photography 101 – location basics
September 29, 2011 Another photography post today!
While I’ve done a handful of photo shoots in the past few months, none have been located in Ft. Collins. After booking a few local sessions this week, I was anxious to drive around and check out a handful of spots around town.
My trusty sidekick came along for the fun and was a huge help. You may think any park or open space would work, but that’s not always the case. There are so many things to take into account.
Things I’m very much still learning.
We went out in the morning around 10am. Not an ideal time of day to do a photo shoot, with the sun being quite harsh. I was really just checking the actual locations for open fields, what shows up in the backgrounds, does it have a soft enough feel for a maternity shoot, etc.
You can see below, what I mean about harsh light mid-morning. You can also see objects in the background that are not helping the photo in any way, but distracting you from the subject. It looks like the foothills are sitting on Kelsey’s head and the small structure to the left is drawing your attention away from the subject.
We tried a different area of the field, with trees in the background. Much less distracting and more natural. Again, I was only scoping out locations at this point, and not worried about the light.
I have never seen a baby sit so high.
Such an unusual cloud pattern, I just had to grab a quick photo.
After the park, we headed to Horsetooth Reservoir. This is where we typically go bouldering, and I’ve gotten some great photos here around sunset. The problem is most of those spots require a bit of steep walking, something I’m not asking a pregnant woman to do. It also looked a bit rough and distracting for a maternity shoot. I was looking for simple + soft backgrounds.
Later that evening, around 6pm, we headed to another park. The sun is not as harsh this time, but is will cause long shadows behind the subject and in front of the photographer!!
My shadow was about 30’ long and that is not something you want in someone’s photo. Telephoto lenses are good for this purpose, because you can stand much further away from the subject, keeping your shadow completely out of the way.
You also want to watch for things like tall grass, popping up in odd locations next to the subject’s body. While the point of standing in tall grass is to look natural, sometimes the grass can be distracting or oddly positioned. It can be hard to see when you view the photo on the camera, so make sure to really look at the subject and what is directly around their body.
I fell in love with this park. No strange shelters in the background, or odd views of the mountains. It was very soft and natural, with minimal walking to a few different spots.
My subject was looking quite gorgeous with the evening sun.
We found a bridge where the light was soft and the images turned out crisp. The vivid green grass in the background was a nice contrast against the subject.
Caught her in a flip!
Next up, we spotted another bridge over the river, but this one is for the train that passes through town. I loved the rugged look. It’s a prominent part of the photo, but not overly distracting.
However, in this location, the light was coming in a bit spotty as it was being filtered through trees. You can definitely eliminate part of this in post processing, but it’s better to notice it happening while taking the photos. Paying attention to how the light is hitting the subject’s face is extremely important, and something I’m still learning how to do.
Sometimes you are going to run into harsh lighting despite your best efforts around it. Maybe the client can only meet during the middle of the day, or maybe the location is not ideal. In that case, post processing will be your best friend. A quick switch to a black + white version of the photo, can make the spotty + uneven lighting less noticeable. You can also play with exposure/brightness/etc, in specific areas of the photo, using the adjustment brush in Lightroom [a similar process can also be done in Photoshop].
Kelsey pulled out her best moves! She also informed me it’s much easier to be a photo-subject at 6pm after a glass of wine, than in the morning, before eating breakfast and brushing one’s teeth.
I am quite new to shooting people and shooting outside. It’s definitely a challenge, and I’m so excited to be sharing it with all of you.
Feel free to leave tips + questions in the comments below!
Ashley
Photography 101
Reader Comments (42)
Oh I love this post! I wonder why?! I had so much fun + can't wait to go to more locations. Soon I'll surprise you with a dog + outfit changes.... watch out!
I'm ready!!
Very informative. I'm always impressed with professional photos and now I know some reasons why. Also, I love Kelsey's boots.
thanks for this post! i'm just getting into photography and blogging and have SO much to learn. this tips are super helpful :)
Super informative and interesting post. I would love to shoot portraits someday, but I know I would be nervous especially the first few times. And kelsey looks gorgeous in those shots!
Thanks Katie! It's definitely still intimidates me, and I have so much more to learn. You can definitely do it!!
Great post! Loved these pics :)
Love the last location! Are you only doing maternity shoots for now?
Nope, but I have a few coming up soon, so that's what I was focusing on. :)
I love taking pictures out in nature and natural elements. We took our engagement pictures in a hiking trail (although the pictures look like we took it somewhere out in the wild). I really loved how soft the pictures came out and how natural it looked. Our photographer worked hard and I can tell he has used that location often because he knew exactly where and that time the natural light was coming in.
If you are interested in seeing the pictures we took (it looks similar to the location you did your test photos) the link to our pictures is below and I can give you my photographer's info too, he has plenty of these type of pictures on his website.
http://healthycoconut.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/engagement-pictures-a-sneak-peek/
Oopps sorry, here's the link to the actual pictures (not the sneak-peak that I provided above)
http://healthycoconut.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/a-day-in-the-wild-part-i/
What lens is your preference for your outside shots?
So much to think about! I love the last location. Kelsey is a pretty good friend to pose for all those pictures :)
These photos are gorgeous Ashley!! I love how they look so natural, and the one with the train bridge is gorgeous! I am very much an amateur when it comes to food photos, so I really appreciate all these posts!
You've got some awesome natural photo backdrops in CO :). When the light is harsh, I like to photograph people just within the shade of a tree etc. looking outward, it really makes eyes pop. I also love a good halo of light around the subject within a backlit scene. Ugh, love photography. You're making me want to grab my camera and leave university..
Thanks!! They are by Ariat and are called "Shada" -- They are seriously the most comfortable boots in the whole entire world!
Our wedding photographer always told us the best time to shot is just before sunset. They did our engagement pictures at that time of day and the lighting was unreal. Our wedding pictures on the other hand, in harsh outdoor light at 2pm! lol.
This post rocks and so do you. Bring on the photography posts!
ps- it's literally amazing the difference between the 10am and 6pm shots!!!
Great post (keep 'em coming!)! If you haven't already read the photography tutorial books by Scott Kelby, I highly recommend them. He has so many tips for outdoor photography described in simplistic terms. Plus, the books are laid out well, one tip per page!
Thank you so much for the suggestion!! Going to check out those books right now. :)
Sunrise can be great too...but who wants to do that??? :)
Thank you so much for the tips!! I also love backlit photos. :)
Thanks Angela...I'm glad you're enjoying the posts!
Yes she is!! She was quite enthusiastic about it. :)
That's a tough question. It has to do with the what you're shooting. If you're shooting landscape, people, objects, etc. I typically use my 50mm or 28-75mm lens when photographing people.
Thanks for sending them!! They are gorgeous. You look completely stunning and they are so soft + natural!
Beautiful work, Ashley. I really love how the ones taken later in the day came out. The lighting is so much softer and warmer.
Great post, Ashley!
Being new, learning curves...well, you're handling them wonderfully.
I read *tons* of photography blogs now (they are overtaking my food blog reading some days) and am always learning tips and tricks and just from my own experience, giving people direction, knowing what to say to them to get them to move, reposition slightly, diff expression, vocal guidance is key b/c most people stand there like frozen statues or deer in headlights otherwise :)
Love these behind the scenes posts!
What a great post! I've been meaning to go out sometime soon and do a few practice shoots. Sadly it's been pouring out all day!
It's amazing how such little things you may not notice when taking the picture pop up when looking through them. So many times weird shadows/smiles that went unnoticed have botched photos!
you take lovely people pics! i am horrible at taking pics of people. love the "flip" action :)
Wow, so many variables to consider and work around. Very good information--thank you!
Wishing you all good luck for your new venture, Ashley! Way to go. You're lucky to have a friend like Kelsey. :)
Yes, I heard a rave reviews about Scott's books. Would buy in sometime in future.
This post makes me really miss you girls!!! :( SAD!
Thanks! This was great and so informative. I had never considered some of the small details you pointed out.
I love this post!! Great photos and great tips. I've really been wanting to try out shooting people lately but I honestly have no idea where to start. This post helped :)
Great tips!! It would be awesome if you would do a food photography 101 post (or series..!) :)
Hi Anna! I'm glad you liked the tips. If you look in my "photography" tab on my page menu bar, you'll see a handful of posts that are all related to food photography. :)
I'm so glad you found it helpful Miranda!
Miss you guys too!! Kelsey just showed me some photos of Avery...SO big and freaking adorable!!
Thank you so much Sonia!!