Natural Light: A Conversion Story

I've been enjoying Hello, Monkeyface's "self-caught" series on self-photography and fashion-blogging (Tara B. of Little Girl Big Closet has also written a 5-part series).  I assumed that I couldn't produce photos like I see on other blogs because I don't have a DSLR or a great lens, but then I found out that some bloggers who have great photos, such as Shy of Chesterfield, use point-and-shoots.  Their photos are better than mine, in general, because they photograph in natural light...and I tend to photograph in indoors with a flash. So, I tried my back steps the other day:

sweater - Forever 21 (thrifted)

sweater skirt - Lux/Urban Outfitters (thrifted)

tights - Assets/Target (remixed)

scarf - boutique (remixed)

amber earrings - Corcoran Gallery, DC (remixed)

fairy necklace - Top Shop (gifted)

shoes - J-41 (remixed)

I've done nothing to these photos.  No cropping.  No messing with the shadows or exposure.  No flash.  And this was taken during sundown when I didn't think there would be enough light. But the thing that struck me the most was:  LOOK AT THE COLOR! I couldn't believe it. (You might be thinking, Duh, SFE.  It's natural light!  But I didn't get it until I saw the light).

The only problem was that I couldn't fit my entire body into a single frame, but a tripod can fix that.

After I took these I compared them to the photos I took a week before when I first tried out this newly thrifted skirt:

black sweater - Limited via Marshalls (remixed)

scarf - London street vendor (remixed)

owl necklace - etsy (giftted and remixed)

tights - Simply Vera via Kohls (gifted)

black boots - LOFT (remixed)

This photo was taken after sundown in my dining room with a flash.  My clothes compete with the white walls and the crap on my dining room table. The photo HAD to be cropped. And the color is all wrong.  This particular skirt is not best viewed against brick, but natural lighting and a lack of clutter produce a much better photo.

I'm convinced this is a better way.  Although I won't always be able to self-photograph outside, I think I might start experimenting more and, in the spirit of Independent Fashion Blogging, working with what I have, even if it is a point-and-shoot.

I'm curious, though, for those of you who made the switch to DSLR, what event prompted you to do it?