We use the words ‘natural light’ in a lot of our blog posts and a good amount when discussing our photography on this website, but you may be wondering: ‘Why natural light?’ Entire books have been written on this topic, but here are some brief words on why we at arthouse images use natural light and why we find it to be the best option for indoor family photography sessions.
In terms of aesthetics, there’s nothing like using natural light to achieve the natural and organic feel in the photographs you see on our site. Indoors, it provides a huge, directional light source when it comes in through windows, which creates gentle shadows as it falls over objects and people in a room. If we used artificial lighting, the same look could only be achieved using something like a huge softbox, which would take a great deal of time and space to set up, thus rendering it impractical. Seeing your photographs will reflect how your loved ones and your home looked in real life in that space.
The quality of the light– its harshness or softness, the direction, and even the color of it– will vary based on the direction your windows face, the weather, the time of day, and other factors, but that is another factor that will make your photos special and unique. As you can probably imagine, simply photographing in natural light does not automatically result in stellar photos, and that’s where the expertise of the photographer comes in. A great photographer will be able to properly position your family members in the best position where the light hits everyone in the most flattering and artistic way, whether that is a side-lit portrait or a back-lit partial or complete silhouette. We love playing with light during our sessions and will use multiple techniques to capture a variety of looks over the course of your time with us.
This couple was photographed with their newborn baby at home in Long Island City, New York. They were a pleasure to work with and couldn’t have been more lovely, both inside and out.
Like what you see? Contact us with any questions or to schedule a session!