Winter Light-Winter light can be so gorgeous and very frustrating at the same time. Why is that, you ask? well winter light is not as strong as summer light. the kelvin temperature numbers are lower and the sky color can be more cyan or blue. But winter light can also be very beautiful for skin tones and early day landscapes/cityscapes. I was a photoshoot recently in Manhattan The client wanted to shoot outdoors and since it is December, I suggested we start

to photograph right away. We started the photo shoot at 9:00am. The light outside was with deep shadows and white in color. Use the deep shadows to add sharpness to a person's face and to also shape their face. Shadows can also be used to be part of the subject. I had to use a fill flash for facial shots so the face would not be so dark in the shadows and eyes. When we moved to a more open location and as the sun was starting to move in it's orbit, the colors of the sky changed multiple shades of blue with hints of green,cyan. The client’s skin tone was so gorgeous in this light. The warmth of the orange/yellow just popped their skin tone.

the light changed so rapidly. Fill flash on half the images and natural light on the rest. My color balance was on cloudy. I had over head clouds to deal with. Your camera color settings is so important, especially when shooting outdoors in changing light. Checking your exposures during changing light is a given. Cold weather can change a person's skin tone because of the lack of warmth. Being quick with your captures and having your subjects move will help your outdoor photo shoot. A sense of play with your subjects can go a long way. Fun images that are playful will go over big with your clients. Take a few rounds of exposures for jumps in the air, to cover your bases. With winter  light that changes so rapidly, you should be shooting with exposures that will reflect your client's skin tone and mood.