focal length: 62 mm
shutter speed: 1/100
aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 500
flash: fired, bounced on-camera

Here’s a sneak peek image from the wedding shoot last weekend. I especially like this series of portraits because of the soft, diffused light coming from a north facing window. When I approach a shooting location, the first thing I look for is the quality of light. Harsh, direct sunlight is what I try to avoid so I look for a north facing window where all the light coming in is reflective. This means that the light is not shining directly into the room but rather bouncing or “reflecting” in from the outside. As seen in the image above, the shadows blend very nicely with the highlights without any sharp shadow lines. I did use a flash, bounced to the right, to fill in the shadows just a touch but the main lighting was from the window. You can see the beautiful window catch lights in her eyes, which is another reason to be aware of where your light is coming from.

So, when you’re prepping for a shoot, find the right light first because in photography, light is everything.

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.