Light is one of the most valuable tools you have when photographing your dog. It can also be one of the most challenging!
There are many different techniques in photography for using light; but the simplest and cheapest is …..natural light. Not every day is filled with bright sunshine. Everyone has cloudy, wet, overcast days. But everyday we have free, natural light available to us.
It probably seems obvious to think of using natural light when we photograph outside. But indoor natural light can also be used to create beautiful photos of your dog.
When you are taking photos of your pup inside, there are 4 things you need to know about using indoor natural light.
1. Find The Light In Your Home
Do you get “good light” in your home?
Many people believe that since they don’t have many windows in their home, that they don’t have good light. This isn’t necessarily true. You just have to find the light!
Use this simple exercise to discover the light in your home:
First thing in the morning, when the sun is up:
- Open all your curtains and blinds
- Walk through each of your rooms and notice how and where the light fills the room. Repeat this each hour throughout the day.
- Make notes of how much light there is, and where the light shines.
- At the end of the day, look back and notice when each room had the best light.
Different rooms get different light, at different times.
You want to make the most of the indoor natural light in your home. Make sure you photograph at the room’s “peak” level of light. For example, if your kitchen gets the best light in the morning, photograph your pup in the kitchen at breakfast time.
2. Turn Off All Artificial Lights
The natural human instinct when you don’t have enough light, it to turn on the lights!
However, when you’re photographing your dog, you want to do the exact opposite. You want to turn OFF all ceiling lights and lamps.
Most of the bulbs we use in our lights and lamps, give off a warm light. We want our home to feel cozy and warm. The problem is that the cozy warm light will make your photographs look yellow, and so you want to use the indoor natural light from the window instead.
3. Open All Blinds and Curtains
Open your curtains and blinds and let the light in!
You may not have a huge number of windows in your home, but if you open all your blinds and curtains, you may be surprised at how much light floods in. Use the exercise in Tip 1 above to discover the best time of the day for light in each room.
4. Face Your Dog Towards The Light
One of simplest tips you can use when photographing your dog, is to face your pup towards the light.
You don’t need them to be directly facing the light, but try to take the shot with the light on your back. You can experiment with them facing toward the light, and try different positions to create shadows and change the feel of the photo.
I know what you’re thinking. It’s very easy to say “face your pup towards the light”, but in reality your dog may not be so co-operative.
Be patient. Instead of trying to move your pup, move yourself instead. Try moving to a different angle of side, to get the light facing them.
If that doesn’t work, accept that there will always be another opportunity to try again. Don’t force your dog to do something they don’t want to do. Put your camera down and play with your dog instead. 🙂
Where is the best light in your home? Share below, we love to hear your thoughts and ideas.
