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When you first get started in portrait photography you will probably begin with minimal equipment. Learning how to use natural light to your advantage is very important. Natural light is free and usually available.

To get started you will need to understand the basics of lighting a portrait. Even though you won't be using studio lights to begin with it is very important to learn lighting patterns and the best way to flatter your subject. You can then apply these principals when using the light of the sun. Some important things to understand is that you want to use light to create dimension. When your light source hits your subject head on it creates flat light that renders your subject non-dimensional and will make their faces look wide. There are several lighting patterns used in portrait photography. Rembrandt and split lighting are two very popular types you can use with natural light. Rembrandt lighting lights your subject from a 45 degree angle. It is usually best to "short light" your subject, meaning they are turned toward the light. The side of their face closest to the camera will be darker than the side facing away. Split lighting means the subject is lit from one side with the other side slightly darker. You will probably want to purchase a reflector so you can fill in some light on the shadow side of the face in both lighting patterns so the shadows are not too dark.

The best times of day to use natural light are during the morning and evening hours when the sun is lower in the sky. This puts your main light source at the best angle. During other times of the day try and use open shade. You will need to watch where your light is coming from and turn your subject accordingly. One problem you will face with using open shade is that the eyes of your subject will sometimes be in shadow. Use a reflector to bounce light back into their eyes or use a very low setting on your flash to add catch lights in the eyes to make them sparkle.

Light from a window is also another form of natural light which can be used to your advantage. The higher the sun is in the sky the better. This will give you the 45 degree angle you are looking for. If the sun is too bright you can filter it with sheer drapes or by taping wax paper to the window. If you choose to filter the light with paper make sure the window is not in the portrait. Use a reflector on the other side of your subject to fill in the shadows. Turn your subject slightly toward the window to light up the front of their face and to achieve flattering short lighting.

Practice often and start noticing how natural light changes throughout the day and how it falls on things like buildings and trees. Pretty soon you will be a master at using natural light to create professional looking results.

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