Window light is one of the most reliable tools in portrait photography, and also one of the most underestimated. A four-foot-wide room, an overcast sky, and a subject who knows how to find the light can produce images that hold up against anything from a full studio setup. We’ve shot editorial sessions, beauty portraits, and informal sittings using nothing but a window and a white wall, and some of those images get more questions than anything we’ve lit with strobes.
This guide covers how to position your subject in relation to window light, how to control contrast with simple modifiers, how to fix color casts in-camera and in post, and how to edit the final image in Lightroom. No complex gear required.
A complete resource for portrait photographers covering lighting, posing, gear, and editing from the field.
Video: how to photograph and edit a window light portrait
Window light and white walls
These first two images were taken in the windowsill of a small hair and makeup room in a New York studio on an overcast day. The room itself is only about four feet deep with windows on one side, and white walls running parallel on the other, and they can act as a reflector depending on the position of the subject in relation to the light.
I start by placing the model in front of the window to see how the light falls on them. Once I have decided where I want them positioned in front of the window, I will have the model “find the light” by positioning their face back toward the light. It is during this phase that I will choose to add or subtract light & contrast to fit the mood.
I wanted the focus to be on her natural beauty. I positioned her back toward the light and her face at about a 45-degree angle in relation to the window. The sun was higher up in the sky and I didn’t like how her freckles were getting lost in the shadows. I asked her to find the light and angle her chin up into the sunlight. There were very minor tweaks from then on until I was satisfied with the gradation, and how the light subtly emphasized the soft contours of her face.
Gear: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 85mm 1.2L II
Settings: ISO 640, f/4, 1/160 of a second.
For this second image, the window was used as more of a true backlight. I repositioned the model closer to the door frame in order to use it as a reflector and bounce some light back into the shadows.
Gear: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 85mm 1.2L II
Settings: ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/80 of a second.
One of the images I receive the most questions on in regard to how the look was achieved is probably one of the simplest images I have ever produced. It was an overcast day in September and it was the last shot of the day. I had just wrapped up an editorial using only available light. We were packing up in a very dark mahogany room without any other lights on when I saw the faintest light gleaming through the window. I asked the model to look directly out the window, head-on into the light. Satisfied with the contrast and mood, I chose to not modify it in any way. After the image was captured, the last light of the day was gone.
Gear: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 85mm 1.2L II
Settings: ISO 1000, f/1.8, 1/160 of a second.
In this example below, the sun was peaking out in the middle of winter and producing a gorgeous glow. I started by positioning the model directly perpendicular to the window. I then had her take a step away from the light, creating a near 120-degree angle between her back and the window. She then turned her head back toward the light. I used a black v-flat and positioned it around the model, camera-left, to cut some of the light and provide more shadow to that side of her face. This was a personal choice as I prefer images with variations of highlights and shadow. I find them more visually interesting.
Gear: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 85mm 1.2L II
Settings: ISO 640, f/1.8, 1/160 of a second.
These were all examples of using slightly diffused light, but what about when the sun is in its full, harsh brilliance? Depending on what you are after, it can be done. This final example was photographed in the late morning of early Spring. One of my favorite challenges is working in less than perfect light and using it to inspire a working image.
For this last image, I started by placing the model facing in the brightest part of the light, as that was the main focus of the image. In these instances, the harsh light behaves similarly to those lights in the studio. The same tools can be used to manipulate it however you see fit, to get the desired result. It really is all about personal preference. Since I prefer the drama in the shadows, I chose to embrace the challenge and to not use any reflectors or v-flats.
Gear: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 85mm 1.2L II
Settings: ISO 100, f/16, 1/160 of a second.
The edits: if there were any blemishes, I used a very light-handed approach with frequency separation and then a black and white conversion.
Adding fill light with a reflector
Direct window light, even when diffused by curtains, can throw shadows that are too deep depending on the mood you’re after. A reflector gives you control over that without adding any complexity to the setup.
When the shadows on your subject are too heavy, reach for the silver side of the reflector rather than white. If the window light is already soft, white won’t kick back enough to make a visible difference. Silver will. Position the reflector opposite the window and angle it until you see the shadows open up on your subject’s face.
Reflector position changes what the fill actually does. Held behind the subject, it creates a rim effect along the shadow edge. Brought forward toward the camera, it casts more light directly onto the face and flattens the shadow significantly. Neither is right or wrong — it depends on how much contrast you want to hold.
How to fix a color cast from window light
Windows don’t always produce neutral light. Tinted glass, reflections from colored walls nearby, or mixed indoor and outdoor sources can push your white balance into green or magenta territory. The fix is straightforward whether you catch it on location or in post.
In-camera, shift your white balance toward reds and magentas to cancel out a green cast. Most cameras give you enough range in the white balance fine-tuning menu to handle subtle shifts like this before you shoot.
If you’re correcting in Lightroom from a RAW file, this two-step method works well for complex lighting:
- Drag color temperature down until skin tones appear neutral.
- Any remaining green or magenta tint becomes immediately visible at that point.
- Adjust the tint slider to eliminate the cast, or leave a subtle pink hue in the skin if that suits the image.
- Bring color temperature back up until skin looks correctly balanced.
You can also use the White Balance Dropper (press W in Lightroom) and click a neutral point in the image. The whites of the eyes work well for this.
Editing a window light portrait in Lightroom
The editing approach depends on the tonal structure of the image. For window light portraits where the background is dark and the skin tones are the primary highlights, a tone-opening technique works well before any contrast is added back.
Start by lowering exposure slightly, then use Highlights to control the brightness of the skin, Shadows to recover detail in the darker areas, and pull Blacks up significantly to lift shadow detail throughout. Use the Whites slider last to control the brightest point in the image. The goal at this stage is to open up as much detail as possible before shaping the final look.
After the initial tone work, lower Clarity slightly to soften the image, then use Color Grading to add warmth into the highlights. Cool the midtones to separate the skin tones from the highlights, then add warmth back into the highlights to complete the look.
Window light doesn’t always fall evenly across the face. If the forehead or one side reads darker than it should, use a localized dodge adjustment to even out the exposure. Apply lightly. The goal is balance, not a flat look. Finish with a radial burn around the edges to draw the viewer’s eye to the subject.
For more editing tools built for real mixed-lighting conditions, the Visual Flow Retouching Toolkit includes the dodge, burn, and color grading tools used in this edit.
What you actually need for window light portraits
A window, a subject, and a camera with a fast prime. That’s the honest answer. The 85mm f/1.2 appears throughout this article because it handles the transition from highlight to shadow beautifully at wider apertures, and the focal length keeps comfortable shooting distance between you and your subject indoors. That said, any lens in the 50–135mm range will work. The light is doing the heavy lifting.
If you want to control the light rather than just work with what you have, a black v-flat for subtracting light and a collapsible reflector for adding fill cover most situations. A simple backdrop — even a bedsheet — gives you background options when the existing wall isn’t working. None of this is expensive or hard to move.
For a deeper look at how portrait lighting principles apply across natural and artificial light setups, see our Portrait Photography Guide.
Frequently asked questions about window light portraits
What is the best time of day for window light portraits?
Overcast days produce the most consistent and flattering window light because the clouds diffuse the sun across the entire sky. On clear days, early morning or late afternoon light coming through a north or east-facing window is softer and easier to work with than midday sun. That said, harsh midday light through a window can work if you want high contrast, as the examples in this article show.
Do I need a reflector for window light portraits?
Not always. White walls opposite the window bounce a surprising amount of light back into the shadow side on their own. A reflector gives you more control and more intensity, but if the existing room is bouncing enough light and the contrast level suits the image, there’s no reason to add one. Start without it and assess what the shadows are doing before reaching for a modifier.
How do I avoid a color cast when shooting window light portraits?
Set a custom white balance on location using a grey card, or shoot RAW and correct in Lightroom using the White Balance Dropper on a neutral point in the image. For persistent tints from tinted glass, use the temperature and tint sliders together: dial temperature down until skin looks neutral, then correct any remaining green or magenta with the tint slider before bringing temperature back up.
What aperture should I use for window light portraits?
It depends on how much depth of field you want and how much light you have. In a dim room with fading late-day light, f/1.8 at ISO 1000 may be necessary to hold a clean shutter speed. In a bright midday situation with harsh sun, f/16 at ISO 100 becomes an option for a completely different look. Start by metering the light you have, then choose the aperture that gives you the depth of field you want at a usable shutter speed.
