for some of us, this is easier said than done.  ok, lets be real here….my camera just isn’t capable of the quality shots i want indoors – it’s a fact.  i have to bump my ISO’s way up, and once i do that…well i get lots of noise.  noise = an uncrisp image that looks grainy and is usually darker than desired.

with the weather getting colder + colder, i have 3 choices…

1) buy a new camera – saving for one!

2) limit myself to day + outdoors – not really what i want to do or ill miss a lot!

3) embrace the obstacles – YEP!

we are all drawn to different things – for me, i love the bright, super crisp + clean images!  so when i study photography, that is what i see over and over, because that is what i like!  with that said, my eye has been trained to aim for that look in my photography.  and the best way to do that is with the natural light and i end up outdoors!  bright light that is natural, minimal shadows on my subjects and a very clean look – like this….(ISO at 100 or 200)

but now i am have mother nature (cold temps + gets dark early) working against me…or do i?!?!  so, i am challenging myself to shoot indoors.  here are a few things i have learned so far.  (i am no expert, just big into learning + sharing!)

1) don’t be afraid to crank up the ISO’s.  it is ok!  give yourself permission…you’re not breaking any laws – i promise!

2) if your images are coming out too orangey?  play with the kelvins (here is a tutorial all about that!) + adjust in your editing software (there are so many fun ways to do this)

3)  shadows actually add effect and ARE natural!

4) get creative!  so what if the image is grainy…the people who look at your pictures probably won’t even see it.  (we are our on worst critics!)

5) pull light from windows, over head light, hall light, etc.

5) experiment + practice.  you will miss out on memories + potential clients if you limit yourself!

check out a few of my indoor images from a recent session – it took me a little time to come around to this, but i surprisingly really like the whole new look i can create with indoor photography!  yay – for another way to photograph!  (ISO at 800)

at first, i was gonna toss the above image since her left side has some shadows, but when my oldest saw it, she absolutely loved it!  she told me i was crazy, so i kept it and now am in love with it!  thanks for the encouragement taylor!

this was same session.  again, wasn’t crazy about the right side of the frame being darker, but how could i toss this belly shot?!

then i opened this and was so happy with it.  you can’t get this dramatic look outdoors!  these images helped me realize it is okay to do things a little different than i had originally planned for!

last night my two guys set up a game to play together…holy cow, who are these two?!?!  so i grab my camera and snap this!  noise, dark, grain and i still love it!  i even shared it on my personal page and got this comment, ‘That’s a great picture….looks like it could be straight from an advertisement encouraging family values and togetherness’ from someone who NEVER comments on my stuff!  hmmmm….okay, i can handle this!

ISO 3200  f/4  1/60 sec

hopefully this helps you step out of your comfort zone too!  and as always, don’t hesitate to ask me questions or even share your images where you have gone against your usual style!

and don’t forget to ‘like’ this post if you found it helpful!