Outdoor Portraiture & Lights

Hi. I'm new and haven't even sent in an intro yet, but I have a somewhat pressing question, so I'll jump right in.

Do any of you do much portraiture outdoors? If so, what kind of lighting do you generally use?

I do a lot of work with seniors, and they love to shoot outdoors, but I haven't been as satisfied with the lighting as I'd like. So, I just want to see what others are doing.

Thanks, Marie

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cher on April 7, 2008 at 5:57am: I only do portraits outside. i love it in the sun and clients are alot more relaxed. I dont use any photography lights or BG. only thig i use is a reflector ocassionaly. take a look at my portfolio here (just posted a few photos from a shoot this past week with a 18 month old. be sure to look at the slide show Ive posted or just go to my website for some earlier(before i signed up here) work. most of the portraits that i do are ages 2-6. that is a difficult age to photograph as they dont sit still for very long. so i just let them run around and be themselves. If you have any questions just email me..and welcome to picture social!
~~Cher~~; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kari Quaas on April 8, 2008 at 10:43pm: Hi Marie,

I'm like Cher, I prefer to do portraits outside. Sunny days are great, but they are tough. I like muted light through trees or in the shade if possible. Bright sun causes my subjects to squint and that's not attractive, nor is anyone comfortable.

I don't have a reflector yet, but plan on getting one this year sometime.

Welcome,
Kari; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Cher on April 9, 2008 at 4:45am: one way to combat that "eye squint" is to have the clients close thier eyes. focus then tell them to open them. click the shutter just as thier eyes are fully open and right before they start squinting again. you will get a great look! takes some eye-hand cordination pratice but the results are wonderful
~~Cher~~; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kari Quaas on April 9, 2008 at 8:30am: Hi Cher,

Thanks! I tried that and it does work but everyone just still seemed uncomfortable overall compared to being more in the trees. I'll keep in mind for the future though as my portrait business develops.

Thanks,
Kari; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by mazimo on April 9, 2008 at 7:38pm: Kari,

Use a diffuser between your subject and the sun. This will create soft lights that fall on their face and you no longer need to use lots of photoshop. Or you can bring them under soft shades of a tree closer to tjhe edge where the light is stronger but not direct sunlight. Get some books on understanding light and techniques. They give lots of information and examples. You can also look up a series of videos on Youtube called

Confessions of a Photographer - episode 01

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqMI72jsXRQ

He has 5 episodes in total and does a good job at demonstrating and explaining interesting stuff about outdoor photography. Hope this helps a bit.

Maz; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kari Quaas on April 9, 2008 at 10:33pm: Thanks Maz. Good tips and I'll check out the youtube video. : )

Kari; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Marie on April 10, 2008 at 6:02pm: Thanks, all for your responses. I will check out the youtube series too. I have a really good book on outdoor portraiture and lighting, but this guy has a busy studio and always has help and huge reflectors and things to block light. Maybe I'll be there some day, but not now!!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Marie on April 10, 2008 at 6:07pm: Yes, Cher, I've done the same thing. It does help. Also, the town I live in has several really great outdoor locations with plenty of shade. I do use a reflector when I have a helper or the client has a mom or a friend along, but often I'm shooting on my own and have to improvise. I just wondered if you ever used flash for fill. Thanks for replying!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lanny on April 10, 2008 at 6:23pm: Marie,

An option, would be to bring along a sheet of white bristle board. This acts as a great light refector, and it's cheep! (you will need an assistant to hold it)
Do you/they normally shoot with flash? Another option is to use a small white card with an elastic attached to the flash so you can bounce the flash on the subject. (not as harsh as direct flash)
If you are using flash, play around with dragging your shutter so the ambient light in the background is better exposed if shooting in lower light.
Hope that helps a little...it's all about trying different things, and seeing what you like and what works best for u!
BTW, welcome!! :o); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Marie on April 14, 2008 at 12:36pm: Thanks for the welcome. Sorry I didn't respond earlier, but I was shooting all weekend. 8^)

I usually try to avoid using the flash when I'm shooting outdoors; that's why I was curious what others were doing. I have used it for fill some, but I've rarely been truly happy with the results. I have a decent reflector, 2 actually. My problem is that I don't usually have anyone assisting so it's a little difficult.

I assume that you are using the reflector to diffuse the flash so it won't be so artificial looking? (Which is my big objection to using the flash outdoors). I've recently been doing quite a bit with longer exposures and bracketing, with mixed results. It works great when you've got a stationary target but my friends (who have indulged me by being my test subjects) invariably get twitchy when I tell them "OK, hold that pose for 5 seconds"! 8^)

Thanks again for the response, and the welcome! Marie; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ed Z Studios on May 18, 2008 at 1:16pm: strobist.blogspot.com

All you need to know :-)

(more specifically, I generally use a reflector and small strobes/speedlights for outdoor portraits.); ▶ Reply to This