INDOOR LIGHTING

Use advanced flash work to help maintain colour fidelity and attractive exposures in unpredictable, mixed-lighting scenarios

There comes a time in the careers of every professional photographer when we find ourselves shooting under sub-optimal lighting conditions. Many indoor venues are not set up to cater for the needs of a photographer, especially older buildings, which often feature a severe deficit of natural light.

While the architects of modern wedding venues often spare some thought as to the demands of the photoshoots that will inevitably take place there, older properties generally feature smaller windows, lower ceilings and lighting with a lower colour temperature (more yellow or orange).

The same problems will be found in the average family home, which is somewhere portrait, newborn and even pet photographers may find themselves conducting shoots on a regular basis. In these circumstances, a more complex process is needed to prevent ugly colour shifts, unpleasant contrast and underexposure, all of which can threaten the impact of a portrait shot.

On top of this, you may also find that natural light pouring through a window adopts an electric blue tint, as you or the camera sets a white balance for the interior colour. In such cases, there are generally two options open to photographers. One is to counter the listed effects through advanced flash work, or alternatively, embrace the existing conditions. In the latter, a popular choice is to convert the image to black and white, thereby removing all colour and focusing only on luminance.

In either instance, our goal should be to produce a strong exposure on the subject’s face. If we can’t control the colour and light of the indoor setting, limit how much presence these areas have in your composition or draw the viewer to concentrate on the subject instead. This uses the environment as a secondary narrative tool only.