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How To Take Outdoor Portraits With Flash – Like many photographers, I am fascinated by the light that surrounds me – be it the sun, the moon or the stars. But, I want to talk about why I also like a small flash in my camera bag. Off-camera flash (OCF) has become an integral part of my creative process. It’s reassuring to know that I can create light whenever I need it, plus OCF allows me to create outdoor shots that match my creative vision, regardless of the available natural light.
I’ve talked to many photographers who are intimidated by OCF, but there’s really no reason to be overwhelmed or reluctant to learn. Using an off-camera flash can be easily integrated into your workflow with minimal fuss and gear. This little tool can make the impossible possible and in my opinion is the most powerful asset you can have in your pocket.
How To Take Outdoor Portraits With Flash
Using OCF on location will open up a whole new world of lighting possibilities and the best part is, it’s a lot of fun! Here’s how to get started:
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The two basic items you need for an off-camera flash (OCF) are a shutter speed and a trigger. That’s how it is. I recommend taking it easy as you learn and just practice with these two elements until you are good at creating the look you want. Leave the sandbags and modifiers at home until you feel confident with the OCF.
When you’re out shooting, keep a full speed kit and triggers in your camera bag, next to your favorite lens. That way you are always ready and can create the light you want.
For the photo below, I had a friend hold the open flash pointed at the model’s face. The final image would not have been possible to create without my trusty speed man. I could have shot this without flash and used a larger aperture but then I would have lost the sunburst effect I wanted to include. I would also lose the depth of the tree roots as the flare was shining on the roots.
Once you’re comfortable with your flash and triggers, I recommend grabbing an inexpensive umbrella-style modifier and light stand. The umbrella will give you the ability to create a soft light that will easily blend in with more light. A light stand will allow you to take flash photos without an assistant/friend holding the flash.
Shooting Portraits With Flash Vs Natural Light
I always keep a collapsible umbrella in my camera bag along with my triggers and flash. Remember, keep things simple and don’t bother with a bunch of expensive and unnecessary gear. Trying to carry tons of gear to a location can make you want to give up before you even get started.
You don’t have to use flash for every photo, but it’s a very useful tool when the vision in your mind can’t be created with natural light alone. If you just randomly set your flash with no real intention, the photos will show it. You should always have a vision when creating the lighting for your photos.
There are a few common situations that lead me to slow down. The most obvious thing is when there is not enough light to take a clear picture of my subject. This can happen at any time of the day depending on the available light.
For the photo below, I was in the thick woods at the end of a small bog. I wanted to take the photo from this angle with the log and water visible behind my subject and also maintain that slight edge light around him. This angle was back lit and looking at a thick wooded area that was holding him back without light. I knew that by increasing my overall exposure I still wouldn’t be happy with the quality of the light on her face and I would lose the details of my background that I wanted to maintain. I set my flash with a beauty plate style modifier at about a 45 degree angle from my subject to the right of the camera. I liked the resulting image and it matched what I had in mind from the beginning.
Tips For Using Speedlights To Create The Right Lighting For Outdoor Portraits
Another common situation to pull my off-camera flash is when I want my sky to look good with my subject. For this example, I wanted to show the mysterious clouds above my daughter, so I chose my camera settings to expose the clouds. This left my subject very dark. I then added in the amount of flash I wanted to create a Rembrandt style glow.
Combining OCF with natural light is a very important skill to learn, as most of your outdoor work will include some amount of ambient light. By learning to combine the two, you’ll have the option of maintaining a natural look or adding drama to the scene with settings you choose with your camera and flash.
I recommend that you first set your exposure exposure before even turning on your flash. Once you’ve got the background light you want, increase your flash to a low power setting for just a touch of light to add to the scene. If your subject looks too light or dark, then adjust your light intensity accordingly.
When dealing with flash, a good rule of thumb is that your shutter speed controls your ambient light/background while your aperture affects your subject/area being lit by the flash.
Should I Hire A Flash Or Natural Light Portrait Photographer?
Often when choosing to add natural light and flash, I just want to add a small amount of light to create interesting lighting or add dimension to a scene. In this example, I wanted to keep the background with a golden glow while also adding a small amount of sparkle to my daughter’s face. I used the same camera settings for both images but increased the flash power very slightly for the image on the left.
You can use flash to subtly mimic existing natural light. I set the flash to fire from the same side of the cloudy sun to add a little dimension to the scene. It was a windy day, so my trusty helper was playing a very important role in maintaining my lightness. The biggest drawback of umbrellas is that they like to fly in strong (or less) wind.
You can also choose to use flash settings that will give a greater effect. These photos were taken a few minutes after the photos shown above but I exposed to preserve the details in my sky with a small aperture. I added in my flash for more power to add drama.
Another way to get bright light is to shoot in full sun. Despite my reluctance to shoot in this situation, life happens in bright sunlight as often as it does during golden hour. Embrace the light you have and take advantage of what the full sun has to offer; it’s a great opportunity to use smaller apertures to get starlight from your light sources and use darker shadows for a more dramatic image.
Tips For The Outdoor Flash Portraits
Your speedster may have a hard time competing with the hot sun. Try using it empty and at full power to get all the light you can out of it.
One of the benefits of using OCF is that you can create images that would otherwise be impossible. One example of this is using flash to freeze and show motion. Without a flash, you may not be able to push your camera’s settings enough to freeze motion, light your subject, and create the artistic look you want. Fortunately, we can create the light we need for OCF.
For this photo, I had a clear flash behind my daughter’s head to bring back the falling snow. Note: To take this photo, you may need a second light source to ensure that your subject’s face is well lit. The secondary light can be another flash, the sun, or other light sources you may have.
In this photo, I wanted to show the speed of the waves while keeping my daughter free of motion blur. In this case, I decided to capture two different scenes and combine them together in post-processing to create the image I had in mind.
Natural Light Vs Flash For Portraits: Which Is Better?
Photography is all about light and there are few things more encouraging than knowing you have plenty of light available no matter what situation you find yourself in. I hope this will inspire you to take your flash the next time you travel near or far. There’s no reason to fear flash, and it can be a very useful tool for achieving your artistic vision!
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