and post-processing requires only a light touch.

I do enjoy the problem-solving challenges posed by naff light or gusty winds

Unfortunately this is a Goldilocks weather condition that isn’t all that common. More often than not there are photographic riddles that need unpicking and solving – this is why you pay a professional photographer the big medium bucks! Too cold? goosebumps and uncomfortable sitters; too windy? hair all over the place; too hot? perspiration; too humid? hair again. I have developed some tried and tested ways to mitigate against these problems, many requiring some subtle use of photoshop, and thankfully it’s extremely rare that a shoot needs to be rescheduled.

Given the choice I would always pick the Goldilocks conditions, however I do actually enjoy the problem-solving challenges posed by naff light or gusty winds. It’s very satisfying to have a specific look in mind before a shoot and work to achieve that look through shaping a sitter’s position, employing light modifiers, and enhancing the final images in the digital darkroom. I have a couple of valued clients who get me back in time and again to shoot their outdoor headshots (see the results below). If you’d like to join these clients and secure my services please feel free to get in touch to discuss your requirements.

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