With the right approach, natural light can deliver unmatched visual results, full of incredible colour tones and striking contrast. Without preparation and with the wrong approach, it almost inevitably leads to huge disappointment.
It is a common belief that natural light offers an easier and more accessible way of shooting – a smaller crew or almost none, little or no technical equipment, and no transport, time or setup for it. But it also brings plenty of complications. Controlled lighting lets you manage the contrast ratio, colour balance and character of the light with great precision, capturing exactly what you want – or at least something close to it. With natural light, things are much more complicated. Almost everything is out of your control, and on top of that it is constantly changing. Changes in the angle and position of the sun, passing clouds, shifts in ambient light (which change the colour temperature) and many other things can drastically complicate the process.
A little secret: however much time working with natural light saves you, preparation beforehand and post-production afterwards will more than make up for it.
In other words, shooting in daylight can save a lot of time on set, but it does not make the whole process easier. You will need to think through and plan every possible situation before you start shooting, and then fix your potential mistakes afterwards. Today we won’t talk about pre-production or post-production, even though they are key factors in the overall visual aesthetic. Instead, we will look at what an optimal workflow looks like when working with natural light.
Below I share my recipe for using the environment and its light to create shots with a cinematic feel.
What I share here can be applied without a crew and without extra technical equipment. If you know how to make the most of natural light, every scenario is manageable, and nature’s challenges can often lead to creative solutions.
LET’S START
Step 1: Assess the environment
The first thing most people do when they arrive on location is switch on the camera, look through the viewfinder and take a few test shots. The right approach is to leave that for the last steps of preparation.
The first step should be assessing the environment with the naked eye, which will show you how to use the natural light for your goals and needs.
Imagine we are shooting on a sunlit beach that is partly shaded by a large rock. When we arrive, we need to identify the brightest parts of our surroundings (probably the sky) and the darkest (probably part of the rock or bushes near the beach).
Straight after that, we need to ask ourselves some important questions about the quality, source and intensity of the natural light and decide which parts of the location suit our goals best – What is the contrast between the darkest and brightest parts of the beach? Can I see natural contrast? Are there other ways the light can be reflected (shaped)?
Remember that these questions are always the best starting point. They give you a complete picture of your working environment, with all its challenges and possibilities, which naturally leads to the next step.
Step 2: Find the point of optimal contrast
For me this is perhaps the most important step of all, and the hardest skill to master. But once you master it, it becomes your secret weapon.
The key factor here is having a clear vision of the shot you want to capture.
You need to know very well what you are looking for, otherwise you will waste time on trial and error while the best light of the day passes you by. Do you want softer colours with low contrast? Something more dramatic with high contrast? Perhaps the model or actor in silhouette? Or something with a glossy commercial look?
You may have less control over your daylight shots than with proper film or studio equipment, but that doesn’t mean you have no room to express yourself. You just need to know what you want.
The clearer your idea, the easier it will be to find what I call the point of optimal contrast in your image.
This is the specific spot on your location that creates dynamics in the lighting and can serve your creative intentions.
Let’s continue with our beach scenario to give you a more precise example. Let’s say the daylight is almost cloudless and you are trying to shoot an actor or model (not just a landscape). You have just arrived and quickly assessed the light. What do you do next?
It all depends on your creative intention.
If you want a silhouette, you need to find the point of maximum contrast – a place where your subject can stand in a dark area against a very bright background. Most likely a rock near the beach casts a strong shadow, which lets you expose for the sky or background while the subject stays in silhouette.
If you are aiming for a softer, filmic look during the day without extra equipment, it can be a challenge, but it is definitely possible. Ideally, find a spot with moderate contrast, for example a patch of sand partly shaded by a tree. The soft shade acts as diffusion, reducing the intensity and harshness of the sunlight. You can also look for corners or spaces surrounded by rocks that reflect light and dramatically change its quality.
One more example: imagine you want to create a dramatic portrait where your subject’s face is lit on one side and stays in shadow on the other. If the sun is directly overhead, getting that shot would be a big problem. But if you can find something nearby to use as natural negative fill, you are in luck. You could place the model next to a white wall and have them stand at 90 degrees to the camera. Or do the same next to a dark rock or bush that gives you negative fill. Either way you can achieve strong contrast even with the sun above you. Of course, the list of options is far from complete – these are just two quick examples. No two shots made with natural light will ever be the same; you will always depend on the environment you shoot in. That is one more reason to prepare carefully, especially when you rely solely on daylight and, even more so, on the weather.
Step 3: Position your model without using the camera
Once you have completed the previous steps, you are very close to actually shooting. But before you take out the camera and start fiddling with its settings, I strongly recommend placing the actor or model in the environment and seeing how it looks through your own eyes.
If you start taking test shots as soon as you arrive, it will undoubtedly slow you down – before you know it, ten minutes have gone on technical settings and camera troubleshooting. And by the time you finally have the settings you want, the light is no longer the same and you have to start over. Don’t touch the camera until it is really time to shoot. The idea is to have 90% of your decisions made before you even look through the viewfinder. That includes not only finding the best spot to shoot (as mentioned above), but also the best place to position the actor or model.
Place the actor or model on your chosen spot and look at them. What do you see? Is there too much contrast? You may need to move to a brighter (or darker) position. Still not enough contrast? Maybe turn the actor or model slightly to compensate for the light on one side.
You can create the perfect “lighting” in just a minute or two by making small adjustments to the actor’s or model’s position. If you try to do this by changing camera settings, you may not get the shot before the light changes. Of course, you will still need to make final camera adjustments before you start shooting, but at least now you have the ideal starting point.
Step 4: Frame with the camera and make the technical adjustments
Once you have gone through the first three steps, you can switch on the camera and look at the frame. The moment you do, you will see your camera’s limitations.
Your eye will always have a better dynamic range than the camera. The same goes for contrast, colour and other key elements. So as soon as you look through the viewfinder you will start to see problems you want to fix – maybe the shadows are too strong or there is too much contrast. This is the moment to set up your camera (depth of field, exposure and picture profiles) the way you like. If step 3 went well (and you know your camera), this part should be very quick. This is also when you make any final framing changes before you start shooting.
To avoid wasting time changing lenses, I strongly recommend shooting with a zoom lens, especially in daylight. A zoom always helps you work faster and saves a huge amount of time, which is essential in most cases – unless you are shooting at night and need the fastest lens possible.
Step 5: Shoot fast, move to the next spot, repeat
As soon as you have taken your first shot (or probably before you have finished it), the light will change. A cloud may appear or the sun may drop a little. Or the beach sign you used as an improvised reflector is no longer at the perfect angle to the light and has lost its effect.
This happens roughly every 20–30 minutes when shooting in daylight, and even faster at sunrise and sunset. That is another reason why speed is your best friend on set. The faster you get what you want, the better.
Accept that once you have built your shot, you will only have a few minutes to capture it.
Always avoid unnecessary takes and limit yourself to a set number – it will save you a huge amount of time on the shooting day and afterwards. As soon as you finish a shot, move quickly to the next spot and start the process again – assess the environment, find the point of optimal contrast, position the actor or model, set up the shot, shoot, repeat.
The advantage of working at a fast pace is that it teaches you to think and decide quickly, which leads to new creative ideas beyond the limitations your environment puts on you. You won’t always capture what you planned, but sometimes what you discover turns out even better and adds value to your aesthetic and way of working.
This is just a small part of the pleasure of shooting on location with natural light on a small or almost zero budget. If you want 100% control, you shoot in a studio or on a location with controlled lighting – but then the budget and crew will be many times bigger.
Personally, I much prefer this way of working, because it trains the eye, the mind and the ability to make quick, creative decisions.
