One of the most nerve-wracking fears for photographers who are new to in-home family or newborn photography is the lighting situation. Every home and window situation is different and you never know what you’re going to get before you walk in. Will the nursery have enough light? Will the windows be South facing? Is the couch in the living room only backlit? These are some of the thousands of questions running through a natural light photographer’s brain as they enter a new space.

I used to be one of those anxious photographers. That is, until I incorporated off-camera flash into my workflow! I made it my mission to conquer my fear of using flash and challenged myself to figure out how to use it in a way that mimicked natural light. I am in the final stages of developing my course OCF For The Natural Light Lover which is set to release in June. In the meantime, I am here to share a few tips to get you started!

3 Tips for Lighting an In-Home Photo Session

I. Purchase the 3 pieces of gear you’ll need.

There is no need to purchase extremely expensive flash gear. Off camera flash requires three pieces of gear. A light stand, a trigger that goes on top of your camera, and a speedlight. To find out more about the specific gear I use, opt in here for a free gear guide:

II. YouTube is your best friend.

There are a million different styles and brands of flashes and triggers out there. I remember the most challenging thing for me when I first started was how to set it up. Could I sync the trigger and flash together while I was in front of a client? What do all these buttons even mean? I found youtube to be an invaluable resource for learning how to set up MY specific flash and trigger. A quick search resulted in several videos walking me through the whole set up process. Practicing the set up over and over, as well as trouble-shooting when I couldn’t initially figure it out, helped me feel more confident when I was in front of a client.

III. Start practicing lighting an in-home family session anywhere and everywhere.

I know this seems like a no-brainer but start in your own home. How many rooms do you have? Most likely you at least have: one kitchen, one bathroom, one eating area, a living/family room and a bedroom. Take your flash into each of those rooms and figure out how to light it on a super overcast/rainy day AND a very bright day. When I walk into each room that I want to light, here is what I think about:

• Where do I want my clients to sit? Is there light falling on their faces in this position?
• If there is NOT light falling on their faces, where can I place my light stand so that the light from it DOES bounce onto their faces?

Once you have found a position for your flash stand, start on the lowest setting (usually 1/128). I recommend trying it bounced off a wall or window first. This will be the most soft. If you have a modifier like an umbrella or an octobox, try it with and without it. Try adjusting the power of your flash and the ISO on your camera until you achieve a look that you love. This practice is essential for gaining enough confidence for lighting an in-home photo session in ANY space.

IV. BONUS TIP:

When editing sessions that used flash, the resulting RAW file can sometimes have a little higher highlights and be a little contrastier than hugging a window and using solely natural light. Try reducing the contrast from your standard level a bit and taking down your highlights. This can help your final image read more like a natural light image!

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