Most indoor business portraits and headshots need to be shot with artificial light. But that doesn’t mean they need to look like the subject has been blasted with light. A portrait often works best when the lighting is subtle and looks as if it could have been shot in natural light.

In this photo, I used a soft, main light (on the left) to give a flattering look. While the sunlight coming in through the window and falling on her hair (on the right) adds depth to the shot.

The second thing this photo shows is how I often need to shoot in challenging locations. The picture was taken in the hallway of a doctor’s surgery! Let’s just say the space to set up my equipment in was limited - if I remember correctly, my main light was in the doorway of the waiting room.

And as I often do with business portraits, including the location in the background gives some context, it shows the business owner in their environment. It also gives the picture a nice cinematic look.

In the diagram after the photo, you can see the whole setup for the shoot.