Let’s explore the world of natural light photography in the studio for headshots.

Natural light headshots is a style of lighting a subject using only available light. For us, we use a studio located in Portland, Oregon to create our style of natural light headshots.

The technique is to use the large south facing windows fully open on cloudy days and covered with white curtains on sunny days to create a diffused lighting glow that we use on our clients as our signature style.

We use modifiers and photography gear to craft the light by boucing or flagging light depending on the light that day. We use v-flats, bounce cards, rolling backdrops and the curtain system to control the amount of light that enters the studio. It’s like a Wizard of Oz experience.

In this post we will explore:

• show galleries of our work of the natural light headshot technique
• show some behind the scene looks at our setups
• and the difference between natural light and strobe flash headshots

The studio is the perfect space for your professional headshot session to develop an image that projects confidence, intelligence, and approachability. 

Large windows allow the south facing light to illuminate the space providing diffused light for a soft flattering glow.

View our three client examples at our natural light studio using large windows that allow the south facing light to illuminate the space providing diffused light for our headshots.

1. Natural Light Studio Setup for Northwest Tenant Group

For our client Northwest Tenant Group, we created new headshots in our Natural Light Studio that has large south facing windows to allow the sunlight to illuminate the space providing diffused light.

We used a neutral background, simple style set up and posing furniture for Stanford and Becca’s company team headshot session. 

2. Natural Light Studio Setup for GridStor

For our returning client GridStor, we used the same lighting set up as we do for all their headshots, the Natural Light Studio.

With our window light setup as the main source of light since the beginning, when they were only 4 employees now over 40, this set up provides us consistent headshots for GridStor every time allowing for future sessions of new hires to blend seamlessly. The result are well balance headshot photos the illuminate each person that projects confidence, professionalism and friendliness.

3. Natural Light Studio Setup for Business Professionals

The goal of an individual business headshot session is to develop an image that projects confidence, intelligence, and approachability. 

All of our individual and team headshot sessions include the use of the Natural Light Studio, located in northwest Portland, Oregon. Other locations options are outdoor or on site at the client’s office.

At our studio the large windows allow the south facing light to illuminate the space providing diffused light for a soft flattering glow. You can choose from a handful of background colors, style set ups and posing furniture as options for your portrait. These sessions are designed to provide professional headshots while using classic photographic techniques that utilizes or mimics sunlight to enhance the light quality for each individual.

View our full Natural Light Headshots Gallery.

We offer out clients natural light and strobe flash headshot photography services. Natural light is use mostly in our studio and at outdoor locations while the strobe flash headshots are most commonly used on-site at a client’s office or private space. 

What are the two lighting techniques for headshots?

1. Natural Light
2. Strobe Flash

1. The natural lighting techniques we use at our studio use manipulation of sunlight through clouds, white curtains or how it enters the studio. This diffused light fills the large south facing windows and creates a unique effect strobe photograph cannot make.

2. Strobe flash photography is a classic technique that has been used in studios for decades using artificial light. It is very directional which limits the area in which the subject can move around. However, this setup can be great for single image headshot packages, team headshots or matching existing headshots.

In the example above our staff photographer Jodhi is photographed in the studio. On the left he is lit by the natural light from our studio’s large south facing windows. On the right image he is lit by a strobe flash head with a 7ft modifier.

Want to see our strobe flash headshots?

Explore the world of flash photography for headshots by visiting our recent blog post What are strobe flash headshots?

Flash photography uses strobe lights known as heads to pop light through a modifier, in our case umbrella used in the photo above, to create a light source for the photographer’s subject, in our case, the lighting we use for our client’s headshots.

In this post we explore:

• the difference between natural light and strobe flash headshots
• show galleries of our work for each technique
• show some behind the scene looks at our setups

For more information visit Two Types of Lighting for Headshots↗

Interested in Working Together?

Let’s explore the world of flash photography for headshots.

Flash photography uses strobe lights known as heads to pop light through a modifier, in our case umbrella used in the photo above, to create a light source for the photographer’s subject, in our case, the lighting we use for our client’s headshots.

In this post we will explore:

• the difference between natural light and strobe flash headshots
• show a headshot gallery of this technique
• show some behind the scene looks at our setups

What are the two lighting techniques for headshots?

First, let’s learn about our two types of lighting styles we offer our clients.

Two Types of Lighting

We offer out clients natural light and strobe flash headshot photography services. Natural light is use mostly in our studio and at outdoor locations while the strobe flash headshots are most commonly used on-site at a client’s office or private space.

What is natural light headshots? The natural lighting techniques we use at our studio use manipulation of sunlight through clouds, white curtains or how it enters the studio. This diffused light fills the large south facing windows and creates a unique effect strobe photograph cannot make.

What is the strobe flash technique? Strobe flash photography is a classic technique that has been used in studios for decades using artificial light. It is very directional which limits the area in which the subject can move around. However, this setup can be great for single image headshot packages, team headshots or matching existing headshots.

Two Types of Lighting for Headshots

In the example above our staff photographer Jodhi is photographed in the studio. On the left he is lit by the natural light from our studio’s large south facing windows. On the right image he is lit by a strobe flash head with a 7ft modifier.

Behind the Scene Look at our Lighting Setups

View our client examples on-site and at the studio using strobe flash photography for their headshots!

On-site Setup for Client PEC

For PEC’s new company headshots we photographed on site with a single light strobe set up as the main source of light in addition to the natural light fill supplied from the outdoor setting through the windows. We used the client’s headquarters and office space as the two locations for the team headshots.

On-site Setup for Client WPI

We created new headshots for the leadership team of WPI’s Eugene office using a two light set up. We photographed on-site at the client’s office during work hours to provide accessibility and ease for each team member.

To match the headshots we made for the WPI Builds at their Portland office we used the same lighting set up and a neutral gray or white background on-site at their Eugene office.

We used a conference room wall to make these headshots and the same two light set up we used in the Portland office. The light source was a 3 ft octabank modifier on a Profoto B10 strobe head, our second Profoto B10 strobe head was used to light the background. We had the same modifier bounce cards in the same place to match the headshots we already made. Once the client made the selections we mad the background colors all match.

Studio Setup for Client Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center

We updated the headshots for the Leadership Team and new hires for the Virgina Garcia Memorial Health Center in studio to provide a consistant type of setting. We used artificial strobe lighting to match previously done headshots!

Studio Strobe Flash Setup for our Client DHM Research

Behind the scenes to our light set up at our studio located in northwest Portland, Oregon.

Our client’s used strobe flash to match existing headshots for the company.

On-site Strobe Flash Setup for our Client Author Loren

We photographed Loren in his library of collected books on-site at his home. We used a 2 light set up, one 7 foot umbrella as the main light source and a single light in the back of the long library hall with a 3 foot umbrella.

Interested in Working Together?