Yes, available light rocks! Beautiful, colourful, soft, and so on. But when a photographer says “I am an available light photographer” or “I am a natural light photographer”, that usually means “I don’t know flash”.
Because it is often in the mixing of available light and flash light that things get interesting. Certainly in daylight.
Also–hiring a pro pays. Yes, you can get it done cheaper by Uncle Fred, but would you get pictures like these, from yesterday’s family shoot? (Hint: “no”.) A few hundred dollars and you have memories for life:
If you can see these pictures, there’s plenty of available light. But had I not had my assistant hold the flash off the side near the subjects, they would have been silhouettes! Or I could have exposed for the subjects – in that case, a very bright, blown out background–with very little colour.
So you hire a pro for this. Right equipment (that super sharp lens); Right technique:
You have heard this from me before:
- Use the magic outdoors formula, and only vary f-number.
- Use long(-ish) lens (85mm prime in this case).
- Subjects away from the sun: means no squinting and the sun becomes hair-light.
- Fill with flash, off to the side for modelling.avoiding “flat” look.
- Flash fired in this case with radio triggers (Pocketwizards), and on manual, 1/8 power, with Honlphoto 12″ softbox (click on the small ad on the right to order, and use code word “willems” to get an additional 10% off).
BUT THERE IS MORE. If I print, I ensure that the print is perfect. Permanent photo paper. Pigment printing (not dye, which can fade). If a face is too pale, I selectively increase colour saturation in the face. And so on. That takes time, and it is exactly what Walmart et al do not do.
All this is what I teach in my live or online workshops: contact me to learn more, or see http://learning.photography .
And take some fall pictures, or have me do it!