video episode 25, outdoor portrait photography tips #1
For the next three weeks we’ll be looking at outdoor portrait photography tips. Hopefully this episode will help out if you’re interested in ideas on how to photograph a senior portrait. It’s pretty timely, too, since DIYPhotography.net is running their Portrait Professional 8 Giveaway at the same time. If you’re looking for portrait photography inspiration, check out all the entries so far in the DIYPhotography.net flickr pool.
The day of video shooting was perfect in most all respects except for one challenge we hadn’t encountered before: swarms of deafening locusts! If we were just shooting photos I could have blocked it out, but there was Bob, headphones on, shaking his head and laughing for a number of takes when the locusts would really kick it up. Sometimes ya just gotta plow on through. In the end it all worked out great but the things you learn along the way…
Notes:
The sun was low in the sky for these backlit images (it was mid-morning) and we shot around f5.6 – f8 with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM Lens on our Canon 5D. With the lens around 100mm and the background way in the distance, we achieved a very out of focus background. I’ll mention that the floor below the subject was red in color and reflected a lot of red into the image, most of which was pulled out when the RAW files were processed. In next week’s video I mention how photographing around trees and bushes reflects a lot of green, so be aware of your surroundings in regards to the color and direction of the light.
The gallery of still images from this shoot may be viewed here. You’ll recognize the photo equipment used in this video from video episode 24, location lighting gear (laptop stand, reflector frame, battery powered strobe). I’m becoming addicted to the aluminum frame reflectors and will use two of them in the next video for some really cool results. Having messed with the plastic ones “back in the day” these are a great leap forward.
You can find the affordable aluminum frames and all of the other gear used in this video at Calumet Photographic.
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Your videos are always really helpfull for me, thanks for that !
Hi,
I´ve seen all the episodes of this series and I must say it´s the best available collection of lighting help webwide. Thanks to your vids the world of really good photography is much closer now than it was before.
25 episodes is quite an achievement, and a lot of work. Thank you very much for sharing your know how with the rest of the world, it really helps a lot. I look forward to the next 25 episodes
cu
Roman
As always, it’s nice to see the progression from natural light to reflected to strobe.
I’m noticing that softboxes tend to be the go to tool in a lot of portrait/advertising/commercial work. You used a large (36 inch?) softbox here; how would that compare to a smaller (18 inch) designed for use with a hotshoe flash?
Thanks, guys, and you’re certainly welcome. Matthew, the quality of the softbox light really has to do with how close to the subject it is. A smaller softbox at the same distance as the big one in this video would have given more contrast…which wouldn’t have been a bad thing. If they’re all at the same distance the larger softbox will give the softer light. But if you move the small one in closer so that it “wraps around” the subject more it will get softer in quality. A small 18″ softbox will take the edge off of harshness but won’t give the softness of a larger softbox. But, that said, the little one is easier to transport, so that’s a bonus.
If you haven’t seen it in a while take a look at the “quality of light” video I did earlier and it talks about the size of the light source relative to the subject. Umbrellas are shown but it’s the same theory.
Wow! Nice looking portrait photos you got there Jim. Also, that “mobile studio” of yours gave me some inspiring ideas. Really enjoyed this episode and expect more goodies to come. Keep up the good work!
But I wonder why you didn’t choose a larger aperture to isolate the face which at the same time yields a better background blur (bokeh)? Of course, I understand that very bright scenes may give burned out highlights, but that problem could be easily solved using a ND-filter.
/ Greetings from Sweden
hello
which lens did you use?
Thanks, Kevin, I’m glad the “mobile studio” inspired some ideas, that’s my hope.
I think the aperture choice is a point of personal preference. Many people like shooting at f2.8 for razor thin depth of field, which provides a great look, as you’ve suggested.
On commercial jobs I hedge my bets a little, sometimes shooting more conservatively at f5.6 – f8 so I’m assured that any slight mis-focus will still yield a good photo. Those apertures also worked better for this particular video when it came time to balance with the strobe / flash sync.
But I’m a big fan of shooting wide open, too!
The lens was the Canon 70-200mm f4 L lens on a Canon 5D, settings are mentioned in the notes below the video.
So, this is what you have been working on. It seems appropriate with school starting up and “senior portrait” season near.
What kind of difference would a shoot-through umbrella have made instead of the softbox?
Oh, did you have to get any permits for the location?
Yep, it’s senior portrait season! A shoot-through would give similar results, Craig, as long as it was near the subject. The highlights would be a little different (and catchlights in the eyes) and the light may not be as soft…but very, very similar in the end.
A friend produced these for me and obtained the necessary releases. As far as allowing photography, many parks are very “portrait and wedding photographer” friendly and allow photography with a simple membership. It’s best to check with locations in advance, for sure.
Hi Jim,
Excellent Portriat as usual, I really love the background and how it is separted from the subject. Great work. I have a few questions. First, what sycn speed did you use in the portriat, does sync speed matter, how do you determine the sync speed for each assignment, and lastly what advice do you have for ametures with camera that don’t sync past 200 (Nikon D80). Thanks Jim. Tracey (tdisom)
Hey Jim!
Congrats on your 25th video! Great achievement and so much to learn
Particular about this video: Did you have to balance the strobe’s light-temperature to the sun? Or was there no noticable difference?
And another question: Could you share please how you got the images wirelessly to your laptop? Do you know if this is just a Canon-thing or are there equivalents for Nikon-gear (like D80)? Thanks in advance
Greets,
Martin
@Tracey: Somebody mentioned a ND-Filter before. That might help in your situation, too
It reduces the light my a certain amount without affecting the imgage’s tones.
Jim,
I’m so glad I “joined” your website! Now I get updates!
I’m really excited about your awesome videos and this is another awesome video! I like outdoor portraits and I’m anxiously looking forward to your future video in this series!
Just a couple questions:
1. You used the Calumet 125 travel pack. Can you also use the Calumet 200 providing your had either a travel pack or plug-in for power?
2. I’m trying to use the “strobist” style which is using my Canon 580EX on a light stand and a shoot through umbrella. I’m pretty well pleased with my results. Should I continue or would you recommend I go with the larger strobes?
Thanks,
Larry
For most portraits I shoot at or near the maximum flash sync speed outdoors (the camera here was at 1/160 or 1/200). That aids in getting larger apertures and also helps prevent ghosting, blurring that can occur when combining flash and natural light at slow shutter speeds. Keep the sync fast to be safe but feel free to experiment (always experiment).
Good question about color balancing, Martin. The strobe and midday sun are very close in color balance. Trying to get it perfect can be a losing battle, though, since passing clouds and the reflection of surroundings all affect color temp. Unlike in the studio, where we aim for perfect color balance on products, here we’re just aiming for a color that’s visually pleasing.
And I’m wired with a USB cable to the computer, you can do the same with your Nikon through Nikon Capture. Give it a try and let me know how it works! I’ve yet to use a wireless setup…
Hi Jim,
As always a great video tutorial. I love the way you build the light step by step. It really helps to understand how each light contributes to the final image.
After the first minute or so, I think I’d be really thankful if you did a video or a post on what you are looking when scouting for location. This is one of the things I am having difficulties with.
Lastly, thanks for the plug to the Portrait Professional 8 giveaway.
Great Video! I’ve been doing more outdoor work lately, so the topic comes just at the right time! I’m already looking forward to the next episodes…
Regarding the discussion on shutter speeds and apertures, here’s one thing that I find a nice addition to my bag of tricks.
Last weekend we had partially cloudy skies, and the ambient light kept changing very rapidly. If you’ve got the time, you can certainly just wait for the clouds to pass or run back and forth to adjust the strobe accordingly. But it is actually fairly easy to adjust the shutter speed (which affects ambient, but not flash intensity) and aperture (which affects both ambient and flash intensity) to re-balance the light composition. Although this is only useful in a limited range before it causes motion blur or affects depth of field too much, it gave me just enough leeway to keep shooting.
I was shooting in manual mode, but applying this to aperture or shutter priority is quite straightforward…
Larry, the Travel Pak battery pack only works with the Travelites, unfortunately. If you have a wall plug for power then the Genesis would work great.
Your Strobist type setup with the 580EX is also really good for this application. A lot can be accomplished with a shoe mount flash, stand and umbrella. I’d recommend sticking with the 580EX until you’ve fully explored the possibilities or if just want to try something new. If / when you ever become interested in studio equipment then the Travel Pak opens up some cool possibilities.
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Hehe, wonderful work.I have enjoyed each second of it, can’t wait until next Monday to see the next episode.I am very curoius how will you pose your subjects.
Regards,
Tom
Jim~
I cannot express to you how informative your videos are! I am newly entering the world of lighting and you have just helped me tremendously! Thank you sooooooo much!
Agreed, the videos are the most helpful thing you do. This is very helpful. The overly-technical stuff, like exactly what type of metal the stands are, is overkill. But this video is money. 10 out of 10.
Right on, guys. If you understand the principles it doesn’t matter what metal your stands are made of.
Of course, I also like wooden stands, too.
Another great tutorial! Thanks for sharing!
I don’t think you can give TOO much info. Anything and everything is valuable to someone!
Even the type of metal.
Great Videos. Thank You very much! One thing you leave out of all your lighting videos is metering. Are you metering with a handheld meter? If so, where are you placing the meter? Stuff like that I think will make for a more complete instructional video.
Thanks for mentioning metering, Joe, I should do a video just on proper metering. Then it can be incorporated into future videos without lengthy explanations in each one. Good idea!
Thanks for the answer Jim.
I looked up wireless solutions (for Nikon) and they’re too expensive for me. I guess we have to wait for eye-fi’s new sd-card which hopefully will support RAW (just jpg atm..). But I used the cable-tethered methode already and I love it 
Thanks for mentioning. And I could use it directly with Aperture 2 – without installing Nikon Capture 
Then I just didn’t see the cable
Best wishes, Martin
I just wanted to say thank you for posting these viedos. i love watching them and I have learned alot from them.
Thanks again,
Shannon
Hi,
Love your videos but I wanted to ask if there is any way you’ll put an RSS of the videos (maybe even on iTunes?! as a podcast)
thanx,
LT
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Very nice.
To be completely honest, I liked the very first exposure (no reflectors or lights) the best out of what was shown.
Random tip: before disabling the comments on Youtube, post the link to the website right there. You SHOULD get more traffic (because of the convenience).
Can you tell me how you connect your camera to your laptop?
hi jim…nice shoot in this video, i do the same with my model when i take a photo but when i your video make me feel better that i do the same way.. but i dont have the traveler light like you, just studio lighting not with batterei… just thinking to have one maybe..
nice video jim,
dewo – hamburg
Hey Jim,
It takes me tens to get that one ideal photograph 
Although I got my DSLR only for two months 
The video was very useful, I really appreciate that You post your tips. I think I’ll try that outdoor strobe lighting tommorow, if the weather’s good. There’s a thing which always shocks me when I watch proffesionals like You: You usually get only one shot and it’s always perfect
Btw. I’m curious in the same queston as Steve.
Regards
Paul
Hallo
I am from Germany, your -video traing- session are just great !! I have really lerned a lot and your informationin taht videos are quite interesting very helpful.
Please proceed and add more of this materail.
Wish you all the best for 2009 and lots of success in your job
Regards Thomas