Mixed lighting sources can make for an interesting composition.
Although tricky to shoot, indoor locations can provide as many opportunities for stunning images as outdoor or studio photography. The difficulty in photographing interior areas stems from the unusual combination of natural and artificial lighting. Mixed light sources can be difficult to balance in one composition, but when done successfully they can impart images with an increased sense of depth. Before shooting inside, familiarize yourself with the most advantageous indoor lighting conditions and use them to their best advantage.
Instructions
1. Set the white balance on your camera before taking any photos to ensure that colors are represented accurately. The mixture of natural and artificial light is tricky for the automatic white balance on your camera to interpret correctly. To manually set white balance, point your camera in the direction you want to shoot, hold up a pure white object such as the underside of a screw-on coffee lid, and press the "Custom White Balance" button.
2. Combine light sources in your photos but avoid lighting a single subject with both natural and artificial light. The two types of light cast different hues and can cause a subject's skin and clothing to appear unevenly colored.
3. Use the natural light from windows whenever possible. Windows positioned to receive indirect light can provide soft, even illumination. Remember to reset the white balance on your camera when moving between natural and artificial light.
4. Avoid using camera flash. Indoor photos are usually taken at close range; when camera flash is employed too close to subjects, it can cause them to lose a great deal of their color and depth.
5. Keep lamps and overhead lights out of your photos. The camera will adjust to compensate for the extreme brightness of the lamp and the rest of the image will appear darker.
6. Take photos in areas where lighting sources are present on all sides of your subject, providing even illumination.
7. Experiment with using candles to light your photos. Set the white balance to compensate for the orange hue of candlelight and use a slow shutter speed. Candles can provide soft lighting and produce some interesting photographic effects.
Tags: white balance, natural artificial, your camera, artificial light, balance your, balance your camera