The secret behind every great photo is the lighting. Sure, fancy gear and perfect poses help, but the right lighting is key. When you pay attention to how light falls on a face or space, you’ll notice how it changes the mood.
With any beginner photography tips, understanding light is an important skill to build. Good lighting shapes the story in your photos, highlights expressions, and helps set the tone. Whether you're using a phone or professional camera, these photography lighting tips can make a big difference in your shots.
1. Use natural lighting as often as possible
Best for: Everyday moments
Natural light is flattering and easy to work with, making it a favorite for photographers at every level. You can find it almost everywhere, including:
- Near windows
- In doorways
- Outdoors
This kind of light helps colors look their true shade. To use it well, have your subject face the light source. Feel free to move around a bit (small shifts can make a big difference). You can also use professional equipment like a reflector to bounce light into shadows or a diffuser to soften harsh sunlight.
However, it’s also possible to make DIY reflectors and diffusers from common household items.
A white foam board makes an excellent DIY reflector, while a sheer white curtain can act as a perfect window diffuser. To understand how different light sources interact with your space, it's worth observing how their position and intensity shift throughout the day.
Photos taken in natural light tend to feel effortless. They also print beautifully in photo books, where the paper’s texture helps soft tones feel rich and dimensional.
Expert tip: Prioritize shooting during “golden” hour when you can. That period shortly after sunrise and before sunset gives you softer shadows and a warm glow that's hard to beat.
2. Avoid harsh lighting, even if natural
Best for: Close-up shots
Not all natural light plays nice. Midday sun can feel intense, especially when it sits directly overhead. The sharp shadows and contrast it creates can be tough to fix in a photo later. Softer light keeps focus on the shot by eliminating harsh distractions.
This makes a big difference for keepsakes, as gentle lighting creates a timeless look that feels classic for years to come.
You'll usually find harsh light outdoors around noon and indoors through an untreated window. To soften it, step into the shade or use a sheer curtain on the window to diffuse the light. Turning your subject slightly away from the light can help, too.
Expert tip: Use open shade outdoors, such as under trees or next to buildings. You'll still get the lighting you need, just without blinding brightness.
3. Add alternate light sources
Best for: Indoor shots, low-light spaces
When natural light dips, artificial lighting can be a handy tool. You don't have to overdo it with a full studio lighting setup—simple additions can help shape your scene and make the lighting feel more intentional.
You can manipulate your light source with everyday items, like:
- Lamps to add warmth and direction
- String lights for a soft background glow
- Overhead lights to help add balance
- Phone flash for focused light in a pinch
- Ring light attachments for soft, even illumination
Artificial light helps you control the scene. Consider placing lights to the side and mixing sources for added depth. The goal isn't brightness, but rather balance.
Expert tip: Stick to one light temperature if possible. Mixing warm (incandescent) and cool (fluorescent) bulbs may confuse the mood and make it harder to edit.
4. Study the lighting in a space before shooting
Best for: Dramatic scenes
Before lifting your camera, take a moment to pause and look around. Pay attention to where light enters the room and where shadows land. This quick scan can help you choose the best angle at the moment.
Lighting changes quicker than you think. Clouds move and as the sun sets, the warm glow of indoor lamps begins to take over the room's color balance. Instead of fighting these shifts, adapt to them.
If your shot is dim because of a change outside, move your subject into the strongest light source, like the nearest window. Taking a moment to realign with the light creates a naturally balanced exposure that feels intentional rather than accidental.
Expert tip: Take one test photo first. This way, you can check highlights and shadows, then adjust your position as needed.
5. Use the three-point light setup to your advantage
Best for: Product photos, portraits
The three-point setup may sound fancy or intimidating, but it's a part of photography lighting basics. This technique isn’t about buying three specific types of lamps—it’s about positioning your light sources to play three distinct roles:
- The Key Light: This is your primary and strongest light source. Placed to one side of the camera, it’s the main illumination and defines the shape of your subject.
- The Fill Light: Placed on the opposite side of the key light, this light fills in the deep shadows created by your main source, ensuring you don't lose detail in dark areas.
- The Back Light: Positioned behind your subject, this light (often the subtlest of the three) hits the back of the head or shoulders. It creates a slight glow to separate your subject from the background.
Simple setup. Huge payoff.
This approach can add depth and balance, especially for portrait lighting and detail shots. You can easily create it with windows, lamps, or small lights around the room. Even just a few inches apart, they can change the whole look and feel of the shot.
Expert tip: Keep the fill light softer than the main light. This helps with dimension.
6. Adjust white balance settings
Best for: Landscapes, product photos
Every light source has a different color temperature. For example, winter daylight often has a cool blue tint, while indoor lamps usually cast a warm orange glow. When your camera doesn't account for these differences, your photos can end up with unrealistic colors that look off or muddy in print.
To fix this, use your camera’s white balance (WB) settings to tell it what true white should look like under your current lighting. Instead of relying on auto-settings, try these steps to improve your shots:
- Match the preset to your environment: If you’re shooting under lightbulbs, switch to the tungsten/incandescent preset to remove the yellow tint from your shot. On the other hand, if it’s a gray day, use the cloudy setting to add warmth back into the scene.
- Neutralize the light mix: Your colors will fight each other if you have competing light temperatures in the same space. Pick the dominant light source and set your white balance to match it, or remove one light source to keep the temperature consistent.
Expert tip: Open your smartphone camera settings and look for the WB icon—usually found in Pro or Manual mode. Swipe through the presets like daylight, fluorescent, or cloudy before you snap your photo. You’ll see the screen instantly shift from cool blue to warm orange, allowing you to lock in the most realistic colors before you start snapping.
7. Play with your equipment
Best for: Fashion shoots, professional portraits, product photos
Your camera lighting settings can do more than you think. Exploring settings helps you better understand how light behaves and how small tweaks can change the entire mood of a photo. A few tweaks can go a long way here.
Different tools offer different controls. When shooting on your phone, try getting familiar with all of the different photography lighting settings that are already built into your device.
Expert tip: Try changing one setting in your phone camera at a time. This makes it easier to see what worked and what didn't.
8. Add drama with shadows
Best for: Architecture, landscapes, dramatic portraits (e.g., silhouettes)
Shadows create mystery, depth, and contrast to help set the mood of a photo. When used the right way, shadows guide the eye and make photos feel intentional, not accidental.
To work with shadows, position your light source behind or to the side of your subject. Don't chase fully even illumination. Instead, let shapes naturally form. Sometimes, the story you capture is in what you don't fully see.
Expert tip: Start with soft shadows, then gradually increase the contrast by moving the light source. You'll find a sweet spot without losing important details.
9. Understand the difference between soft and hard light
Best for: Special occasion photos, editorial photography
Soft light produces a gentle shine around your subject. You'll notice it on cloudy days, near windows, or during golden hour. Hard light, on the other hand, shows up with direct sun or a bare bulb and creates bold shadows. Both types of light have their place. The trick is knowing which to use.
Understanding the difference helps you determine the mood for the photo. Soft light flatters faces and can feel more romantic. Hard light adds edge and drama. If you need to switch between the two, you can soften a hard light by simply adding shade.
Expert tip: To use each type of light, adjust your distance and direction. Step back for softness. Move closer for hardness.
10. Use time of day to your advantage
Best for: Portraits, everyday moments
The time of day can change everything. Morning and evening light feel warm and calm, while midday light feels much brighter and energetic. Night brings glow and contrast. You can use each one to your advantage to tell a different story.
Planning a shoot around light saves time and edits later. Golden hour works beautifully for landscapes and candid shots. For nighttime photography, you can work with the glistening of streetlights, car headlights, windows, and more.
Expert tip: Try planning your shoot around the time of day that best fits the mood you want to capture. For example, consider the morning or golden hour for quiet moments, and midday light for busy scenes.
11. Position your subject with the lighting
Best for: Portraits
Where your subject stands matters just as much as the light itself. Facing the light helps brighten features. Standing slightly to the side can add depth. Backlighting creates glow and outlines.
Good positioning keeps the focus where you want it. This is why you'll want to move your subject before you touch your settings. A small shift can change shadows, highlight expressions, and so much more.
Expert tip: Start with your subject facing the light source, then rotate slowly until the illumination matches the mood you're going for.
12. Keep an eye on your background, too
Best for: Product photos, headshots, landscape photos
Notice how lighting doesn't stop at your subject. It also spills into the background, helping shape the whole frame. Bright spots can pull attention, while dark corners can add focus or distraction.
Check what's behind your subject before shooting. Adjust your angle so that the light supports the scene. This will help your photos feel clean and intentional when you print them later.
Expert tip: Watch for backlights in the background. Bright lights or windows can steal focus fast.
13. Adjust light contrast while editing
Best for: Editorial photography, professional portraits
Think of editing as fine-tuning the light you captured. Adjusting contrast helps add detail, deepen shadows, and balance highlights without drastically changing the shot. It's the final touch that photos need to look their best.
A small edit goes a long way. When you're editing photos, you're aiming for clarity, not perfection. Subtle tweaks help your shots look natural in print and ready to share.
If you’re disappointed in the lighting you’ve captured, don’t worry. It’s possible to fix bad lighting in photos, and you can follow along with expert tutorials to make the changes you need.
Expert tip: Less is more when it comes to contrast. It’s easier to build up the effect in small increments than to fix an over-processed image that looks unnatural. Most importantly, always save a duplicate of your original photo before you start editing—this ensures you have a high-quality, clean version to return to if you decide to take the edit in a different direction.
Bring your photos to life with Mixbook
These photography lighting tips will help you capture moments that feel natural, balanced, and sharable. With the right lighting, your photos tell better stories. And with Mixbook photo books, you can turn your favorites into personalized keepsakes.
Want to take them a step further? Upload your photos to Mixbook Studio™ for all the advanced editing tools you need. Play with layouts, color tweaks, designs, and more to pull your memories together into something you'll love.
