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Utilizing Lighting for Portraits
Utilizing lighting for portaits can be done indoor or outdoor.
Utilizing lighting can be beneficial for many reasons. A pop of artificial lighting can make your subject pop, help you expose the subject and the background, reduce unwanted shadows, or purposfully add shadows. Some photographers will call themselves “natural light photographers,” which is a great skill to have, but adding artificial lighting can take your photography to the next level. Displayed below are some examples of utilizing lighting for portraits. From headshots to newborns, lighting can be super benefical. Adding lights to your equiptment bag is a great thing to do.
After some reasearch and education on how to safelt take newborn photos, I did my first newborn session. I decided to use an external flash instead of continuous lights. Continous lights are an option for newborn photography, however I don’t think newborns appreciate a big bright light in their face.
Danika’s bridals
Danika’s bridals, St. Anthony Sand Dunes
Madison + Scott, Bridals
Madison + Scott, St. Anthony Sand Dunes
Professional Photography Portfolio
Featured top photographs of Comm 316, Spring 2021.
This spring I had an amazing opportunity to take a professional imaging class from Caryn Esplin. I learned many new techniques and explored many types of photography. I especially loved light painting and have utilized it in my real estate photography. I also found a new love for studio lighting.
Here are some of my top photos.
This black background shot was taken in a barn, without a black backdrop. Read my blog on ordinary spot, extraordinary shot, https://photobynatalienicole.com/oses-ordinary-spot-extraordinary-shot/
Yellowstone is known for its amazing wildlife and landscapes, which makes it a perfect location for photographers. Check out some other YNP wildlife and landscape photography on my blog, https://photobynatalienicole.com/stunning-professional-landscape-photography/
Styled shoots are great ways to get content, make friends with vendors and learn things from other photographers. These styled shoot shots were taken with various lighting set ups. From continuous lighting, to Godox lights, to natural lighting, this styled shoot photography is a great example of what to expect at a styled shoot. Read and learn about different lighting setups throughout this blog post about styled shoot photography.
While taking the BYU-Idaho course, Professional Imaging, I was able to dabble in a new niche, real estate photography. These photos were taken at The Riverfront Retreat in Island Park, Idaho. Read more about indoor real estate photography on my blog, https://photobynatalienicole.com/indoor-real-estate-photography/
From real estate, to product, to fun architecture, light painting is one of my favorite photography techniques. Read more on my blog post about outdoor light painting, https://photobynatalienicole.com/outdoor-light-painting/
Indoor Light Painting
Create beautiful artwork by light painting your images. Check out these gorgeous indoor light painting photographs.
Light painting is a technique in photography that uses two simple steps- setting your camera on a slow shutter with a tripod and using a flashlight to “paint” the subject.
It creates these gorgeous images that you cannot create any other way. I dodged and burned these pictures in post production.
Outdoor Light Painting
Outdoor light painting can be used for most types of photography and takes your photography to a professional level.
Light painting photography is a fun way to show your artistic side. There are many ways to use light painting in photography, from creative art to real estate photography. These outdoor light painting images were taken on a tripod with a long exposure. If you light paint in yourt photographs, you will need a long exposure and your camera will need to be on a tripod to avoid camera shake. When you are taking a long exposure image, it is okay to run in front of your camera quickly, as it will not detect you unless you are lit up by light.
Light painting with live subjects can be very difficult, as you are shooting with a long exposure. It is important for your model to stay extremely still and you may need to take a few shots to succeed.
Check out this Youtube video about how to light paint.
These outdoor light painting images were taken during blue hour. With the sky a royal blue color, lighting up your subject with a flashlight is the best way to make your subject pop.
Here are examples of real estate photography using outdoor light painting. In a competitive market, light painting both the interior and exterior of homes will get your skills noticed.
Check out my blog post on real estate photography.
Real Estate Photography
Buffalo River Landscape Photography
The Buffalo River flows through Island Park, Idaho. The river is a popular tourist destination, known for it’s clean and clear spring water.
Idaho’s landscapes are some of the most gorgeous in the country. Flowing through Island Park, Idaho is the Buffalo River. It is a popular place to camp, float and enjoy. You can often find wildlife who live by the river. Enjoy these Buffalo River landscape photography shots.
This old trussle bridge goes across the Buffalo River. It makes for gorgeous Buffalo River Landscape Photography. Because the sky was fairly overcast, I was able to take this image with a slow shutter to blur the water. I edited it in Adobe Lightroom.
This gorgeous Buffalo River landscape photography shot was taken during blue hour. On a slow shutter speed, I light painted the bridge with a flashlight. Learn how to light paint from Bruce Wunderlich on his post…
Away from city lights, clear nights in Island Park, Idaho make it the perfect location for astrophotographers.
Kayak down the Buffalo River and enjoy the scenery.
A Day Trip to Grand Teton National Park
There is a lot to do and see in national parks. Here is a glimpse of what a day trip to Grand Teton National Park looks like…
Grand Teton National Park is a photographer’s paradise. There are many types of photography you can do in GTNP. It is one of the most popular places in the States to elope and take portraiture photography, and for good reason. It is no suprise that landscape photography is also popular in and around the park. Switch up the “norm” and take a few products into the park to do on location product photography. Taking a day trip to Grand Teton National Park is a great place to go and let your creativity shine.
The following photos were taken on my Canon R6.
This image was taken at Schwabacher’s Landing right outside of Grand Teton National Park. You do not need a national park pass to come here as it is outside of the park, however it is only open certain times of the year and may close for bear activity.
This view of the peaks was also taken from Schwabacher’s Landing.
All around the park there are gorgeous hidden gems, like this waterfall. This long exposure photograph created blurred motion with the water. I used a tripod to take this shot to avoid camera shake.
The National Parks are alive wildlife. Here is a moose yearling, who most likely had been recently kicked out by it’s mother, as she was to likely just have a baby.
Visit my blog post about photographing landscapes and wildlife in Yellowstone National Park.
OSES-Ordinary Spot, Extraordinary Shot
OSES stands for ordinary spot, extraordinary shot.
OSES stands for ordinary spot, extraordinary shot. This is important for a photographer, because we may sometimes need to shoot in a less than ideal place.
Using the eye of an artist, we can create a beautiful shot in an ordinary spot. These BBG shots were taken in a barn alley. Using settings and touching up in Lightroom, I created something marketable and beautiful.
Here is the location, followed by the two OSES shots.
These “OSES” pictures are of a disc golf basket at Beaver Dick Park in Rexburg, Idaho. I used a. light painting technique to achieve this image. I edited in Lightroom.
Read my next blog on how to create “Studio Quality Invisible Blackbackground” images.
Mock Movie Poster
A mock up of the Netflix original movie poster, A Champion Heart.
This is a mock movie poster mimicing the original Netflix movie, A Champion Heart. I took this with my own horse, Remi at my boarding barn in Rexburg, Idaho. The featured names are all of the boarders at the barn.
I used a tripod and a 10 second timer to take this self portrait. It took a few tries, especially trying to pose with a horse. In post production, I edited the image in Adobe Lightroom and added text using Adobe Illustrator. When adding the text I made sure to space some of the words in my mock movie poster to match the original movie poster.
Educational fair use applies.
Outdoor Portrait Photography Poses
Outdoor portrait photography posing with models.
Posing models can be a challenging part of photography. Throughout this blog post, Outdoor Portrait Photography poses, learn some tips for gorgeous portrait shots.
Asking your models for movement like jumping, playing with hair, swinging dresses back and forth, can help create portraits that look more natural and less uptight. Asking your model for movement can also lighten the mood. When your model is uncomfortable, it will show in the photos, so making your model confortable is important for outdoor portrait photography posing.
Check out more portrait photography on my next blog post, Styled Shoot Photography.
Yellowstone Landscape and Wildlife
Yellowstone’s landscapes and wildlife are what make it one of the most unique places in the world.
Yellowstone National Park is known for it’s unique landscapes and active wildlife. These images were taken in the spring, when the wildlife is known to be most active, as they are come off of Yellowstone’s harsh winters.
Browse through the gallery to learn about some the behind the scenes of these gorgeous Yellowstone landscape and wildlife photography shots.
This Yellowstone landscape shot was taken on a tripod. I used my Canon R6 and a 24-70mm lens. I bracketed the shot to capture both the shadows and highlights.
Yellowstone’s famous Old Faithful Gyser is one of the most popular attractions in the park. Rangers are able to predict when the gyser will erupt within 10 minutes of the event. I edited this image in Adobe Lightroom.
This image is also bracketed. I use Adobe Lightroom to combine my bracketed images. To bracket your images in Lightroom, at the top of the page, click photo, and then photo merge.
Bison fun fact! Did you know that trhe term buffalo is not correct? It is a slang term that is used by Americans.
SQIBB-Studio Quality Invisible Black Background
SQIBB stands for studio quality invisible black background. Learning to take studio quality pictures is a valuable skill. Learn the process of taking quality black background portraits and product shots without a studio in this blog post!
These studio quality invisible black background headshots are of Kimberly Dye. SQIBB is short for studio quality black background. Would you guess this photo was taken just in a hallway of a campus building? The process is simple. Using these the right camera settings, you can create studio quality black background portraits in almost any location. I used a speed light, with the settings at 100 ISO, 1/100sec, and f/4. I lightened her eyes and touched up her skin in Adobe Lightroom.
Check out the behind the scenes of this studio quality invisible black background shot! As you can see, this SQIBB shot was taken in a bright school hallway. I used a dark backdrop to help darken the background, although this wasn’t necessary. We used three off camera lights.
Here is a studio quailty invisible black background shot using the light painting technique.
To learn more about portrait lighting, visit https://www.borrowlenses.com/blog/portrait-lighting/
Check out my next blog post, OSES, meaning ordinary spot, extraordinary shot.
Announcement Stationery
I am excited to announce I am now offering custom announcement stationery to my services.
This semester I have grown in numerous ways. I have broadened my love for different types of photography, from portraits to landscape. After completing the photography classes in the BYU-Idaho Visual Communication program, I am a confident and skilled photographer. I am confident utilizing all types of lighting, posing clients, and aware of composition.
Here are some examples of portraits from my portfolio of top images this spring.
As a personal style project for my degree in Visual Communications, in addition to my packages, announcement stationeries are now available. Offered as a package add-on, or a single service, announcement stationeries will be customized for you. Below are some templates I have created for examples.
Creating announcements can be stressful for those who may not have a background in design. This service is designed to ease the stress of graduates, brides, and others.
As an option to add to am existing package for $40, or as a stand alone service for $50,
I can create a custom announcement stationery and deliver it as a downloadable file with print rights. Clients may choose one of the above templates, or I can create a new one.
Each of these announcement stationery cards is my original work, from the design to my photography.
Presentation:
In a room full of photographers, who I want to all see succeed, let me tell you how important it is to set your self apart from the person to the left and right of you. Photography is a competitive market. However, we have all gained knowledge this semester to go above and beyond the average photographer, from light painting to bracketing real estate pictures. Each person in this room can present something unique and valuable to our clients.
For my Professional Imaging class at BYU-Idaho, I made a goal to add announcement stationery to my services to tie in my personal style. In a competitive market, it is important to add creative services to your business to set you aside from your competitors. I wanted to create something tangible for my clients and beneficial for my business. After some brainstorming, I decided to create a project where I could use the design side of my Visual Communications degree. Design is not a skill all photographers have, so because I have the knowledge, I am going to put it to use. What better way to market, than to have your clients use your photo to send to all of their contact’s addresses? I personally use Adobe XD and Photoshop to design and create these announcement stationeries.
During my time as a Professional Imaging student in Caryn Esplin’s class, I have developed a deep love for landscape photography. A stand out moment during the semester was when we were photographing the Buffalo River in Island Park, Idaho as a class, and Sister Esplin off the top of her head told us the settings she thought would be best for the lighting situation. I am amazed by her knowledge and am inspired to know my camera as well as I can.
Milestone Portrait Sessions
Here to capture your best days through portrait photography.
The best thing about being a photographer is being there for people’s most important life events. From birth stories, to engagements, to your wedding, milestone portrait sessions are the best. Capturing your life events is priceless. It is inevitable that we will lose loved ones, and that is one of my biggest motivators in helping you capture the best memories and milestones.
Indoor Real Estate Photography
With the market booming, indoor real estate photography is a very lucrative and busy niche within the photography industry.
Indoor real estate photography can be a little bit tricky. To get started, you need a camera, wide angle lens, and a tripod. However, to be competitive within the industry, you must learn and excel in using supplemental lighting and editing techniques.
Choosing the right time of day for real estate photography is crucial. Examine the property beforehand. Consult with the realtor to learn about any unique traits the home may have. You may even try to look the address up online to see if there is past photos, and what the last photographer did well or may need to improve on.
When you are at the property, open all blinds, turn on all lights and lamps, use a tripod and a wide angle lens.
Bracketing your photos will be one of the biggest keys to helping your photos stand out. You can tell an amateur’s real estate photography from a professionals, because the professionals are able to capture the light inside of the room, as well as the light and color outside of the windows. Here is an example below. On the left the windows are blown out, but on the right I bracketed the image to balance the shadows and highlights.
These indoor real estate photography images of Riverfront Retreat in Island Park, Idaho were taken on my Canon R6.
Read my blog post, Outdoor Real Estate Photography, to learn about bracketing and light painting.
Outdoor Real Estate Photography
Tips and tricks to make your outdoor real estate photography stand out in a competitive market.
Outdoor real estate photography is something you can pour a ton of creativity into. In a booming market, it can be hard to be competitive with your real estate photographs. Getting fun angles, lighting, and even light painting can set your outdoor real estate photography aside from your competitors.
This beautiful Airbnb, called The Riverfront Retreat, is on the Buffalo River in Island Park, Idaho. This example of outdoor real estate photography was taken with a slow shutter speed to blur the river in front of the cabin. I used my Canon R6 and a tripod.
One of the most beneficial indoor and outdoor real estate photography tips is bracketing. Bracketing is when you take three different photos- one exposed correctly, one underexposed and one overexposed. (Examples above.) You must use a tripod and have your camera on a timer to avoid camera shake. In post production you combine these three images (I use Lightroom) to capture all of the shadows and highlights.
I also light painted the exterior of this home. Using a low shutter speed, I used a flashlight to light the places I wanted to look lit up while the picture was being taken.
Look at the beautiful image it creates!
In this image I also used bracketing and light painting. I also used a slow shutter speed to blur the waterfall. I used a tripod and my Canon R6.
Read my blog post, Indoor Real Estate Photography, for more real estate photography tips.
iPhone Photography Tricks
iPhone photography tricks to up your photography game!
Aside from using basic composition and photography skills, there are many iPhone photography tricks and tips to learn. Throughout this blog post I will teach you a few easy iPhone photography tricks to up your iPhone photography game and take stunning iPhone photos.
Taking panorama shots is a very simple iPhone photography trick. Once you are on your guide bar in your camera app, slide to “pano.” Hold your iPhone steady, begin taking the pano, and move your camera left toright to take the picture. Super simple and awesome iPhone photography trick!
To visualize how to take a pano, watch this video.
This iPhone photography trick is called lens compression. Lens compression is also a simple iPhone photography trick. In the examples above, the people are standing in the exact same place. To create the illusion that the mountain is much larger than it is, stand farther back from your subject and zoom in. This will make the background appear much larger. Use this iPhone photography trick on your next photography excursion!
This iPhone photography trick is called long exposure. To accomplish this iPhone photography trick, make sure your phone is on live photo mode. After you take the life photo, swipe up on your image and select the long exposure option. This will blur water.
Here are some links for more iPhone photography tricks:
20 Tips and Tricks for iPhone Photography
10 Hidden iPhone Camera Features Every Photographer Should Use
Real Estate Photography
Real Estate Photography
Real estate photography is a very important part of the real estate industry. Home owners are often in a vulnerable place when pictures of their home are placed on the web for everyone to see.
Real estate agents-it is important to hire a professional photographer to make your client feel as comfortable as possible when showcasing their home.
Real estate photography of an Airbnb in Island Park, Idaho.
Real estate photography, guest bedroom in the Riverfront Retreat in Island Park. This was taken on a wide angle lens. I used the bracketing technique to capture the details of the room as well as the gorgeous greens outside of the windows.
I used a long exposure as well as the light painting technique to capture this beautiful real estate photo.
Riverfront Retreat, Island Park, Idaho
Couples Styled Shoot
Couples Styled Shoot
Attending or hosting a couples styled shoot is a great way to network, practice, and showcase your skills to potential clients.
From weddings, to engagements, to branding couple owned businesses, it is inevitable that if you are a portrait photographer, you will have clients in relationships. I cannot recommend attending styles shoots enough! Styled shoots are a great way to get your name out there. When you attend styled shoots, you will network with other people involved with the photography industry. You are able to practice your skills. You are able to learn what types of photography you like.
So how do you find a couples styled shoot? Or stylized content creation shoots in general?
Local Facebook pages are a great resource. Ask other photographers questions! Do not be afraid to seek opportunity, because more than likely, the opportunity will not seek you out. Check out this guide for more information on finding styled shoots.
To read more about styled shoots, check out my next blog post, Styled Shoot Photography.
Hi! I’m Natalie.
