Create Better Light and Airy Photos by Avoiding This Mistake

The light and airy look is a wonderful style and one that is highly popular with a lot of clients right now. However, many photographers trying to emulate it make a mistake that derails the image. This great video will show you the common mistake, how to fix it, and some helpful editing tips for getting the best possible results.

Coming to you from Chelsea Nicole Photography, this helpful video will show you how to improve your light and airy portraits and a common mistake to avoid. The light and airy look is a fantastic style and one with a lot of staying power, meaning that it will likely remain popular well into the years to come. The problem is that photographers often try to emulate it by overexposing the photo, which of course can lead to blown-out highlights and loss of details. But the light and airy style is not about losing details; in fact, in wedding work (one of the genres where it is most popular), you will want to retain details, especially in things like the bride's dress, which will be one of the first things to get blown out if you overexposed the image. Check out the video above for more.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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7 Comments

If “light and airy” presents itself, grab it. But then go back to the strobes; the only real solution to the limitations of dynamic range.

I heavily disagree. Strobe has its own look, which can be beautiful indeed and I love it. But it's not this particular look. Not at all. If you want this look, you have to learn to manipulate natural light without resorting to artificial substitutes. Just different ways of working and each has a beauty.

First 6 minutes its Bla Bla.. then next its nothing new.
Sorry.

LoL, said by the guy who's incredibly overblown header photo clearly shows he very much needs to learn 'nothing new', not to mention, also the ONLY guy in 2020 to still include selective color in his portfolio. Sorry. :SMH:

"How to turn a 3 minute video into a 10 minute one" There. Fixed your title...

Matt "I composite the most horribly faked cheesy lens flares on cars, which I found on the street, call myself a graphic designer, yet don't know the first thing about basic kerning, and only complain about length of videos" Campbell. Fixed your title too. YW. LoL.

This skipped by my radar but it's so true! Great video!