Window light is ideal for indoor portrait photography. In fact, some light modifiers (e.g. umbrellas or soft boxes) used in studio lighting setups are designed to replicate this natural lighting condition. There are several good reasons for this.
First, a window is a very large light source, compared to the subject, which results in a diffused, flattering light with soft shadows (smooth transitions between the lighted and shaded areas). A general rule that applies here is this: large light source (e.g. cloudy sky) = soft shadows; small light source (e.g. uncovered light bulb) = harsh shadows.
Second, the colour temperature of the daylight matches that of a daylight-balanced (read: standard) flash, which makes it very easy to use a fill-in flash without having to worry about correcting the skin tones in post-processing. A caveat here is that the shoot is happening close to the middle of the day, not during the “golden hours” around sunrise and sunset that are so desirable for outdoor portraits. So, here is a tip: schedule an indoor photo shoot during the day, if there is an access to a large window.
Third, there is something “right” about the height of the light source represented by a typical window – it is neither too high nor too low to cause unnatural shadow patterns on the subject’s face.
Because of these nice features of window light, I always try to take advantage of it when my daughter is getting ready to go out and is looking out of the window in our hallway. These moments are fleeting, so here is another tip: experiment with camera setting beforehand and save them as a custom preset if your camera allows it. (Here is how to find custom functions in a Canon EOS camera.)
In the photo above, my daughter is going to Raffi‘s concert, and to a dance class in the image below.
