page_title: Portrait photography
section_title: Windowlight portraiture
hierarchical_section_title: Portrait photography / Windowlight portraiture
caption_attribution_description: Servizio fotografico&#160;: Italia, 1955 / Paolo Monti. - Stampe: 7&#160;: Positivo b/n, gelatina bromuro d'argento/ carta, 24x30. - ((Al verso di una delle stampe manoscritto: "Vetro macchiato 1951", "16 anni", "1955 Meme, ritratto a mezzogiorno", "1951", "Paolo Monti 1949". Sul coperchio della scatola manoscritto: "Ritratti".
context_page_description: Portrait photography or portraiture in photography is a photograph of a person or group of people that captures the personality of the subject by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses. A portrait picture might be artistic, or it might be clinical, as part of a medical study. Frequently, portraits are commissioned for special occasions, such as weddings or school events. Portraits can serve many purposes, from usage on a personal Web site to display in the lobby of a business.
context_section_description: Windows as a source of light for portraits have been used for decades before artificial sources of light were discovered. According to Arthur Hammond, amateur and professional photographers need only two things to light a portrait: a window and a reflector. Although window light limits options in portrait photography compared to artificial lights it gives ample room for experimentation for amateur photographers.  A white reflector placed to reflect light into the darker side of the subject's face, will even the contrast. Shutter speeds may be slower than normal, requiring the use of a tripod, but the lighting will be beautifully soft and rich.
  The best time to take window light portrait is considered to be early hours of the day and late hours of afternoon when light is more intense on the window. Curtains, reflectors, and intensity reducing shields are used to give soft light. While mirrors and glasses can be used for high key lighting. At times colored glasses, filters and reflecting objects can be used to give the portrait desired color effects. The composition of shadows and soft light gives window light portraits a distinct effect different from portraits made from artificial lights.
  While using window light, the positioning of the camera can be changed to give the desired effects. Such as positioning the camera behind the subject can produce a silhouette of the individual while being adjacent to the subject give a combination of shadows and soft light. And facing the subject from the same point of light source will produce high key effects with least shadows.
caption: Portrait with window light by Italian photographer Paolo Monti, 1955
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