Out Door Portraits

There’s nothing better than spending time in the summer sun taking photos. As summertime approaches, and the hours of daylight increase, so too do the opportunities for capturing your friends and family in – excuse the pun – the best light. The benefit of outdoor portraiture is that everywhere you go is a potential studio and, with a few tips, you can make the most of every situation.

Location
No matter where you find yourself, there will always be portrait opportunities. Every location has its own particular feature that can give an image something unique. The location doesn’t have to dictate the type of shot you take but certain places will enhance your vision. Getting your subjects to interact with the surroundings not only makes for a more interesting shot, but adds a bit of fun for everyone involved. It helps if you can choose a location where you can move around the subject to get different angles. If you can only shoot from one angle then this will limit your creativity. Just remember not to underestimate how much the background and space around the subject influences how the portrait is framed.

A trip to the beach is a great way to get people comfortable, and a relaxed sitter will translate into a natural photograph. The seaside can hide a wealth of discreet locations away from the crowds, from rocks formations to sand dunes. It’s worth remembering that the time of day not only affects the light but also how comfortable your sitter is. Shooting at midday not only casts harsh shadows from strong, directional light but also carries the distinct risk of sunburn. Shooting earlier or later in the day will give you a softer type of light to work with and will complement skin tones well. Sand can act as a lovely warming reflector, directing sunlight upwards; especially nice for portraits where your subject is laying down. Remember though that sand and cameras don’t mix, so take extra care when swapping lenses or accessories.The mottling, diffusing effect of overhead trees can give you greater scope to shoot in the countryside. A blanket of leaves will soften the sunlight and using a well-shaped tree trunk will add a nice element to your composition.The contrast between a blue sky and green grass gives an excellent base on which to frame your portrait. Using a polarising filter will further enhance those striking tones as well. Look for colours in your surroundings that complement your subject and don’t be scared to use vibrant flowers to jazz up your image.

Top Tip! Use the space around the subject to emphasize size and scale.

Throwing the background out of focus
The most popular method of focusing all the attention on the subject is to throw the background out of focus. This is achieved by using a large aperture, such as f/2.8-4. If your camera has a portrait mode (the camera icon is usually a picture of a head), this is what your camera is doing when this is selected. Alternatively, set the camera to aperture priority and choose a wide aperture. Lenses with long focal lengths will produce a shallow depth of field but are generally more expensive. If you are on a budget, an alternative is to use the effects in an editing program, such as Photoshop. By blurring or vignetting, it is easy to focus the attention of the viewer on the subject. Examples of these are shown later in the post-production section.

Depth of Field
Depth of field is the distance in front and behind the subject that is in focus, which will vary depending on the aperture and lens that you select. The larger the aperture and the longer the focal length of the lens is, the smaller the depth of field will be. The focus falls off either side of the precise point of focus and the zone of sharpness extends 1/3 in front of the subject and 2/3 behind.

Urban Portraits
The hard edges and gritty surroundings of a built up area may not immediately appear to be too enticing for portrait work, but the texture and contrasts can work well, especially for black and white imagery. Soaring verticals, small parks and gritty backdrops can all add an extra dimension to a portrait. Look for areas without distracting backgrounds and keep an eye out for shadows cast by buildings. Try using the bustle of the city to create blurred figures either with your subject holding very still or by using flash to freeze them.

Another possibility with regard to location is to photograph the subject against a background that relates to them. In these cases, you can use a normal or wideangle lens to reflect the surroundings of the subject. Your composition and framing become very important here; ensure that the background does not overshadow or adversely affect the portrait and take care when using wideangle lenses for portraiture as the mild barrelling of these lenses can give an unflattering fish-eye effect to close-up portrait shots.