portraiture: natural and artifical light

Lighting can change the mood and effect of a photo and can emphasize or hide areas to create interesting nuances. While artificial light can be controlled directly, with natural light you have to look for opportunities in the landscape to get shadows or brighten parts of the composition. I preferred the unique colors and shapes we could get with the artificial light more than the naturally lit photos, probably because I hadn't seen as many photos with the setup we had inside. It was easier to get specific lighting like Rembrandt or clamshell with artificial light because you could simply move the lights instead of finding an area with that lighting outside, which was sometimes hard. Each type of lighting highlighted different places on the face, creating unique atmospheres, like moody, artsy Rembrandt, and villainous-looking butterfly lighting. Motion lighting was by far my favorite, especially inside, because it looks so cool and can be done in many different ways by holding the shutter open while zooming in or out, panning horizontally or vertically, or any combination of those. Natural lighting is more practical, as many times photos are not taken with a full backdrop and different lights, so learning how to find good places to get specific shadows or highlights was useful. Angling the face and taking photos from different perspectives completely changed the interaction of light across the face. In general, natural lighting conveys a simpler, candid look, while artificial lighting can be dark and complex, harsh, soft, and a range of colors--more customizable.