Sergey Babenko values the importance of good natural light. Not only that, he also welcomes shadows created by the interruption of the light source.

Many photographers choose to shoot their subjects at daybreak or dusk. This is to achieve pure lighting without the shadows caused by having the sun high up in the sky. Try it yourself - the results can be excellent.

However, Sergey Babenko welcomes the distinction between light and dark and the opportunity to shoot his models in the midday sun.

He also likes to photograph his subjects lit by the natural light breaking through a window, or through a skylight in a loft or attic. Take, for example, this image of one of his models Inna, which was taken in the loft of a converted farmhouse, when the midmorning sun was bursting through the skylight.

It is partly this interest in light - and the plethora of effects that can be caused by it - that sets Babenko apart from his contemporaries. It also helps to explain the photgrapher's fondness for shooting his subjects outdoors, as we'll examine in Beauty In Nature, the next section.