6 Tips For Shooting in Natural Light with Emily Teague

Join Emily Teague outside in Brooklyn, New York as she demonstrates 6 lighting tips to keep in mind when shooting outdoors.
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✘ PRODUCTS USED:
Canon 5D Mark IV:
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Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens
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Apple 27" iMac:
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Capture One 21:
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Wacom Intuos Pro Small:
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#naturallight #fashionphotography #adorama
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Emily Teague:
Website: emily-teague.com
Instagram: / _emilyteague
Facebook: / emilyteaguephoto
Twitter: / emily_teague_
Filming & Editing:
/ methodkc
Model: Rachel La Scalla
/ rachellascalla
• What are some tips you might have for natural light fashion photography? Let us know in the comments below!
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THANKS SO MUCH FOR WATCHING!

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you for having me again!! 🖤

[@gewglesux]

Great Job!!! Thanks for sharing.!! Loads of Good info here.

[@EmilyTeague]

I appreciate that, thank you!! :)

[@vinceplatini]

Great tips! Thank you! 🥰

[@EmilyTeague]

Thanks! :)

[@magedzaki9637]

Thank you so much. Nice video

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you!!! :)

[@johnclay7644]

Good tips.

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you John!

[@beverlywalker8853]

Great Video, Awesome TiPs👍🏽!

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you so much! :)

[@alun7006]

Another great vid, Emily - thanks!

[@EmilyTeague]

Thanks so much! ^_^

[@marksnellingphotography]

Nice one Emily, keeping it simple is something that gets overlooked.

[@EmilyTeague]

I appreciate that Mark!

[@anoirsx]

Hello! Thank you enjoyed the tips very helpfull!

[@EmilyTeague]

So happy to hear you enjoyed! :)

[@RodwinMakanjera]

I don't know why I only found Emily now, your work is amazing and the way you explain everything is very clear and easy to understand, after watching this I feel like I'm just going to conquer the world of photography with your help. Thank you so much. I'm gonna binge watch all of your videos and save them too

[@TobyRyan]

Emily rocks! 🤘🏻

[@EmilyTeague]

Awee- thank you Toby!! ^_^

[@alexanderpons9246]

Great way to show the various way available light works and can be used Ms. Emily Teague! Thanks ADORAMA for having videos like these so many can get inspired and jump in into Photography.

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you so much Alexander! :)

[@DavidEtheridge89]

Great tips! Can't wait to get out and try them.

[@EmilyTeague]

Would love to see how it goes for you!! :)

[@jeffsielski5385]

Excellent 👍

[@DanaCole]

Fab video Emily 😀😀😀

[@EmilyTeague]

Dana!!! Thank you love!!

[@monikamonika5691]

I like your simple words and explanation,thank you

[@Ali.lensman]

Amazing tips and beautiful MUA 😍 thanks for the video

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you!!! ^_^

[@aceentertainmnt9249]

She's literally one gifted & talented woman.

[@birdsinfocus496]

Shooting in harsh light with a dark background - I'm going to try that!

[@EmilyTeague]

I'd love to see how it turns out for you! :)

[@ricksunamoto3099]

Great tips and easy to follow and understand.

[@EmilyTeague]

I'm glad! Thank you Rick!

[@kimberlyb7]

Tysm great pro-tips ! 🫶🏼💕

[@hurleygreen927]

Great video, going back to basics! Thanks for this information...

[@EmilyTeague]

Thanks Hurley! :)

[@Outlast1965]

A refresher on available light! Thank you Emily!

[@EmilyTeague]

So happy you liked it ^_^

[@050856jrf]

Fantastic video. Simple and easy to follow. Looking for more videos from you.

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you! :)

[@kathealy60]

Thanks….this was great!

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you Kathleen! :)

[@TerryManning]

Great working with the model.

[@EmilyTeague]

Thanks Terry! I'm lucky to have talented and beautiful friends to help out :)

[@paulmangold740]

Great demo. Thank you.

[@outtathyme5679]

Aperture priority is your friend

[@jlsbranding8569]

Great tips 👍🏾

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you! :)

[@johnlahti9485]

Nice. Thanks. I have definitely learned something. Contrast with light. I'm a beginner. This was very helpful.

[@kevinwarren6681]

Yes, I’ve been doing outside photos for a a while as well enjoying the lights but with weather changes and it’s not the easiest thing to do but thank you enjoy your video

[@maximogomez5613]

From all the thousands of videos i’ve seen, I can say she’s the best at giving directions! Great video!

[@EmilyTeague]

That really makes me smile! Thank you so much!!! :)

[@championshippmedia]

Nice tips, thumbs up to the camera person/editor, the b-roll was nice and the music selection was top choice!

[@EmilyTeague]

Agreed! He's quite talented :)

[@MethodMedia]

Thank you. Chris Knitter at Method Media shoots and edits all the video content!

[@overlookedproduction]

It me. ❤️ THANK YOU!

[@dgibbsfl]

Very nicely done, great presentation, I watched with interest all the way through and saved the link for future reference. Thanks!

[@EmilyTeague]

I'm really glad! Thank you Dave! :)

[@michaelschmitt5413]

Really nice video !!!

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you Michael! :)

[@adreaminfocus]

So so so helpful. Thank you Emily x

[@ganeshmore_77]

Good photography

[@EmilyTeague]

Appreciate that!

[@ganeshmore_77]

Wow beautiful beautiful looking

[@EmilyTeague]

Thanks!

[@ganeshmore_77]

@@EmilyTeague good photography

[@GeoChild]

Well done.

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you Brian!! :)

[@maf3695]

Excellent video. At the end with the reflector, could you have used it to bounce light from top to bottom. Instead of bottom to top?

[@StevenSmith-nq5xe]

Absolutely wonderful tutorial. Emily is a terrific communicator, with great advice. The section on hard light was particularly (forgive me) illuminating. The piece was also beautifully shot and edited. Thank you!

[@EmilyTeague]

Awe thank you Steven! I love hearing that ^_^

[@chakramotophotography9614]

Great tips as always, straight to the points! Many thanks Emily

[@EmilyTeague]

Thanks! :)

[@BANNERWORX]

Great video Emily, few of the tips will be practised by me this weekend, as we are going to have a rare sunny weekend here in London. I’ll definitely bring my reflector out as well.

[@EmilyTeague]

I hope it goes well!! I'd love to see what you get! :)

[@StephenLawson76]

Your videos are so helpful, Emily. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills!

[@ejphoto]

Excellent video. I long to shoot in NYC!

[@DirectorEllyvmugisa]

your tutorials are always on point , no details left out , thanks for the information

[@bala1000mina]

Emily is great! Thank you so much for the informative tutorial and helpful tips!

[@dvinatieri256]

Thank you!!!

[@charlesmckenna6164]

Thanks for the help.

[@johnleftwich650]

Great tutorial!

[@jamiesolorio2768]

Just discovered you and really appreciate your tutorials. Anyhow, this is random but of your hair styles, this is one of my faves. Looks really great on you. :)

[@EmilyTeague]

I love hearing this! Thanks Jamie! It's only been blonde for a year but its been really fun to experiment with different lengths and styling :)

[@aquilifergroup]

Thank you for taking the time to do this. I know it took a lot of time.

[@EmilyTeague]

I appreciate it!

[@sijilo]

Sun in perfect companion

[@EmilyTeague]

And free! ;)

[@waginglove]

You made manual mode way easy. Thanks.

[@chipcurry]

I shoot video semi professionally, and I’m always looking for ideas on working with light. Thanks very much!

[@icarusachilles6777]

First time viewer. This is a very informative and inspiring video. Thanks

[@EmilyTeague]

So happy to hear that! Thank you Icarus :)

[@tonytoffolo9915]

this is great content Emily! thanks for putting it together.

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you Tony!! :)

[@johnjackson9601]

Thank you for the information. I am a wildlife and landscape photographer. However, a friend is wanting me to take pictures of the veterinarians at his clinic. So I will be using some of your information. Thank you again!

[@ErinLAnderson]

Love seeing your work on location. I cringe at full sunshine but I like how you used it with a shadow in the background.

[@EmilyTeague]

Haha I honestly do too most the time, but it can be great to utilize as an options! :)

[@ErinLAnderson]

@@EmilyTeague you are so right! There will be events where the skill is needed. And I've seen some shoots where the full sun lends to the feel. Must force myself to practice!

[@TheMrsamuelcm76]

This was very helpful thank you.

[@EmilyTeague]

Thanks!! :)

[@invictaland1983]

Another great tutorial, Em! Can't believe it's already been a decade!

[@EmilyTeague]

Isn’t that wild?! I owe so much of getting started to you ❤️

[@johnnyandersom9226]

Great video

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you Johnny!

[@sagararora343]

8:04 - I was shocked when you said 32,000 lol. But then in the next shot I was relieved. 😄😄

[@EmilyTeague]

I face palmed so hard after I realized I said that haha. Had to make sure I corrected it in the next scene 😅

[@kevin.itruth6880]

Emily I found your videos yesterday and have been binge watching. You're tutorials are so thorough, well organized and explained so clearly, it is a breath of fresh air on KZbin. I hope you continue educating us for a long time. Amazing work!

[@EmilyTeague]

This just made me smile so much. Thanks so much Kevin! I appreciate it :)

[@kevin.itruth6880]

@@EmilyTeague Anytime, you have such a bright future. Keep up the good work!

[@brantleybethea1046]

Love your content but I do feel like she would have contrasted better against the creme brick wall lol. Beautiful model, great tips + techniques. Thanks for the content!

[@SwoleBeastTribe]

Third

[@carlosdias1940]

All around fan of Adorama videos, as always, a subject matter interesting to keep me hooked up. Definitely is up to the photographer leading the content, as well, and you did an outstanding job working with light. Thank You for another interesting and inspiring perspective. Cheers

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you so incredibly much Carlos! :)

[@Boots1956]

excellent

[@smellgoodphotography7722]

great video! Do you have any videos for posing those who are not models and composition if not have you thought making one

[@EmilyTeague]

I don’t yet but excellent idea!

[@hmsusantha5503]

Thanks a lot

[@paulcarterdesign]

Your camera has a 32,000 shutter speed? ;) Good tips and explaining your decision process.

[@paulcarterdesign]

I do have a question: at 9:08 when you all were back on the roof, was there a large wall to your right to act as a natural reflector? Even though Rachel was backlit, the light was brighter on the left side of her face. Or was the fence to her right adding negative fill?

[@EmilyTeague]

Hahaha the moment we cut that scene I was like "I said 32,000 instead of 3,200 didn't I..." Canon has really been leading the way ;)

[@EmilyTeague]

@@paulcarterdesign Good catch! A mix of the fence acting a bit as negative and blocking light + on the left side of her face it's a mix of open sky and slightly reflective ground on the roof :)

[@eoslove2022]

Great tips! R5 query: eye auto or spot metered?

[@rickjbradbury]

The 5D Mark IV was used here not the R5. eye auto focus and spot metering are totally different things also.

[@aljo.antony]

9:02 Could have tried to photograph at this spot if there were no vehicles because of that beautiful hard light.

[@EmilyTeague]

Haha I know! All these cars and people need to leave me to my photoshoots ;)

[@kefkapalazzo1]

I always shoot in aperture priority with natural light personally

[@thextopic1811]

wowoowoowoow

[@mhc2b]

Enjoyed this video immensely. Interesting way of "starting" your manual exposure tests (1/160 @ f4, ISO 100). FWIW - Seems to me that an inexpensive incident light meter like the Sekonic L-308 would be a lot more beneficial, while making life a lot easier. With an incident meter reading from the model's face, you will, at the very least, always be squarely in the ball park with your first exposure, which you can then, of course, modify slightly in either direction, depending on your own personal taste. PS - those big concrete walls act as soft, gigantic reflectors. Nice use of them!

[@johncantrell614]

If you do not mind, when you were doing the backlit shots, what metering pattern do you prefer when shooting that? Thanks.

[@tabeabussmann]

The model reminds me of Alex from OITNB 🥰😍

[@jonny7943]

...if you struggle with the settings its better to start with a grey card i think.

[@marcusfrank3271]

Great tips. What I ask myself: Did Emily have a strange 5in1 reflector without a diffuser or did she actually use the diffuser instead of a white reflector for brightening?

[@jpdj2715]

If you pause the video between 11:28 and 11:30 at a moment where the underside of the "reflector" is visible, then you can see it actually is the white diffuser she uses as reflector as it is very brightly lit while the underside is in the shade.

[@EmilyTeague]

Yep! I used the diffuser to bounce light :)

[@marcusfrank3271]

@@EmilyTeague Thanks for the feedback. Sure, it also works, is again a bit weaker than a white reflector because only part of it is reflected. I will definitely test it ;-)

[@EmilyTeague]

@@marcusfrank3271 It is! I prefer a more subtle look myself though :)

[@annharrison1701]

Hi Emily, love how evenly exposed the back lit photos turned out, I really struggle here. My models face always looks murky. Any tips for that? Thank you.

[@NickVanHouse]

Need better lens that don’t refract light in a weird way. Also could be camera doesn’t have good dynamic range. I used all the modern cameras canon Sony Fuji and have no issues backlighting anymore. I used my old Nikon and the image was lost.

[@annharrison1701]

@@NickVanHouse thank you. I have the canon R6 and mostly use my sigma 85 1.4.

[@EmilyTeague]

Hi Ann! First, what camera and lens are you shooting with? Do you feel like you've got proper exposure? :)

[@annharrison1701]

@@EmilyTeague I have the R6 and mostly shoot portraits with my sigma 85 1.4. The background is ok but subjects are dark. I always shoot in raw. I’m thinking I should be using spot instead of evaluative metering…..

[@invictaland1983]

I always use spot metering, that would probably improve your situation.

[@KrzysztofDziuba----1-2-3]

Honestly, in 2021 there is aperture priority mode with auto-ISO where you can define your range. Additionally we have different metering modes and huge dynamic range. Without flash, what's the point for manual exposure?

[@MethodMedia]

To teach someone learning a new skill like photography.

[@vincentnavea6999]

Use a longer focal lenght if you need to remove background distractions

[@EmilyTeague]

Agreed! This was assuming you only have one lens on you though :)

[@itmamhasan]

What's the white balance in direct sunlight or in the total outdoor shoot?

[@EmilyTeague]

I just had my white balance set for auto (5147K for the direct sunlight shots)

[@stevenmeansphotography3861]

Would it just be better to use strobe

[@DixonLu]

Q: Why increase the ISO in camera and retake a shot when modern cameras are ISO invariant, i.e., software can recover close to 5 stops underexposure? Seems like that would interrupt the flow.

[@jpdj2715]

I generally use manual settings because I did that in the film days - if you shoot at 8" x10" size and workflow, and prices, you want to be "first time right". Ms. Teague may be half my age and I wonder if she ever shot film. Yes, you have listed a couple truths. But the question is if these are relevant in her use cases. With the black dress and almost black hair, against dark backgrounds, the risk is not that of underexposure but of over-exposure of the most important part of the shot: the model's pale white skin. And my software can recover a lot from the depths of underexposure, but over-exposure leads to irrecoverable losses. Now I am not nostalgic about, nor OC stuck with, metering the old way - still occasionally do that. So I found that my camera has this "expose for the highlights" setting for its light meter function. This generally underexposes about 2 EV. The meter (i.e. sensor) scans for the photosite with the highest EV and adjusts exposure for that. This is an automatic expose to the right, but completely avoids over-exposure. My camera seems to ignore a midday summer sun if directly in the frame of a very wide landscape shot . As to your "ISO invariant" - that is true at some level, but my previous camera had at least 2 amplification levels that it applied in measuring the photocells (the photocells are the real sensors in the "sensor" and formally called photosites - they are colorblind and analog). It would switch from one amplification to another at or near ISO 400 and this caused a shot at ISO 400 to be grainier than at ISO 800. I replaced that camera by the next Mk version and do not know if this handles that the same way, or not. Still, with expose for the highlights, my shots are bit under-exposed and I lose some detail in the darkest sections of the image - that is visible on my expensive 4K Eizo display (calibrated) and difficult to identify on my previous higher consumer grade 4K display (also calibrated). The best approach to correct this under-exposure in Lr is to lower the white point. This pulls up the entire image and all "exposure" sliders still have their correction scope. Lr treats the white point in an absolute way, internally and that works brilliantly for me. C1 moves the white point up and down with later exposure corrections and that to me is unworkable and fundamentally flawed - it makes me angry ;). Another thing with auto ISO is that all your raw files are opened differently by your software. If I am in a location with mixed lighting, I may meter the light in the location with the handheld meter - it measures "light" when the camera meters "reflected" light from the subject and the meter is calibrated with my camera, so it "knows my camera's dynamic range and indicates that to me. Several meterings are done towards the different angles of light coming in. Then when I shoot a series with manual settings, including ISO, all shots have the same mood. Some are a bit lighter because there is more direct light, others a bit darker, but there is great harmony between the shots, which reflects the mood of the original scene. Consider auto-WB: if you shoot a sunset and the camera tries to adapt its WB to that, then you lose the warmth of the sunset in direct sunlight, plus shadows in the same shots will be much more blue. As long as you shoot raw, the WB and and ISO just indicate to Lr or C1 how to open your raw shots, but how close that opening is to what you need/want determines your time in your post office, away from shooting. So, for WB, my camera is always at "Cloudy". I frequently shoot a couple reference shots with my ColorChecker Passport in order to have an ICC profile file from these that I can apply to a specific combination of camera settings, lens, light and location. Applying that profile to, say, 500 shots gets them all in the right "neutral" tint and making your artistically motivated deviations from that is much easier. So, what do you think? Is this "manual" a "boomer" thing? Or is it still valid and relevant?

[@lgm9324]

Better to get the exposure correct in camera, so that you have leeway in either direction.

[@sexysilversurfer]

I learnt that I need an assistant to help out. 😀

[@EmilyTeague]

Haha you definitely don't *need* one for natural light portraits! I only used an assistant for one of the looks and you could replace an assistant with a cheap light stand & reflector bracket if you wanted :)

[@Tuttle64]

Hi

[@EmilyTeague]

Hi David!

[@Tuttle64]

@@EmilyTeague great lesson, looking forward to the next one

[@tomd9275]

the shutter speed is cranked up to: Not ,Thirty-two thousand , but rather , Thirty-two hundred I enjoyed the presentation, however, I’m sure it was a slip regarding shutter speed 🤙

[@EmilyTeague]

Haha the moment I realized I said 32,000 I face palmed. I corrected it in the next scene at 8:39 though ;)

[@tomd9275]

@@EmilyTeague You’re so correct. I’m embarrassed. I jumped on this without watching the subsequent portion of the video. My apology.👍

[@stopthink9000]

Good tips but the execution is...interesting.

[@hajmanek]

So for what is the light meeter in the camera????? Why guesing?

[@EmilyTeague]

Here's an explanation & the article that goes along with it: "Since a camera meter takes a reflective reading, and then calculates it according to the amount of midtones in your image, it will give you a different reading every time the percentage of grey in your frame changes - even if you are simply reframing the same shot." www.digitalcameraworld.com/tutorials/how-to-use-a-light-meter-and-why-not-to-trust-the-camera-meter

[@hajmanek]

@@EmilyTeague with all respect to your work, you are wrong. I just stopped watching this video. You are representing Adorama, a professional brand, and many amateurs watching this video and using your advice. After they are not understanding anything about photography techniques.

[@EmilyTeague]

@@hajmanek Why do you think I'm wrong?

[@IslandFilmMaker]

Lol, Canon 32000 shutter speed! As a professional, that number shouldn't even be in your vocabulary. Oh well, never say never! right!

[@EmilyTeague]

Whelp- it came out! :P

[@deraldgross5181]

The shots with the reflector looked unnatural as light comes from above not below. I know your HMA was a stand in to run the reflector, but when your influencing others you should teach them correctly and position the equipment correctly.

[@bluecologne25]

Natural light photography is so overrated

[@EmilyTeague]

All my other tutorials are on using artificial light- but it's pretty damn important to understand shooting in natural light ;)

[@ganeshmore_77]

Great tips

[@EmilyTeague]

Thank you :)

[@Almendarezwilliam]

Hi