Review: Portrait Photography with Natural Light by Scott Kelby

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

In this book, bestselling author Scott Kelby teaches you how to create the most beautiful portraits in natural light. Everything about photographing with natural light is covered.

From camera settings and advanced lenses to capturing natural light. Using a whole range of lighting scenarios, Scott Kelby explains exactly how to deal with them. Think direct sunlight, window light, shade or twilight.

He also teaches you how to edit your photos in the best way. He shows you all kinds of edits and different techniques to make your model's face stand out even more. Among many other subjects, Scott discusses the following:

• The secrets to getting pin-sharp portraits every time without breaking a sweat;


• What the right camera settings are for portraits in natural light and why, and which ones you should avoid;


• How to separate your subject from a silky-smooth, blurred background, regardless of which lens you use;


• How to tame even the harshest light and use it to your advantage to create soft, beautiful, enveloping light;


• Which lenses produce the best results and why;


• Which equipment you really need and which accessories work best;


• Plus a whole host of great tips that will not only help you take better photos, but also make the whole process of taking photos more enjoyable.

You will find it all in Portrait Photography with Natural Light, including a whole chapter on post-processing and retouching, plus a chapter with detailed recipes for portraits.

The most useful thing is that only one subject is discussed per page. This means you can quickly find the information you need. There has never been a book like this about portrait photography with natural light!

After reading this book, you will know how to analyse a photo, how to plan your approach and how to make the most of Photoshop and Lightroom. If you look through the contents below, you already know almost everything. This book contains practically everything you need to know and solves many recurring problems for you!

Contents

Chapter 2: Camera settings: shoot with your camera set to RAW format, choose your shooting mode, which aperture should you use?, why your shutter speed matters, how to stop worrying about slow shutter speeds, when should you shoot at the lowest ISO setting?, what if your camera chooses the wrong exposure?,

how to prevent damage to your highlights, choosing the right white balance, how to focus for sharp portraits, how to focus with f/1.8 or faster lenses, which eye to focus on, why the eye autofocus function is so useful, taking group photos with wide apertures, where to focus for group photos consisting of several rows, image stabilisation on or off?

Chapter 3: Portraits in window light: why direct window light is often bad light, switch off all room lighting, move away from the window, stand behind a window or doorway, long live north-facing windows, use a shower curtain, close the net curtains for better light, placing your subject in the right position for a portrait in window light,

Rembrandt-style window lighting, a high-key profile portrait, what if you do not want that classic window-light look?, photographing your subject with their face turned towards the window, what kind of window do I need?,

watch out for changing window light, use a doorway for lighting, use shadow patterns from hard light, photograph with painted backgrounds, add a reflector, choose the right white balance, perhaps it is time for a tripod.

Chapter 4: Photographing outdoors: my secret weapon for outdoor photography, a small TriGrip 1-stop diffuser and tripod, when do you use a gold reflector and when a white reflector, use a black reflector on overcast days, where to place the reflector,

use a reflector to create shade, diffuse light for group photos, avoid dappled light, look for shade near the edges of bright sunlight, another great option: photographing in full shade, photographing on overcast days, place your subject in directional light, set the white balance outdoors.

Chapter 5: Photographing in direct light: the benefits of photographing with the sun behind your subject, make sure no light falls on the face, use the sun as rim or hair light, use reflected light as an effect, overexpose as a trick, by far the best time to photograph, look for a contrasting background, what clothes should you have your subject wear?

Chapter 6: Composition: a composition for a more intimate portrait, the eyes are in the upper third of the photo, do not place your subject in the centre of the frame, crop the top of the head, do not leave too much space above the head, compose the shot so there is space for your subject to look into,

you want to see catchlights, avoid distracting background elements, keep the scene simple, avoid bright spots in the background, get lower for full-length photos, photograph from a slightly higher viewpoint, avoid this framing mistake, do not cut off the feet, environmental portraits, photographing children.

Chapter 7: Posing: how do you create a truly unforgettable portrait?, photographing photogenic people, create a list of poses, build a connection, which outfit should your subject put on first?, stop and assess five minutes after the start of the photoshoot, the photos between different poses, directing your subject during the photoshoot,

look straight at the camera, look away from the camera, the eyes do the work, avoid showing too much white of the eyes, do this if your subject has a round face, if your subject has a narrow face, do this; Peter Hurley's famous jawline trick, chin down for better eyes, make the nose look narrower, tilt the face up towards the light,

avoid a blank expression, add volume and movement to the hair, turn the shoulders for a more flattering look, do not photograph your subject in flat shoes or with straight legs, another trick for a slimmer waist, make the legs look slimmer, keep the arms away from the sides, sitting? Then sit on the edge of the chair, keep all limbs

bent, avoid showing an open palm, keep the fingers together rather than spread out, add simple props.

Chapter 8: Post-processing: add a sunray effect, add a soft glow, add a sun effect, reduce skin saturation, remove blemishes, reduce wrinkles or moles, reduce shiny spots on the skin, enhance the irises, sharpen portraits, brighten the eyes, the

Perfectly Clear retouching plug-in, cinematic colour grading for portraits, use the Liquify Face filter, remove stray hairs around the outside, lighten the face so it draws

attention, add a subtle vignette, add a spotlight effect, add texture to a plain background, lighten the skin, soften the skin.

Chapter 9: Portrait recipes:

Preview from the book

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