If you bought the Evening Echo newspaper in Cork yesterday you may have come across a photograph of my niece Abbie, taken by the Echo photographer at Feis Maitiu, where she won the Girls Solo Singing for 7 Years and Under last Sunday. Not bad for a girl who has yet to turn 5. And it made her Feis Maitiu’s youngest prize winner this year. So to mark the occasion I decided to post this photo of her back when she was just 2 years old, visiting my apartment in Dublin. It’s also an opportunity to talk briefly about window light.
As far as I can recall, this photograph was taken on Abbie’s first visit to our apartment in Sandyford, and she was being uncharacteristically shy (for a few minutes at least). The cords for the window blinds proved a good distraction for her to avoid making eye contact, and as her brother Matthew watched TV she became engrossed in the blinds.
I had my Nikon D50 back then, and it was usually nearby whenever my niece and nephew were around. As Abbie concentrated on the blinds, the soft light coming in through the window lit her face naturally, allowing me to keep the green area outside reasonably well exposed to keep detail in the background.
Window light is often a great source of soft light in the absence of flash, and is best on overcast days like this day was. It’s often a popular light source for wedding photographers who like to travel light, work quickly, and often are pure available-light photographers. If you look at the work of many such photographers you’ll see more than a few window-lit bridal portraits. And even where a photographer opts to use an artificial light source, they’ll often aim to replicate the window light look. It’s a natural look that is usually quite flattering, and needs no equipment.
When I next see Abbie I’ll have to ask her to pose for me with her medal from Feis Maitiú. Being a natural performer, I doubt she’ll object.
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