Summer is the time of year when portrait photographers come out of their studio hibernation and venture out into the world to take advantage of the warmer climate. Not only do the vastly improved weather conditions allow the flexibility of being able to shoot in a variety of different locations, but also the colourful blooms that light up the countryside are an easy but effective way to inject bags of colour into your portraiture.
The summer sun comes with its challenges, though. Most notably you'll need to be considerate of the harsh, direct sunlight that is created by a cloudless sky. If not tamed correctly, harsh, direct lighting will create hard shadows across your subject's face, which won't look flattering at all. One alternative is to shoot with the sunlight behind the model, also known as backlighting. This too has its problems, the main one being that you are then forced to shoot towards the sun, which limits the direction in which you can shoot.
Perhaps then, a more practical solution is to work with the light, rather than against it? And thankfully, in this guide, we're going to show you how to do exactly that.
What you'll need
- DSLR or mirrorless camera
- A bright, sunny day
- A large white diffuser
- A boomstand or an assistant
- Adobe Lightroom
The final image
After applying a few simple colour adjustments and performing some easy retouching techniques in Lightroom, our portrait image is now bursting with colour and ready to show off
Shooting steps
この記事は Digital Photographer の Issue 253 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Digital Photographer の Issue 253 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8 Art
This is anot-so-standard zoom lens, as Matthew Richards discovers on a test drive
AstrHori 120mm f/2.8 Macro 2x
Matthew Richards finds out if double the magnification means couble the value
DxO PhotoLab 8 Elite
DXO's flagship editor gets an upgrade but, asks Rod Lawton, are the results worth it?
Panasonic Lumix GH7
Gareth Bevan thinks a new sensor and AF make this the hybrid camera to beat
STORM CHASE
Paige Vincent on the adrenaline rush, the risks and her passion for shooting in the face of storms
PROTECT YOUR IMAGES FROM AI
Pandora's box is open and, for better or worse, Alis here to stay. Here’s how you can protect your images from being used to train Al models without your permission
CREATE AI COMPOSITES
Serge Ramelli explains how to make AI work for you, by creating otherwise impossible portrait backgrounds
Paul Wilkinson's top 25... PORTRAIT TIPS & TRICKS
Even with so much information out there, taking perfect portraits can be hard work. Pro photographer Paul Wilkinson guides us through this huge genre with his pearls of wisdom
MASTER MINIMALISM
Less is more in the world of minimalism. Rebecca Greig explores what makes minimalist captures work
LITTLE WONDERS
Kim Bunermann meets Louise B to discuss the joys and challenges of working with newborns and freshly baked parents