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Photographers don't, necessarily, need expensive and cumbersome artificial lighting set-ups to capture great portraits. A fabulous source of light you can take advantage is often right in front of you: window light.

The best thing about it is that no two windows are exactly the same, so you have plenty of options for lighting your subject. Depending on the type of window, the angle of the light coming in and the time of day, you can create many beautiful illuminating effects for your portraits.

In the below video, fashion photographer Jessica Kobeissi shows you how to work with window light during a portrait shoot.

"There were these stained-glass windows and one in particular was a golden color and I really preferred that one because the light was coming in a lot stronger in that window," Kobeissi explains in the video. "I like window light because it's very soft, it's free, and it looks the most natural in my photos."

At the same time, she adds, there's something nice about the limitations of simple window light vs more elaborate studio lighting.

"Even though window light is limiting in that there's only so much you can do in front of a window, I like the fact that I don't have to sit and place [my model] in too many areas," she explains. "She's either in front of the window or she's to the side of it. So, it takes the guesswork out of placing the model."

A backlit effect is another easy look you can produce with window light. Just place the model in front of the window and wait for the light to shine through behind her.

"I really like the backlit look because it creates such a nice silhouette," Kobeissi adds. "And it gives a warm glow to my portraits."

Watch the video below to see all of her tips on working with window light. Then visit www.skylum.com/shutterbug to get your hands on more portrait & landscape tips and a 30-day version of Luminar AI, plus other useful goodies like the Epic Sunsets sky pack, Cinematic LUTs, and access to exclusive training videos only available to the Luminar AI Insiders Community!