Lighting help!

[dellis]

My mom in law would like a picture of myself and my hubby for a Christmas present this year. I was hoping to take one of us that wouldn't be just a snap shot. So I was thinking of a portrait. The thing is that I've never really done a portrait, plus I have no real equipment! What can I do for the lighting? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Thanks!

[zona5101]

So window light or a cloudy day will give you nice light. In WA, a cloudy day should be pretty easy to come by . Try and find a spot where the background isn't cluttered. Watch for things like postsor trees or horizon lines that intersect with your head. You'll be shooting head and shoulders or head & upper chest but take a few where the framing isn't zoomed in too tight...if you get one you would like to print 8x10, the crop will eat up a bit of the long side of the picture.

[dellis]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely give them a try!

[natek313]

Yep, you're going to have to go au naturale for your lighting if you don't have any and don't want to spend some bucks in such a short time. Like zona said, you'll want a cloudy day when the light is soft and diffused. Or, if you're shooting on a sunny day, get into the shade.

For some extra lighting control, you can look into picking up some fairly large sized pieces of white poster board that can be used as reflectors.