Think you need a dedicated studio or gorgeous outdoor setting to capture great portraits of your child? Think again!

The key to great looking portraits is using somewhere with great light, and as luck would have it there are loads of places with that in and around your own home! Here are 5 areas in your home you can utilize for great portraits.

Photography Tips | Photography Lighting Tutorial | Indoor Photography

#1 - Front Door

The front door is an amazing natural light source, and it's a great way to start experimenting with using light around your home. The day of day and the direction the door faces will affect the quality of light you get here - aim for a time when the sun is not shining directly on your front door. Then position your subject so that they are just inside the doorway (and you as the photographer will be outside shooting back in) and you will get gorgeous light on your subject!

#2 - Window Light

You are bound to have at least of couple of these in your home! These are great for experimenting with since you can get so many different looks depending on the size of the window, where the sun is, and how you position your subject in relation to them! You can try using backlight, front light and split or 45 degree lighting - and all will give you a different mood and feel.

Using light in different ways is something we go over in depth in Auto to Awesome, but backlight will give a light and airy feel, front light is simple to use, 45 degree light will give you soft shadowing that helps give depth and dimension to an image, and split light will give you something much more pensive and moody. (The image below is around 45 degree light FYI!)

So much looks from just one window!

#3 - Back Garden

You don't need a large field or forest opening to create gorgeous outdoors shots, even a small patch of grass in the back garden can create gorgeous outdoor images. If you think your garden is too messy and cluttered, you can try having your subject lie down on the grass and shoot down on them, or use a wide aperture to blur the background into submission.

#4 - Garage Light

I appreciate not everyone has a garage, but if you do, you are in luck! They are such a great place for portraits due to the wide opening that lets in lots of yummy natural light, and generally speaking you can darken out the background (provided you don't have any other light sources coming in behind your subject) to create a studio style look.

Due to the fact that my garage has windows at the back, I also use a simple roll of backdrop paper in the garage to create my own natural light studio (you can see it in action here) and have always been pleased with the results!

#5 - Front Porch

Another spot that will give you great light - especially if you are finding it a bit dark indoors. You can pop out onto the porch and still be protected from the elements but have lots of light! On a sunny day, it's also a great place for open shade. Have your subject close to the edge of the covered area for the best light. As I don't really have a porch you'll just have to imagine I have a example of it for you!