Take your Natural Light Portraits to the next level!
All portraits done with natural light are not equal. Too many photographers just accept the existing ambient light and end up with light that has no direction, lacking three dimensionality, or just flat light.
Jerry and Kathi Venz have been producing Natural Light Portraits professionally for over 30 years. In fact, the images that earned Jerry his Master’s Degree were images that merited or went loan in PPA International print competitions all using natural light.
So, how does Jerry take natural light to the next level? Simply, he uses the Subtractive Lighting Technique. This is the technique where you simply block light from one side of the scene using a hand-held black gobo (or flag) for individuals and with groups you use non-reflective natural features like trees, bushes, or rocks, creating a shadow on that side.
This lighting style is far more natural looking than additive lighting (using flash or reflectors) because it organically creates directional lighting in a flat light environment.
