I'm not a "Natural Light Photographer"
Here in Naperville, IL as well as my regular travel location Randolph, NJ there are an abundance of photographers that cover a wide range of skill levels. You'll find as you search around, that many photographers claim to be "Natural Light Photographers". Some stick to the portrait studio, some do a variety of both.
When "natural light" is good, it is frankly easy to get great images. A portrait studio is also a controlled enviroment. Outdoors however, the light it not always ideal. The good light, generally speaking is in the early morning or early evening. That can give you some spectucular results like this image to the left. Afternoon sun however which is overhead can create some harsh shadows and isn't always flattering.
So what happens when the light is not ideal? What does the "Natural Light" photographer do? No matter how much planning goes into a photoshoot or portrait session, mother nature is always a variable. The reality is that a photographer that relies just on natural light will have great difficulty delivering images with drama and impact on a overcast and cloudy day. Even when outdoor light is good, the fact is, that adding light through the use of flash or strobes can add incredible drama, reduce shadows and make the subjects eyes and features POP.
This photo, the toddler with the pumpkin was taken after sunset. We still had some ambient light left but the dramatic sun was gone. Despite planning, there was traffic and unforseen issues that pushed the shoot into the evening hours. A "natural light photographer" wouldn't have many options at this point. They'd do their best to raise the ISO sensitivity of their camera to catch the remainder of the ambinet light but the result would have been...frankly boring. I used two lights to create this image, one of which was behind the subject to the right to create the illusion of sunlight when there was none. This can't be recreated using photoshop or other post processing methods.
Even when the outdoor light is ideal, the addition of artificial light is ultimately the best way to deliver great portraits. In the image below the natural sunlight was coming from behind them providing a wonderful light on their hair as well as other highlights and reflections in the trees and water. Through the use of fill light, we're filling in shadows and creating "catch lights" in their eyes. Even this sImple fill light creates a level of complexity that most natural light photographers simply can't deal with.
Photography after all is simply "capturing light". A good photographer has the ability to create light rather than rely totally on natural light in order to capture the best image.
