As a wedding photographer, I have to be really good at rolling with the punches on a wedding day and be able to photograph in ANY condition I find myself in! So, today I wanted to share about how to photograph indoors and the number one thing I look for when I have to photograph anything inside!
A window.
That’s right. A window! It’s sooo simple, but it’s a game changer. Or even an open door! But please, for the love of all that is holy, do NOT put your clients’ backs to the window unless you are intentionally shooting a silhouette shot. However, most of the time that isn’t the case and if you put their back to the window, it’s going to be extremely backlit and is going to be hard to edit and have it look good (and “good” is obviously subjective here).
Actually, let me rephrase that. Don’t put your client’s backs against the window if it’s the ONLY window in the room. There are times I’ll have their backs toward (not directly in front of) a window, because there’s another window next to them that will bring in light to the fronts of their bodies. This keeps the exposure in the photo easier to balance and the windows won’t look completely blown out.
When you’re using a door or a window, you want your subject to be perpendicular to the light, or facing the light. When they face the light, you stand with your back to the window area, and they’re in front of you looking out!
I’ve photographed A LOT of bride and groom prep indoors. I’ve photographed 100% of my newborn sessions indoors. I’ve even photographed couples indoors because the weather didn’t allow us to be outside. Here are examples of photos I’ve all photographed indoors:
This photo they’re in “front” of a window, but there’s a window the side that’s lighting them up. 
The other alternative option to shooting inside is to bring in a flash that you can bounce off of a wall or a ceiling to help bring some fill light in, but do not put a flash on your camera and aim it directly at their faces. That’s not flattering, haha. I’ve practiced so much with my off camera flash skills that a lot of times now I can use it indoors and it still looks like natural light! Yay!
I also want to mention here that I’m writing this post with my own personal photography style in mind. You may read this and have a completely different style and disagree, and that’s OKAY! I want to have this as a resource for photographers who may still be figuring this whole thing out 🙂
Here are a couple of posts I wrote a while ago about OCF if you wanna know more! I should probably write some new ones now that I know more!
>>> What’s in my bag // OCF <<<
>>> Quick start to OCF <<<
I hope that this quick post about how to photograph indoors is helpful to you as you begin to expand your photography skills!
Linda is a Portland-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies from Portland to Boston and across New England. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com.
Linda is a Portland-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies from Portland to Boston and across New England. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com.
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