Portraits Outdoor

7/27/2019 Portraits Outdoor

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Welcome to your free

guide to outdoor

portrait photography!

r the following pages we will

p you improve your CanonLR skills so that you can learn

ake great portraits like the

s. The following techniques

be used to photograph

body, from children to your

ner and parents, male or

ale the same methods

still work wonders!

hooting inunshine

kit we used: Canon EOS 5D Mk III,

photo zoom lens, silver-sided reflector

on D-SLR technique: For our first

nd of seaside portraits we sat our

del, Chantelle, on a rocky breakwater

Bournemouth beach. This gave her

nteresting surface to perch on,

h a clear, clutter-free background of

beautiful blue sea behind. Using a

photo zoom lens at a wide aperture

bled us to stand back but fill the frame,

well as blurring the ocean out of focus.

f youre fortunate enough to be

oting on a beautiful sunny day, dont

ke the mistake that many beginners

ke of thinking the brighter the light the

er. In fact, this can be a nightmare for

raits, especially around midday, as the

is so high and light so harsh that you

up with ugly shadows across faces.

Thankfully, the solution is simple useflector to bounce light back on to

r subject to light them up. Reflectors

far easier to use than setting up an

camera flashgun

ghts, too! As the

was so strong,

used a silver-sided

ector to balance

surrounding strong

t. If you dont have

one to hold the

ector, rest it againstpod secured with a

bulldog clip.

ure-fire camera and photo skills for improving your portrait shots

Better beach portraits

ORTRAIT#1

Always shoot in Raw it gives you

much more control. In Adobe Camera

Raw we boosted the Temperature

to warm up skin tones, increased

Contrast, Blacks, Saturation and

Shadows, and decreased the Whites,

Highlights and Exposure slightly toavoid burned out (clipped) highlights.

WITHREFLECTORWITHOUT REFLECTOR

Lens:Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Exposure: 1/500 sec at f/5.6; ISO200

PHOTOSHOP TIPS


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fessional photographers shoot fast, and in rapid sequences to get the maximum amount

variation from a single portrait setup and pose. Start fully zoomed out with your telephoto

om lens, then gradually zoom in, adapting your composition, going in tighter, changing from

tical to horizontal, and shooting quickly to capture that winning pose and light, and before

ur subject moves or gets bored. Below are five different shots, all taken in quick succession.

hoot fast and vary compositionECHNIQUE

TIP

SAFE SHOOTING!Be safe when shooting by the sea, dont take risks,and dont shoot too close to big waves. You dont wantto get a soaking or ruin your precious Canon gear!

Establishing a good rapport with your

subject is absolutely vital for portrait

photography. Once youve built up their

trust, youll be able to capture more

natural and revealing characteristics

on camera. Aim to keep the mood light

and have fun our model Chantelle was

a good sport and didnt mind getting

splashed by big waves! Give your model

direction on how youd like them to

pose, what to do with their hands, whereyoud like them to look and so on. Offer

feedback, and regularly show your model

your shots to reassure them how good

they (hopefully!) look.

Build rapportTECHNIQUETIP

01

03

05

02

04


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et wet in the waves for creative portraits

By the seaside!

unglasses

& smilese kit we used: Canon EOS 5D Mk III, 70-0mm telephoto zoom lens, silver-sided

ector, sunglasses

non D-SLR technique: For this portrait

asked Chantelle to go paddling, position

self to look out to sea, but turn back

us and give us a big smile! We used a

ector again to fill in the shadows not

y does this light up your subjects,

it also produces a big catchlight in

nglasses to help bring your portraitots to life. We composed the shot

izontally (landscape), with Chantelle

sitioned on the right with plenty of space

look into on the left.

ORTRAIT#2PHOTOSHOP TIPSBasic enhancements in Adobe Camera

Raw included reducing the Exposure

to -0.40 and reducing the Blacks andSaturation a tad, and increasing the

Contrast. We also cropped the image

to position our subject using the Rule

of Thirds grid.

In the main

Photoshop

workspace

we used

Spot Healing

Brush tool to

quickly remove

blemishes,

large freckles

and moles,and anything

distracting on

the skin.

s:Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

osure: 1/800 sec at f/5; ISO200


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Homage toHoney RyderThe kit we used: Canon EOS 5D Mk III,

70-200mm telephoto zoom lens,

silver-sided reflector

Canon D-SLR technique: For this artistic

portrait we recreated the famous Bondscene from Dr. Nowhen Ursula Andress

(as Honey Ryder) emerges from the

sea. Using our faithful 70-200mm f/2.8

telephoto lens at 200mm meant we could

stand well back from the shallows and still

shoot a full-length portrait. We shot at

ISO200 for a faster shutter speed to freeze

the waves, and waited until Chantelle was

between two waves for the best pose

and body position. Between each walk to

camera we asked Chantelle to dip under

the sea so her hair was wet and the waterglistened on her skin. Our assistant was

also in the sea, holding the reflector.

We processed the Raw image twice

at different White Balances one at a

Temperature of 6450 for warmer skin

tones, and one at 5250 to enhance the

blues of the water. We pasted the cooler

layer on top of the warmer one, added

a layer mask and used the Brush tool to

reveal the warmer shot underneath.

PHOTOSHOP TIPS Head & shouldersThe kit we used: Canon EOS 5D Mk III, 70-

200mm telephoto zoom lens, flashgun

Canon D-SLR technique: For thishead-and-shoulders-in-the-sea shot we

used a flashgun on-camera set to 1/4

power for a little fill flash to counter

the shadows. To sync our shutter speed

with the flash our exposure was 1/200

sec at f/8 a 200mm focal length still

captured a shallow depth of field to blur

the sea behind. So, we rolled our shorts

up and got in the sea. Unfortunately we

underestimated the shallows and a steady

stream of mid-sized waves and ended

up completely soaked ourselves! If you

attempt this shot yourself we suggest you

try it in a swimming pool

PORTRAIT#4

PORTRAIT#3




Exposure: 1/200 sec at f/8; ISO200


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tay out late and be rewarded with great light

Shoot til sunset

Watch the sunsete kit we used: Canon EOS 5D Mk III,70mm standard zoom lens, setting sun

non D-SLR technique: For this wider portrait

ot youll need a clear evening sky and setting

n to highlight your subject and a great

ation backdrop! Wed planned ahead and

ew exactly which direction the sun would set

elation to this line of pretty beach houses.

used a standard zoom and shot at 50mm

a full-frame camera approx 35mm on

S-C-sensor cameras) and a wide aperture of

.8 to subtly blur the beach houses behind.

Stay out until last light and youll certainly

rewarded with beautifully lit portrait shots,

nks to the worlds best natural light source;

lower sun at this time of day creates a

nderful warm, soft and more diffused light

t lights up not only your subject but their

rounding in a way that simply wouldnt be

ssible with lights. So, shoot with your subjects

tching the sun go down and youll bag some

at summer portraits all without the need

reflectors or flashlights if you can get yourbjects in the right position.

ORTRAIT#5PHOTOSHOP TIPSThe warmth of the natural sunlight was so

great that we barely touched this image; we

just slightly boosted the Contrast and toned

down the Highlights of the Raw file in Adobe

Camera Raw to ensure they werent blown

out and losing detail. Turn on the Clipping

Warning to see the effect of the sliders.

Dont think that using flash can only be used to light your subject. For this shot, weve used

the beautiful soft evening sun to light our model, and then fired an off-camera flash to light

her hair and the blue beach house wall from behind. This has added a little depth and light to

a colourful yet rather flat background. So, take note using colour in your backdrops is good,

but using colourful backdrops and lighting them can be great!

Add a flash of colourTECHNIQUETIP

WITHOUTBACKLIGHTWITHBACKLIGHT


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Lens:Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS II US


e are three subtly different ways to use the low setting sun behindyour subject for artistic, moody early-evening

traits in the sand dunes on the beach. All three of the images work well in different ways. Which do you prefer?

etting sun for backlightingECHNIQUETIP

O FLASHhout using any flash or a reflector, you

up with a softer, more atmospheric, and

mer portrait, with a heavy backlight. We

the beach/sea/sky reflected in Chantelles

des, and how the low sun highlights and

ms the long grass nicely.

ON-CAMERA FLASHUsing a flashgun in our hotshoe has lit

Chantelle very effectively, but the white light is

colder; to get around this attach a coloured gel

to your flashgun for a warmer light. The flash

overpowers the sun and lights the grass, and

creates a nice catchlight in her shades.

OFF-CAMERA FLASHWe used a slave flash with a diffuser off to

Chantelles right and fired it remotely from our

camera. This shot perhaps offers the best of

both worlds you get most of the warmth of

the shot without flash, but the diffused side

light adds more shadow and depth.


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epends how much of a background you want

how to add context, or how much you want to

it to make the subject stand out in shot. In our

mples, shot on a Canon EF 50mm f/1/4 USM,

can see how a wider aperture (eg f/1.4) captures

allow depth of field so less of the scene is in

us; whereas a narrow aperture (eg f/16) captures a

ater depth of field so more of the scene is sharp.

So which is best? For our shot, with the beach

ses in the background, we felt an aperture of f/4

about right the houses are nicely out of focus,

e Chantelle is completely in focus, from her hands

ead. At f/1.4 the houses are so blurred its not

ous what they are, whereas at f/8 and above,

yre too clear and distract the eye.

Bear in mind that your distance from the subject

focal length also affects depth of field. For a

ly shallow depth of field, get in closer, use a wide

rture, and shoot at a long focal length such as0mm. By doing this less of your subject will remain

rp too, so your focusing accuracy has to be spot

otherwise their nose could be sharp, but not the

mportant eyes, for example. The widest aperture

Remains of the day

f/1.4 f/8

f/2.8 f/11

f/4 f/16

Flash after darkThe kit we used: Canon EOS 5D Mk III, 24-

70mm lens, setting sun, off-camera flash

Canon D-SLR technique: For this shot, weused the colourful sunset and silhouette of

the beach houses as our background. We

lit Chantelle using an off-camera flash and

asked her to look towards it. We tried shots

where she was positioned looking at us, but

felt this portrait tells more of a story as

the girl dreamily looks out to sea We set

a 1/250 sec shutter speed to sync with the

flash, and an f/16 aperture to retain detail

in the bright sky increasing ISO to 400

ensured Chantelle was well lit.

PORTRAIT#6

Once again, we did the bulk of our tweaks

in ACR: to emphasise the sunset colours,

Temperature, Saturation and Vibrance

were all increased. We also brightened up

the Exposure to lift Chantelle and so you

could make out the beach houses behind.

PHOTOSHOP TIPS

s:Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS II USM

osure:1/250 sec at f/16; ISO400

Which aperture is best?

ECHNIQUETIP

reat photo opportunities when the sun sets

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Portraits Outdoor