Photodoto » Blog Archive » Reader mail: How do you get good portrait lighting indoors?

We all know by now, how to get good lighting for portraits outside - pick a time when the sun is low in the sky, and shoot with it coming from behind you. The same applies to indoor photography, but you need to think of well lit window as the lighting source. The light will be softer, but still there. If you haven't got a conveniently positioned window, often you can use the light coming in that bounced off a light coloured wall, but bear in mind the effect this will have on the colour of the light.

If you're going to use a flash, you're best to use a flash unit with an adjustable head, so you can bounce the light off the ceiling - this means the light's coming down onto the subject, rather than right at them, and means that the shadows fall in a more natural looking way.

Keep your subject facing roughly towards your light source, but don't be afraid to move around a bit - shoot from the sides, play with the way light and shadow are falling on your subject.