Natural Light Indoors: How to Shoot at Home Without Expensive Lights

The loveliest light is at home for free, by the window. You don't need expensive lights, just to know how to use it.

The window is your light

A large window gives soft, natural light. Stand side-on to it and watch how nicely it shapes the face.

The bigger the window, the softer the light, because it behaves like one large light source. A small window gives sharper, more contrasty light instead. If your home has more than one, try each of them, the result can differ a lot depending on which way it faces.

Avoid direct sun

Harsh sun makes hard shadows. If it shines directly, cover the window with a thin curtain and the light scatters beautifully.

Direct sun behaves like a small point source, it creates hard shadow edges and blown out patches on the face. A thin white curtain or a sheet of tracing paper works as a diffuser and softens the light. A lightly overcast sky has the same effect, the whole window then acts as a natural softbox.

Distance and angle to the window

Distance from the window changes both brightness and contrast. Closer, the light is stronger and shadows deeper, further away it spreads more evenly and gets softer. Try a few distances and watch how the mood changes.

The angle matters just as much. Light from the front flattens the face, light from the side shapes it and adds volume, light from behind creates a dramatic silhouette. The most versatile position is roughly 45 degrees to the window.

Look for reflections

A white wall or board bounces light into the shadows. No expensive gear needed, just what you have at home.

A white tablecloth, a sheet of paper, or a light coloured wardrobe door all work as a reflector. Place it on the shadow side and watch in the viewfinder how the face evens out. Foil over cardboard gives a stronger, cooler bounce, white paper a softer, warmer one.

White balance and the colour of light

Daylight changes colour with the weather and the time of day, warmer in the morning and evening, cooler at midday. Your camera usually handles this on its own, but check the white balance setting if a lamp is also on, mixed light gives skin an unpleasant tint.

If you shoot RAW, you can fine tune white balance later. The simplest rule stays the same, let only one kind of light shine in the room, the one from the window.

When to shoot

The loveliest light is in the morning and early evening. At midday it's harder even indoors.

At midday the sun sits high and its rays enter the room sharply, the shadows are short and contrasty. In the morning and early evening the angle is lower and the light spreads gently across the room. An overcast day is practically ideal, the clouds act as a giant diffuser and the light stays even all day.

Shooting at home by the window

• Stand side-on to the window
• Diffuse direct sun with a curtain
• Use a white wall as a reflector
• Shoot in the morning or early evening
• Turn off artificial lights

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