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Outdoor portrait photography tips

Shoot early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The sunlight when the sun is rising or setting can give your subjects a pleasing warm tone. When the sun is high in the sky during the mid-afternoon hours, the light is often harsh and can cause severe shadows.

Use a wide aperture. Using a wide aperture creates a pleasing out of focus background. This effect is known as bokeh, pronounced bo-keh. This comes from the Japanese word “boke” which means fuzziness or dizziness.

Still Life and

Product

Photography

In still life and product photography, lighting is the key to making the image work. You can set a tone using creative lighting to convey the feeling of the subject. You can also use lighting to show texture, color, and form to turn a dull image into a great one.

When practicing for product shots or experimenting with a still life, the first task you need to undertake is to find something to photograph. It can be one object or a collection of objects. Remember if you are shooting a collection of objects, try to keep within a particular theme so the image has a feeling of continuity. Start by deciding which object you want to have as the main subject then place the other objects around it, paying close attention to the balance of the composition.

The background is another important consideration when photographing products or still life scenes. Having an uncluttered background in order to showcase your subject is often best, although you may want to show the particular item in a scene. An example of this would be possibly photographing a piece of fruit on a cutting board with a knife in a kitchen.

Diffused lighting is essential in this type of photography. You don’t want harsh shadows making your image look like it was shot with a flash. The idea is to light it so it doesn’t look as if it was lit. You want to use an umbrella or softbox to soften the shadows. If none of these are available, bouncing the flash off of the ceiling or a nearby wall can do the trick.

Even with diffusion, the shadow areas need some filling in. You can do this by using a second Speedlight as fill or by using a fill card. A fill card is a piece of white foam board or poster board used to bounce some light from the main light back into the shadows lightening them a bit. When using two or more Speedlights, be sure that your fill light isn’t too bright, or it can cause you to have two shadows. Remember, the key to good lighting is to emulate the natural lighting of the sun.

6.32 Vintage bottle / Nikon D70 with Tamron 70-300 f/4-5.6 at 100mm. ISO 200, 1/30 sec. at f/8 with two SB-600’s lighting the bottle and one SB-800 lighting the background. All Speedlights set to Manual mode.

Inspiration

When searching for subjects for a still life shot, try using some personal items. Objects such as jewelry or watches, a collection of trinkets you bought on vacation, or even

seashells you brought home from the beach. If you’re interested in cooking try photographing some dishes you prepared. Fruits and vegetables are always good subjects, especially when they have vivid colors or interesting texture.

Still life and product photography tips

Keep it simple. Don’t try to pack too many objects in your composition. Having too many objects for the eye to focus on can lead to a confusing image.

Use items with bold colors and dynamic shapes. Bright colors and shapes can be eye-catching and add interest to your composition.

Vary your light output. When using more than one light on the subject, use one as a fill light setting it to fire at a lower power in order to add a little depth to subject by creating subtle shadows.

Studio Portrait

Photography

Shooting portraits in the studio involves more set up than other types of portrait photography. Whether your studio is in a set location or it’s portable, the setup usually includes a background with stands, at least two lights with stands, umbrellas or softboxes, reflectors, and so forth.

Studio portraits are usually more formal than outdoor portraits, which tend to have a more relaxed feeling to them. Two major elements to remember when shooting a portrait in a studio are:

Control the background. Being able to control your background keeps distracting elements out of your image and focuses the attention where it should be, on your subject.

Control the lighting. Unlike when you’re shooting outdoors, in the studio you choose where the light falls on your subject, how much light is falling on your subject, and how the shadows look, by using modifiers, such as umbrellas and softboxes.

Although, studio portraits are more formal than outdoor portraits, don’t be afraid to encourage your model to have fun with the shoot. You can try to make him or her laugh or suggest a few wacky poses. Also, remember that “formal” doesn’t necessarily mean boring or serious. However, depending on your subject, you may find you like the more traditional, serious look.

As you do more and more portraits, you will find yourself developing a style. Almost all famous portrait photographers have their own personal style that reflects their own personality while also capturing the essence of the model.

Inspiration

When photographing studio portraits, I often have subjects go for a more glamorous look. It’s a great feeling when subjects look at a portrait you took and they are completely impressed by how beautiful or handsome they look.

Outside of practicing on family and friends, to find models for these types of shots, a great place to start is at beauty salons. Hairstylists often need pictures for their portfolios and in exchange for the photography, will often find the models and do the hair and makeup for you.

Another good source of models are actors and models who are just starting out in the business. They are often willing to trade time for prints, better known as TFP or since

the advent of digital, TFCD. It’s a good way to get your portfolio built up without having to pay for models.