Some lighting techniques

1. Artificial lighting

this kind of lighting comes in different shapes and sizes and even power. from your on camera flash to those expensive 1600watt strobes, each having pros and cons.

built in camera flashes are simple and straightforward but it can cause red eye and harsh lighting, although there are some 3rd party products that diffuse on camera flash. Unless you have a flash that you can trigger wirelessly you can use that to bounce it off and give you softer light.

2. Diffused Lighting

We all know direct lighting from a flash causes harsh shadows, this is the time where you want your light soft for a more pleasing photograph. Shooting at a bright midday can give you also a hard light, not to mention a sweaty face. You can try to bounce the light off a ceiling or put on a light modifier(soft boxes, umbrellas, beauty dish, etc) to give you that natural light effect.

3. Side Lighting

Side Lighting can give a dramatic effect on your photo. The light comes from either the left or the right side of the subject. You dont have to use artificial lighting here, you can try placing the side of your subject near a window with a white cloth covering it to give you that soft light.

4. Back Lighting

Backlighting is just what it sounds, having your light on the back or behind your subject. This can make or break a photo. You can create nice silhouettes when you shoot against the sun. You can also try to add an artificial light to fill the shadow and create some amazing photos.

there are a lot of things you can do with light, these are just a few techniques on how to play with light