Getting Started with Filtered Light
So, I’ve been wanting to play around with filtered light in portraits for a while. You know, that effect where you get cool shadows and patterns on someone’s face? Seemed interesting. Didn’t really have a grand plan, just wanted to mess about and see what happens.
First thing, I needed some light, obviously. Window light is usually the easiest bet. I picked a room in my place that gets decent afternoon sun, the kind that comes in at an angle. Makes for longer shadows, which I figured would be good for this.
Then, I needed something to filter the light. I didn’t buy anything special. I just looked around. Found some old lace curtains stuffed in a closet. Grabbed a houseplant with big leaves. Even figured the window blinds themselves would work. The idea was just to have stuff that would block the light in interesting ways.
The Actual Shooting Process
Okay, so I got my friend, let’s call her Jane, to sit near the window. Sun was coming in nicely. I started simple, just using the blinds. Tilted them different ways to get stripes of light across her face. Some shots looked okay, some were a bit boring.
Experimenting Time! That’s when I brought out the other stuff.
- I held up the lace curtain between the window and Jane. This gave a softer, more scattered pattern. Had to move it around a lot to get the light hitting her eyes right. Sometimes the pattern was too much, covering her whole face, so I’d pull it back a bit.
- Then the plant. Holding a leafy branch up worked surprisingly well. Got these really organic, dappled shadow shapes. It was tricky keeping my hand steady and also directing Jane, but we managed.
- I even just used my hands sometimes, making shapes to cast specific shadows. Looked a bit silly doing it, but hey, some cool effects came out of it.
Camera settings? Honestly, I kept it pretty simple. Mostly used Aperture Priority so I could focus on the light and composition. If things got too dark because of the shadows, I’d bump up the ISO a bit or adjust the exposure compensation. Didn’t fuss over it too much, just wanted a decent exposure to work with.
Figuring Out What Worked
The main thing was just constantly moving things around. Moving the filter (the lace, the plant, whatever). Moving Jane slightly. Moving myself to change the angle. It was a lot of trial and error. Sometimes the shadow would fall weirdly, like right across her nose in a dumb way. Other times, it would perfectly highlight her eye or cheekbone.
Less is more sometimes. I found that having just one clear pattern often looked better than a messy jumble of shadows. Like, the simple stripes from the blinds, when angled right, were quite strong.
The lace was good for a softer, more ‘dreamy’ feel, I guess. The plant shadows felt more dramatic and natural. It really depended on the mood I was going for, which honestly, I was kind of figuring out as I went along.
Looking Back at the Results
After the shoot, loading the photos onto the computer, I could really see what worked and what didn’t. Lots of duds, for sure. Pictures where the shadows were just awkward or the light wasn’t hitting right. But the ones that worked? They had this depth and mood that you don’t get with flat lighting.
It wasn’t super technical. It was mostly about looking closely at the light, using simple household items, and not being afraid to move things around constantly until it looked interesting. Definitely something I’ll be trying again, maybe with different objects next time. It’s fun to see how just blocking light in simple ways can change a whole portrait.
