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Photography Tutorial-Lighting
Many of us struggle with properly lighting our photos. It’s easy for the pros, who have all the equipment on hand they would ever need! But there just has to be simpler ways that are more affordable.
And there is. This method is one of the most affordable methods out there! It has it’s limits, such as having to wait for a bright sunny day. But it’s well worth it. I am able to get perfectly colored photos with plenty of light this way.
Things you will need:
Camera (duh!)
A brightly lit window with lots of sunshine coming through
A thin white curtain or white sheet (white is a must!)
tripod (if you absolutely do not have access to a tripod, you will need a helper!)
surface (I used a box, you can use anything, such as a coffee table)
small mirror
posterboard
prop (optional) my prop is a book
Now lets begin.
I first put the white sheet over the window. This has a similar effect to a soft box. That’s really exactly what it is, it’s a giant softbox!
I then set up my surface beside the window, with a sheet of dark gray posterboard for my background. I actually had the foot of a bed right behind the posterboard, this helped to keep the back of my posterboard curled up (although with these particular shots, I didn’t need that since these are close ups).
Notice how I have it in the picture…the window is to the side of my setup.
Next I put my camera on a tripod and set the self timer for 10 seconds. After I had the camera in position and had taken a couple of experimental shots so I could set my exposure correctly (I use manual), I then prepared my mirror for the shot.
Yes, a mirror. This is the important part. Because the window can only light part of our product, some of it is going to be in shadow. I am going to use the mirror to reflect light from the window back onto the parts of the product that need more light.
In this case, the petals of the flower need some lighting.
This is the “before” picture. Notice how the petals are dark with lots of shadows.
Now lets take the mirror and hold it so it is facing the window at an angle, throwing light onto the petals. Set your self timer for about 10 seconds to give yourself time to get into position with the mirror. This is where a helper comes in if you don’t have a tripod. You might need someone to hold the mirror while you take the picture. However, I strongly recommend a tripod, you will have clearer sharper photos.
This is the “after” picture! What a difference! Both shots are pretty good, but now that we know how much better it looks with the mirror, the first shot isn’t so great after all!
Not only that, but having light in the proper areas also helped to bring out it’s true colors.
I didn’t even do any photoshopping for these. The light from the window was perfectly natural, and didn’t create any weird coloring. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to use a white sheet. Any other color would cause some color problems in your photos.
You may need to experiment with how you position the mirror, to get just the right amount of light in the right areas.
For those of you who use manual settings, here are the details for my photos. I was using the Nikon D80.
Shutter was at 1/40 (this is why you need a tripod, a shutter that slow would have blurred things if I had held it by hand) aperture at F13 to bring the entire flower into sharp focus, focal length at 80mm, and ISO at 320.
I don’t have a macro lens right now, thus a focal length of 80mm was required to get a close shot. If you are using a macro lens, you’ll probably be able to us a faster shutter speed. It will also depend on how much light is coming through your window.
Oh, and in my defense…pay no attention to the unfinished windows. My house is under construction!…which is great, I can make all the messes I want and no one will care! 
Have fun playing!
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This is a clever idea, I definetly need a tripod.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much for this. I created a ‘softbox’ a while ago and it was such an utter failure and I KNOW my photos can use so much work- now i just need to find a window that actually has light coming through it for my photos!
Lovely, simple explanation! Great photos
thanx for these helpful tips!!!I also have trouble making good photographs,especially with the lighting,so I will try this out now
Great article. I will be getting a new camera soon. And a tripod. Great article.
thanks so much for posting this tutorial! great tips–i’ll definitely have to try it next time i take photos for my shop. <3
Thanks for the great tips!
What great tips, especially the part of putting a sheet over the window to cut
down on the glare ; thanks for helping me resolve this “glaring problem” lol
Keep the tips coming : ))
Dabanga
I’ve never thought of using a white sheet over the window or a mirror. Such great, simple, practical tricks & best of all, I have both on hand so I won’t need to go out and buy more supplies. Gotta love that! Thanks so much, I’m excited for my next photo session, which I usually dread!
thanks for that really clear explanation, my main problem is that being in london, its a rare day that sees sun coming through my window!
going to collect my supplies and try this right now! I had a bunch of golf club covers waiting for a sunny day to go in front of the camera.
Brilliant! I love it – you’ve given me a whole new way to work.
I made my own light box with a cardboard box with the sides cut out and some white tissue paper. It works ok for some things, not so well for others, especially those that lie flat. I really need to work on props. I will definitely try using a mirror with my next shoot!!
THank You for sharing!!! =) I am going to have to give it a try!
This was a helpful article–I am definitely going to get a tri pod and try this!
Nice and Easy! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much!! I struggle with my photos! You have made me think I can do better.
Vicki
love the mirror idea- i will try it soon : )
I need to work on my pictures seriously. I have windows, I have white sheet – no tripod but will find an assistant to start with – thanks for the advice x
What a great idea, and it seems too simple to be true!
I have a question though. I have white lace curtains up to my windows, would those work just as well?
Hugs,
gina
Such a great information… Thank you so much for sharing…
amazing! thank you!
Gina Snyder, it’s possible, it really depends on the curtains though. The idea behind the white sheet is that it prevents the light from being to harsh, and it spreads it out. If your curtains have a lot of those little holes in them or are too meshy, then they may not be sufficient. I would encourage you to give it a try though and see how it works out!
This is wonderful! I just came across your blog via Kind Over Matter. I would love to link to this if you didn’t mind.
Feel free to link back to any article! Thanks for stopping by!
I made a light box by cutting out top and sides of a box and covering with white tissue paper but I like the idea of using a mirror for larger items. Clever. Thanks
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I have the perfect window and sheet. Need to look at the camera settings, and see if there’s a timer. Most cameras have them nowadays. Thanks for the tutorial. {:-Deb
Great post! I’ll have to go out and get a mirror though.
Thanks.
Thank you so much for the wonderful tutorial and illustrative photos. I have a light tent and am still struggling so this tutorial was right on time!
Wonderful Thanks soooooooo much!
Thanks so much for the information. Especially about using a mirror! Carol
Thank you for these wonderful tips, especially the mirror. Never thought of that. This will be so much easier than what I’ve attempted to do.
Rachel, feel free to link back to us!