Learn: Top 10 Tips for Natural-Light Portraits

Whether you embrace the soft, gentle hues of early morning or skillfully play with shadows to add intrigue and drama to your portraiture, mastering natural light can help you transform great pictures into compelling narratives.

Berlin-based portrait photographer Alina Rudya, whose work has been featured in renowned German publications like Der Spiegel and Die Zeit, is known for her visual storytelling rooted in bold colors, emotional depth, and, most importantly, natural light.

We’ve asked Alina to share her top 10 tips for working with natural light in portrait photography – from shooting at different times of day and in all kinds of weather to managing your surroundings, subjects, and composition, and embracing spontaneity, movement, and styling.

Ready to take your portrait photography to the next level? Read on to get inspired by Alina’s advice and beautiful pictures from her portfolio.

1. Shoot early to catch the soft morning light

Getting up early isn’t always fun, but it can be extremely rewarding for portraiture. The soft, low, and golden morning light casts long, dreamy shadows and creates a gentle, romantic atmosphere perfect for couple portraits, wedding photography, and editorial-style shoots.

With fewer people around in the morning, you can capture more intimate moments and focus on your composition. If you take too much time, though, you might have to adjust your camera angle as the light tends to change fast post-sunrise.

My favorite time of year for sunrise portrait photography is spring and summer, when trees, bushes, and flowers are in full bloom, and color pops from every corner. But that’s not to say that natural ‘distractions’ like fog, dew droplets, or floating dust throughout the seasons can’t lend your images that extra bit of magical glow and atmosphere.

Don’t be shy to experiment with the light angle or a filter to amplify the ethereal mood. I love playing with prism filters to achieve stylish lens flares, for example. You can easily find them in a secondhand shop, or make your own by taking apart your grandma’s favorite chandelier!

2. Use your environment to shape light naturally

Nature is the best light modifier. I often use trees, walls, windows, or flowers to shape or diffuse natural light. These elements allow you to soften lines, frame your subject, and add layers and texture to your images.

When scouting locations, I look for dynamic backgrounds with surfaces that break up or bounce natural light, as texture, color, and natural diffusion all contribute to the visual narrative.

Have you tried shooting through foliage or blossom at a wide aperture, for instance? This is a great technique to blur the foreground and frame your subject with beautiful color and delicate highlights.

And if you’re looking for creative portrait photography ideas that add movement and mood to your storytelling, try playing around with water from rain, sprinklers, or reflections. That’s exactly what my beautiful red-haired model Zhenya and I did on our shoot with MPB. We both got soaking wet from the sprinklers in the park, but as you can see, the results were absolutely worth it!

3. Work with the weather, not against it

I usually plan my shoots, but I’ve also learned to be spontaneous as natural light can change quickly and you can’t always rely on the weather forecast. Living in Berlin, I’m frequently faced with overcast skies, rain, and gloomy weather (which is one of the reasons I recently set up camp in Mallorca to escape the German winter).

But here’s the good news: if you can’t just grab your stuff and relocate your production to a sunnier climate, even a rainy or cloudy day, with its cool blue hues, soft light, and melancholic atmosphere, can offer unique moods, perfect for introspective or cinematic portraiture.

A cloudy day might lack the golden tones of sunrise, but the soft, diffused light can add to the subtlety and depth of your portraits. Rain can heighten drama through reflections, texture, and atmosphere. By leaning into these conditions instead of fighting them, you can allow the natural light to shape your narrative.

In fact, some of my favorite shots have emerged from unexpected moments: from sunbeams suddenly breaking through the clouds to the reflective glow of wet city streets. Once you understand how light behaves in different kinds of weather, you can easily adapt your style to capture compelling, mood-rich portraits.

4. Position your subject relative to the light source

How you position your subject relative to the light source can dramatically change the look and feel of your portrait. Remember that even a subtle shift in your subject’s angle can alter the final result.

• Backlight: Placing the light source behind your subject creates a soft, glowing outline. This setup is ideal if you’re looking for a romantic or dreamy effect that adds an ethereal quality to your portraiture.

• Side light: Position the light to one side of your subject to add drama and depth. Techniques like Rembrandt lighting highlight facial structures and emphasize contours, bringing out a sense of intimacy and character.

• Front light: Directly illuminating your subject from the front delivers clear, even lighting perfect for fashion photography, profile pictures, and beauty portraits.

That said, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. The best way of finding the most flattering and expressive poses and angles in different lighting conditions is to experiment with subtle adjustments.

For more inspiration, read MPB’s article on the best portrait lighting setups.

5. Use shadows to add mood and drama

Light is nothing without shadow. Shadows add structure, mystery, and drama to your portraits, especially when color isn’t your main storytelling tool.

Photographers often avoid the harsh midday sun, but with a basic understanding of shadow and light in photography, it can be an incredibly powerful tool. I frequently turn to nature or urban environments as my primary light modifiers. These everyday surroundings can give your subject a beautiful frame, adding depth and texture to your images.

High-contrast lighting can help you define shapes and evoke specific moods. It also allows you to isolate elements in your composition, spotlight your subject, or be creative with negative space.

These two striking portraits of my model Naomi are an example of how I use light and shadow to capture emotion and shape the narrative.

6. Capture the golden hour for storytelling warmth

Golden hour — that magical window just before sunset — is one of my favorite times to shoot, especially during summer. Some of Berlin’s best golden-hour moments happen in parks. From tiny mosquitoes dancing in the sun like glowing dust to people painting the sky with the sharp silhouettes of their colourful kites at Tempelhofer Feld, the golden-hour magic can turn everyday scenes into poetry.

Some may call it ‘cheesy,’ but the flattering directional light producing a gentle glow and an intimate, cinematic feel make golden hour a popular choice for wedding photography and portraiture — for all the right reasons!

Golden-hour sunlight gives you plenty of creative opportunities to play with, whether you use it for backlighting to create a soft halo around your subjects’ hair and skin, as rim lighting to accentuate outlines, or to create long shadows that add rhythm and depth to your composition. 

Here are a few hands-on technical tips that will make your golden-hour portraits stand out:

• White balance: Set to “Cloudy” or “Shade” to add warmth, or shoot in RAW format to stay flexible and fine-tune your settings in post-production.

• Exposure: Use spot metering and underexpose slightly when shooting towards the light. This allows you to preserve highlights and adds moody accents around your subject’s silhouette.

• Prime lenses: Try a fast prime lens with a wide aperture, like a 50mm f/1.4 or an 85mm f/1.8 (my personal favorites), to enhance the soft golden glow even more.

And here’s one more tip for when the weather’s not on your side: don’t get upset if you’re stuck with no golden hour to shape the mood, and focus on outfits and styling instead. Strong color contrasts such as a vibrant coat against gray urban surroundings can really help your subject stand out. Moody conditions don't necessarily mean dull portraits, and with thoughtful preparation, these moments can be just as captivating as those captured in golden light.

7. Focus on movement and emotion for a candid look

Contemporary photography is shifting toward a more relaxed, spontaneous aesthetic. Instead of stiff portraits with formal poses, people often respond better to candid portrait photography that feels more natural and less planned.

To capture this authentic feel, my best advice is to encourage your subject to move. Ask them to walk, turn away, or gaze thoughtfully into the distance. Keeping them engaged in casual conversations usually helps, as the most genuine expressions tend to happen between posed shots.

Even experienced models sometimes overpose, thinking that’s what photographers and clients expect. If that happens, gently nudge them towards using candid gestures and showing genuine emotions. Combine this with visually intriguing lighting like reflections, shadows, or textured surfaces to subtly add dynamism and depth to your portraits.

When taking pictures in the streets of Berlin’s Hansaviertel with its modernist architecture, I asked my model Naomi to walk, jump, and even dance. This movement created a playful contrast against the clean, geometric lines of the architecture, adding liveliness and interest to my images.

8. Use window light in indoor settings

So, what’s the best lighting for indoor photography? Indoors, windows become your primary source of natural light, effectively acting as giant softboxes – especially in low-light indoor photography settings or when sheer curtains diffuse direct sunlight.

Just like outdoor light, window light is incredibly versatile and works for side, front, or backlit setups. You can shape the mood by creatively using curtains, nearby objects, or even deliberate shadows created by hands.

Incorporating props can add life and complexity to a simple indoor scene. A model holding flowers or interacting naturally introduces interest and depth. Below, you can see an example of how vibrant outfits and carefully chosen flowers can help capture memorable, visually engaging portraits.

While I prefer environmental shoots, indoor photography – especially in natural-light studios – can yield powerful results. If you’re planning a studio session, bring multiple outfits and props to add visual variety. And don’t forget that even minimalist setups can feel dynamic and expressive when paired with thoughtful light shaping techniques.

9. Use composition to enhance the light

Great lighting alone is no guarantee for great pictures, and composition is just as important. Whether you opt for a centred arrangement to achieve symmetry or the rule of thirds for dynamic energy, how you position your subject can significantly alter the narrative and impact of your image.

Use architecture and natural lines to frame your subject or guide the viewer’s eye. I often incorporate negative space or leading lines like the sharp edges of buildings or repetitive patterns of windows to create visual tension or direct the attention to where I want it.

When you combine thoughtful composition with a skillful use of light, you can achieve portraits that feel layered, intentional, and visually compelling. Even in a single setting, adjusting your composition can completely transform the interaction between the light and your subject.

Bonus tip: think about color and styling

Color is often overlooked in natural-light portraiture – but it’s essential! Alongside lighting and composition, it can completely transform your image. I love bold colors, and for my recent shoot with MPB, I specifically picked warm, slightly vintage yellows and oranges, carefully complemented by accessories, to create a distinctive look.

Always consider your subjects’ outfit, accessories, and surroundings, using color theory to guide your choices: complementary tones for contrast, analogous colors for harmony, or a monochromatic palette for minimalist elegance.

Having multiple outfits at hand gives you the flexibility to seamlessly adapt to changes in light or background. The right color palette can amplify emotion or keep things balanced, both of which are crucial in portrait storytelling.

Final thoughts

Natural light is a beautiful, ever-changing tool, and learning how to work with it will sharpen every other aspect of your photography. Once you understand the nuances of different types of natural lighting, you’ll also find it easier to recreate or manipulate similar effects artificially, whether in a studio setting or outdoors at night using neon signs and street lamps.

Most importantly, natural light teaches you the art of observation. It nurtures flexibility, spontaneity, and creativity. Whether you’re photographing a model in a field at sunrise, a stranger on a rainy Berlin street, or a friend in front of a window, use the natural light available and let it inspire you.

Thank you for reading, and happy shooting!

Head to @rrrudya on Instagram to find out more about Alina and her work.

Or discover other inspiring tips and techniques, camera gear guides, and interviews on the MPB Content Hub.