outdoor lighting - portrait

rsparts

So I'm shooting a couple that has requested that I take them to a nearby park and take some photos of them for an engagement style session. I've never done this before and I want to make sure that I explore my lighting techniques.

I have photographed my sister before but I did not use any lighting except what nature provided. I used no reflectors either. here is an example


I have a Vivitar 285HV, a 15' PC cable, an umbrella with stand, and a giant reflector (white). What are a few good uses for this setup while outdoors?

RustingInPeace

Loads of options
I look at my lighting two ways. There are times that I am using reflectors and flash solely for fill purposes. Really always trying to balance the power to match the ambient. Then there are times when I am using flash more "artistically". By that I mean trying to change the look of the ambient instead of trying to match it.

1. Just plain fill flash on a back lit subject


2. Using the flash change hard and boring lighting. This was taken at 5:30 pm. The subject was back lit.



In the second I used the flash output and shutter speed to control the exposure on the subject and aperture to control the background exposure. I actually used my 285hv and a radio popper on this shot.

Scott_Quier

Here's another example for you:


Click on the photo for the EXIF.

Technique:

• Hair light is the sun, about 120 degrees to camera left
• One un-modified strobe, a Sunpak 622, about 45 degrees to camera left. Power setting to provide the main light/fill based on results of ambient light reading. Were I to do this again, I think I would dial back the strobe 1/2 to 1 full stop.
• In post, burn in the area behind her a bit

rsparts

Honestly I think I like natural light better than artificial light - even if occasionally it may appear as though the subject NEEDS some sort of help in that area. I think the natural look of real life in a photograph speaks volumes over some picture created using light - even in portraiture

That being said, I appreciate the help - I just don't think artificial lighting is for me.

saurora

Sounds like even though you have an umbrella and flash you would prefer to use natural light. This is not uncommon, especially for those of us who have not mastered using flash. Natural light outdoors (or indoors) when it is right is positively beautiful and difficult to beat. The problem with outdoor shooting, especially at a park, is that there are so many uncontrollable variables that can create chaos in post-processing. The weather will not always cooperate. You may need more or less light depending on weather. One big hassle is color casts from green trees onto your subjects face and hair. Flash can help you with this. Flash (with your umbrella) fills in those hard lines and dark shadows under eyes. Yes, you can tweak these in Photoshop, but remember that the more Psing you do, the more likely you are to end up with a grainier shot. If grain doesn't bother you or your client, then so be it. I think most of us, including myself, start out preferring natural light but eventually give in to the fact that we just don't want to spend hours trying to 'fix' something in photoshop when a little light will do wonders and help get your where you need to go faster. This is especially true if you have a lot of shots to work up! The trick is to experiment and dial back on the amount of flash you are using to keep it 'natural' looking. If I were you, I would try both on your shoot and see what you come up with. Then you will have something to compare to. You asked about a few good uses for the equipment you have while shooting outdoors and I would say in backlit shots (like Scott's) you definitely want some flash/reflectors and in open shade with lots of green trees overhead. There are many situations that can be improved....I'll let others chime in.

Both of these were shot with fill flash and required no color adjustments, even with green trees and shade.

rsparts

I appreciate the input, Susan. It's true, I have not even begun to experiment with lighting. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing. I don't have photoshop to alter these photos. I have Photoshop Elements but no clue how to use it. All I'm using is iphoto.

Scott_Quier

rsparts wrote:

I appreciate the input, Susan. It's true, I have not even begun to experiment with lighting. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing. I don't have photoshop to alter these photos. I have Photoshop Elements but no clue how to use it. All I'm using is iphoto.

I believe you're right 0 you don't know what you are missing. Like Susan, I started out an "ambient purist", thinking that artificial lighting was cheating or something. When I started working with flash, it was a light turned on (pun intended ). Using light to supplement nature opens up a whole new world of exploration and expression.

As for not yet knowing your tools - I would like to encourage you to start that exploration as well. It is well worth the time.

RustingInPeace

Check out strobist
http://strobist.blogspot.com/ is the best small flash site on the web. The best thing about flash as a light source, is that it is always available.

Check out their lighting 101 section. It's great!

Photoshop elements is very under rated. If you're making good exposures it can handle 80% of your work. It is a great tool once you understand how to use it. Lots of great tutorials on the web to get you started.

pathfinder

Like Joe McNally said "any &%$# light available". And the most available light is that little speedlite in your bag!

Available light seems so appealing, but when you look at images with it, they frequently pale in comparison to good professional use of flash like Joe McNally or David Hobbe and lots of other use. Look at Nick's recent work.

Or like Sauroras images, very nice indeed, Saurora!!

Mottled natural light coming down through trees only has to bite us once or twice, and we quickly decide there has to be a better way, don't we?

saurora

pathfinder wrote:

Like Joe McNally said "any &%$# light available". And the most available light is that little speedlite in your bag!

Available light seems so appealing, but when you look at images with it, they frequently pale in comparison to good professional use of flash like Joe McNally or David Hobbe and lots of other use. Look at Nick's recent work.

Or like Sauroras images, very nice indeed, Saurora!!

Mottled natural light coming down through trees only has to bite us once or twice, and we quickly decide there has to be a better way, don't we?

Thanks Jim! Yep....I was a natural light 'purist' in the beginning, but I finally conceded that as beautiful as it can be, there are just too many elements that make post-processing a bear!!!

rsparts

ok been reading a bit and i feel like a real newb to ask this but how do i achieve "fill" flash? Is there a certain setting I should be using on my flash or is "fill" lighting just another term for the light coming out of my Vivitar 285HV?

embarrassed that I don't know this already

Scott_Quier

rsparts wrote:

ok been reading a bit and i feel like a real newb to ask this but how do i achieve "fill" flash? Is there a certain setting I should be using on my flash or is "fill" lighting just another term for the light coming out of my Vivitar 285HV?

embarrassed that I don't know this already

Google is your friend. Check out this Wiki.

pathfinder

Fill flash is a rather general term, relating to using flash to help fill in the shadowed areas in images, usually pictures of people.

This can be done very easily in the EOS system with Canon's speedlites ( like the 580ex or the 430ex or the newer variants ) by setting the camera in Av Mode, and the flash in ETTL. The system will them expose the image for the background illumination with the proper choice of shutter speed and the chosen aperture. The forground will be properly illuminated by the flash, which when used for fill, is usually set to -2/3 stop of Flash Exposure Compensation, so that flash does not overpower the ambient lighting on the subject, but just softens it and evens out the shadows.

This can also be done with a manual flash and the camera set in Manual mode. It helps speed things up if you have a flash meter, but a flash meter is not necessary at all.

Find the ambient exposure with the light meter on your camera, specifically, the highlights on the face. Now add enough flash to lighten the shadows. You need to know what setting on the flash matches the ambient lighting intensity. This is usually bright sunlight, or shade, or diffused sunlight. If you have a flash meter, you can just measure the light intensity, and then roughly cut that lighting strength in half. If the flash has a dial power control, just dial it back. Or if not, move the flash back enough to drop one stop of light. This is very easy, as the distance to move the flash to halve the power, is the same ratios as the apertures numbers on a lens.

If the flash is at 4 feet, moving it to 5.6 feet , cuts the light in half, or by one fstop. If the light is at 8 feet, move the flash to 11 feet. If it is at 2.8 feet, moving it to 2 feet will double the light intensity.

These ratios work very accurately. I have measured them with my flash meter to verify it and I wrote about that here

rsparts

ah got it now. thanks guys