As photographers, we know that the right light is one of the most important parts of any image we capture. This is even truer for senior portraits.

When photographing seniors (or any portraits), my goal is to capture clear, accurate, even skin tones. And this can only be achieved by finding the perfect light. I learned quickly in my photography career that properly, evenly lit skin tones can make or break a senior portrait gallery.

If shadows are too harsh, it can create under-eye bags and unflattering skin texture. If skin color is inaccurate, it can make our clients look sickly or too pale or orange. If our client’s skin is picking up strange color hues from their surroundings (like green from a grassy field), the images can be impossible to edit later.

If we want our clients to share their images and refer future clients to us, we need them to love the way they look, so mastering lighting and creating beautiful, even skin tones is one of the best ways to ensure your clients will love their images.

For this reason, I prioritize beautiful light over almost anything else. Here are three of my tips to finding the “ideal” lighting scenario and creating gorgeous skin tones for your senior client’s images.

1. USE NATURAL REFLECTORS

No matter where you are shooting, your client’s skin tone will pick up the colors that are surrounding them. So if you are shooting in an open field of green grass, you may find that your client’s skin, hair or eyes have a green hue. The same applies when shooting near blue water, yellow sand, etc. When we realize that everything around us acts as a reflector, we can let this hurt our images—or use it to our advantage!

We need to be searching for light-colored natural reflectors: anything that will bounce clean, even light back onto our clients. Things like white pavement, light-colored walls, golden colored grass, sand and gravel will all bounce light back onto your client in a way that flatters their skin and improves your images.

In the images below, you can see that I had Lena sitting on an area with white concrete. This allowed for any shadows on her skin or face to be filled in with the light bouncing up from below her. The white concrete helped to ensure there wouldn’t be a weird blue cast on her skin from the flowers.

2. BRING YOUR OWN REFLECTOR

If you are shooting in a location that has an ugly color cast or no natural reflectors, another option is to bring your own reflector. I bring a reflector with me to every single senior session, and I use it for almost the entire shoot—anything that is cropped at waist-level or higher.

I hold the reflector by the handle in one hand, then prop it up on my client to bounce white light back onto their skin. I only use the white side (most come with gold and silver, too) because it creates the most even light. You can find the exact reflector that I use here.

3. SHOOT AT GOLDEN HOUR

“Golden hour” refers to the two hours after the sun rises or before the sun sets. It is the best time for photographers to shoot because the light is less harsh and easier to manipulate. The temps are also way lower at night in the summer, so there’s also that bonus.

When shooting portrait sessions, I only ever shoot during those one or two hours before the sun sets. During the summer, my shoots typically begin around 6:30 p.m. You can use the Weather app or Google the sunset times in your area to plan start times that coordinate with the ideal lighting.

I am looking for two specific types of light when I am shooting: open shade and backlighting. These two types of light help me to capture the best images for my clients and have a consistent, signature editing style.

Today I want to give you access to a free e-book: my three favorite lighting scenarios. It will break down all of my favorite lighting tricks to help guide you at your next shoot. DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDE HERE!

Hope Taylor is a senior portrait and wedding photographer/educator based in Fredericksburg, VA. She last shared posing tips that instill confidence in high school seniors.

RELATED LINKS

Preparing Your Senior Portrait Clients Before Their Photo Shoot in Three Easy Steps

The Best Walking, Standing and Sitting Poses for Fresh Senior Portraits

4 Common Misconceptions of Shooting Natural Portraits with Artificial Light