{"id":59,"date":"2026-10-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/2026\/10\/04\/one-window-five-portraits\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T09:00:00","slug":"one-window-five-portraits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/one-window-five-portraits\/","title":{"rendered":"One window, five portraits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

People often ask what lights I use. Most days the honest answer is: one window. Our studio faces north, so the light is soft and steady from morning until late afternoon \u2014 no direct sun, no harsh shadows, just a big, even source that changes character depending on where you stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years I\u2019ve settled on five positions. Same window, same person, same lens \u2014 five different photographs. Here\u2019s how each one works and when I reach for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facing the window<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flat, wrap-around light. Skin looks smooth, eyes get a big clean catchlight. The safest start for anyone nervous in front of the camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Window at 45\u00b0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Classic Rembrandt light: one side bright, a small triangle on the shadow cheek. My favourite for character portraits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Soft
01 \u2014 facing the window<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Rembrandt
02 \u2014 window at 45\u00b0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Side light<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Turn 90\u00b0 and the face splits in two. Dramatic, sculpted, great for black & white and for people with strong features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

You don\u2019t need more light. You need to know where to stand in the light you already have.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Back to the window<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rim light on the hair, soft glow around the shoulders. Expose for the face and let the window burn out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through a curtain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A white voile turns harsh noon sun into a giant softbox. Low contrast, dreamy and very forgiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Setup notes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camera<\/th>Full-frame mirrorless<\/td><\/tr>
Lens<\/th>85mm \u0192\/1.2<\/td><\/tr>
Aperture<\/th>\u0192\/2 \u2013 \u0192\/2.8<\/td><\/tr>
Shutter<\/th>1\/200 s<\/td><\/tr>
ISO<\/th>200 \u2013 400<\/td><\/tr>
Reflector<\/th>white foam board, 1 m<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Quick tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Turn off every other light in the room \u2014 mixed colour temperatures ruin skin tones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Move the person, not the camera. Thirty centimetres changes everything.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Shoot a test frame at each position before the session starts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • On grey days, open up a stop and enjoy the softest light of the year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \"Woman<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"Split<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"Portrait<\/figure>\n
    Side light and back light from the same session.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Next time you\u2019re planning a shoot, try all five before reaching for a flash. You might find, like I did, that one window is all you need.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    How a single north-facing window can give you five completely different moods \u2014 and where to put your subject for each one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[26,27],"class_list":["post-59","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lighting","tag-natural-light","tag-portrait"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/darkroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}