Window Light shooting with Fujifilm X-E2 & Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G

Fujifilm X-E2, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, Nikon AI Mount Lens to Fujifilm FX Mount Camera Adapter, ISO 2500, ƒ-wide open, 1/500

Window light is not all the same when it comes to shooting portraits.  Having your subject face directly towards the window give you a very flat light, similar to your on camera flash. The second photo the subject is looking straight to the window.

In the first photo the subject is about 45º angle from the window.

Fujifilm X-E2, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, Nikon AI Mount Lens to Fujifilm FX Mount Camera Adapter, ISO 5000, ƒ-wide open, 1/500

Notice how the face has more shape from the light coming from the side rather than straight on to the face?

Fujifilm X-E2, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, Nikon AI Mount Lens to Fujifilm FX Mount Camera Adapter, ISO 5000, ƒ-wide open, 1/500

Here the window is directly behind the subject. The room is kicking the light back to help fill in the shadows. You are very close to creating a silhouette like below.

Just because the subject has window light doesn't mean it is great. It is the direction of that window light that makes a HUGE difference.

My suggestion is to do some test shots where you shoot moving the subject and you. Then before you do the real shots, pull them up on your computer and examine them. Then pick the few angles you liked the most and recreate those lighting conditions and shoot away now looking for great expressions.

Fuji X-E2 with Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8 vs Nikon D750 with Nikon 28-300mm

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, ƒ/14, 1/160–Three Alienbees with one on 30" x 40" Softbox

Today I was shooting food. Here is one of the shots of some cookies. With the Nikon D750 I shot this with large overhead 30" x 40" softbox and two other flashes just filling in a little. Shooting with the studio strobes I was not able to really shoot super shallow depth-of-field.

Fujifilm X-E2, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, Nikon AI Mount Lens to Fujifilm FX Mount Camera Adapter, ISO 3200, ƒ/1.8, 1/500

To shoot shallow depth-of-field I shot the Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8 on the Fujifilm X-E2 using the Nikon AI Mount Lens to Fujifilm FX Mount Camera Adapter. Since the Fuji is a smaller chip I was shooting more like a 127.5mm ƒ/1.8 lens.

To keep the color as accurate as possible in both photos I custom white balanced using the ExpoDisc. With the Nikon D750 I used strobes and the Fujifilm I use available light of the modeling lights of the strobes.

I like the shallow depth-of-field shot with the Fujifilm better.

The lesson is simple shoot a variety using all your gear when you need to get images to impress your client.