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Lighting and gear for super quick outdoor portrait session

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andersf

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I have been asked to do a quick portrait session of a couple, outdoors. This will be in autumn, around 3pm so sunlight may be strong but not extremely harsh.

If I had a lot of time to execute this I'd make a complicated setup, but with the schedule of the day, this will be a 15 minute job. Hence, I need to have gear that will help me make the best of the situation and work with any weather situation.

I have a 60d plus an older backup body. I have a 50, 85 and plan to bring either my 15-85 or rent a 24-70L. As for lighting I have a single 580EX II, and while I could probably borrow or rent another flash, time would be too constrained for elaborate setups (I will not be able to setup in advance).

My plan is to get an umbrella (bounced) for the 580, and have a person hold it by hand right outside the frame, while shooting with the sun coming from the opposite direction as the flash (e.g 45 deg behind the subject with flash 45 deg in front). If the sun is harsh I'll shoot in the shade, and if it is an overcast day I'll maybe shoot natural light only.

I'm concerned about the range of the 580+umbrella, will it be enough to get it outside the frame for an environmental portrait of two people, full body? Feels like there will be 3-4m (10-12ft) between the flash and subjects.

I will have plenty of time to practice this in a similar location, but I'm planning to buy the umbrella and hope to get one that will be versatile enough to only bring one (I'm thinking white). Suggestions? Are there any conditions when I should shoot with a naked flash only?

Anything else I should think of? Any gear I should bring to be more prepared for unforeseen weather conditions? Would you get the 24-70 zoom, or maybe something else (35L)?
 
There are lots of factors to consider on these type of questions. Where exactly is the location? What are the background? Where is the angle and direction of the sun? How fast are your lens? What is your IQ of your camera for low light situation? What skill level you are handling your gears? etc..etc..

So there is no one size fits all answer.

I was taught by a very high end wedding photographer on this. "Simplify your equipment and set up." The less fuzz about your technical stuff, the better it would be.

With that as the guide-post and only 15 mins of time. If it were me, I would just take a 50 (assuming it is a very fast lens like f1.4 or f1.8) and shoot under shade. In that case, the lighting should be relatively even. And you could angle the couples to get some directional light. If needed, you could bounce some on camera flash or use a reflector. But I will try not to go there.

Given that said, I might bring a 5-in-1 reflector just in case.

Just my 2 cents.
Joshua
andersf said:
I have been asked to do a quick portrait session of a couple, outdoors. This will be in autumn, around 3pm so sunlight may be strong but not extremely harsh.

If I had a lot of time to execute this I'd make a complicated setup, but with the schedule of the day, this will be a 15 minute job. Hence, I need to have gear that will help me make the best of the situation and work with any weather situation.

I have a 60d plus an older backup body. I have a 50, 85 and plan to bring either my 15-85 or rent a 24-70L. As for lighting I have a single 580EX II, and while I could probably borrow or rent another flash, time would be too constrained for elaborate setups (I will not be able to setup in advance).

My plan is to get an umbrella (bounced) for the 580, and have a person hold it by hand right outside the frame, while shooting with the sun coming from the opposite direction as the flash (e.g 45 deg behind the subject with flash 45 deg in front). If the sun is harsh I'll shoot in the shade, and if it is an overcast day I'll maybe shoot natural light only.

I'm concerned about the range of the 580+umbrella, will it be enough to get it outside the frame for an environmental portrait of two people, full body? Feels like there will be 3-4m (10-12ft) between the flash and subjects.

I will have plenty of time to practice this in a similar location, but I'm planning to buy the umbrella and hope to get one that will be versatile enough to only bring one (I'm thinking white). Suggestions? Are there any conditions when I should shoot with a naked flash only?

Anything else I should think of? Any gear I should bring to be more prepared for unforeseen weather conditions? Would you get the 24-70 zoom, or maybe something else (35L)?
Click to expand...
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Just trying to improve my draft one image at a time
 
Thanks,

The direction of the sun as well as the background will have to be chosen on location, by I think there are good chances of finding a good direction/background since the area is a beach/peninsula. I prefer the 50 over my 85 for focal length, but both are 1.8 so the 85 is a lot faster focusing while my 50 is slow and tends to be hit & miss. So I'm leaning towards the more awkward shooting distance but better focus. Since I need shoot stopped down I think the 85 will help isolate the subjects a bit more too.

I'll try to keep it as simple as possible, and hope for overcast allowing me to do natural light shots. However, I'll need that extra gear just in case the sun happens to be out. having the 580 on camera or slightly off axis for fill could perhaps be enough, but I'd hate it if the shots get hard shadows that could have been avoided with a $19 umbrella.
 
I believe that the best thing anyone of us could do is learn/know our equipment inside and out (lots and lots of practice on location), and to likewise realize the limitations of our gear within the various outdoor shooting environments. Harsh sun, Overcast, Shady….Each one of these situations will require you to adjust how you approach your simple lighting setup. For instance:
  • Working at camera’s max sync speed
  • Shooting at high speed sync: greatly affects the output of your flash and thus the distance to the subjects
  • Utilizing a ND filter to deal with bright ambient lighting if you want to shoot wide open with flash, but you are stuck with the camera’s max sync speed.
  • Positioning of the flash…low vs. high?
  • Repositioning of the subjects?
  • Triggering the flash. Line of sight issues? Radio?
  • Etc, etc, etc.
Can a 580EX flash/Umbrella combo adequately light a couple, full body? Sure it can….and, sure it can’t. It depends on the skill of the photographer and his/her ability at assessing the scene. A simple lighting setup is preferred over one that’s complicated for obvious reasons. But how well you can creatively utilize a simple setup is a whole different question.

You will find lots of examples of portraits captured with a single flash, or perhaps a single reflector that are simply stunning. The key to these photos is that the photographer knew how to creatively use their gear , they understood exposure, plus had a good idea of lighting affects….vice trying to determine what new piece of gear to buy in anticipation.

Here’s a link to Neil van Niekerk’s website on Flash Photography. Absolutely wonder site filled with tips, tutorials. http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/off-camera-flash/

To me a simple, basic portrait setup:
  • Speedlight or two
  • Single light stand
  • Reflective umbrella/softbox
  • A reflector (sometimes an awesome option if you need another light source)
  • Flash triggers or an extra long ETT-L cord
  • My favorite lens is my 70-200L f/2.8
  • ND filter
  • Always have a tripod on hand if needed
Will all this stuff get used at the same time?…who knows, depends on the shooting environment. But I can be set up and ready rather quickly without a lot of fuss.

Know your gear inside and out...as you stated, you have lots of time to practice. Sounds like excellent self advise.

Best Regards, Mike

--
B.R.A.S.S. (Breathe, Relax, Aim, Sight, Squeeze)



A Link To - WilbaW's Unofficial Rebel Forum FAQ- http://snipurl.com/RebelFAQ
 
Edit: I meant to post this as a reply to Port Royal Dad but must have missed...

Thanks,

"knowing my gear" is exactly the plan. But in order to do so I plan to get this gear now. There are three reasons I want a minimal kit:

-the time constraint and on-site search for the exact location won't allow for a complicated setup. The setup will be part of the time of the shoot, all in maybe 15-20 minutes.

-I need to gets few of these things now, and don't want to spend money on things I don't need.

-Whatever kit I get (reflector, umbrella..), I need time to learn to use properly, so I won't have time to learn unless I focus on a few simple things.

So my plan was: use no light stands, no tripod. Hand hold camera and have a single person assisting me with either a reflector or a modified flash off camera (or nothing at all if the light is good enough). Question is: does this sound ok, and what flash modifier would be the best? You suggest a reflector, and I'll probably get a 5-in-1 and use that if it is sunny. If the light isn't enough for reflector, then what? I'm thinking maybe a transparent umbrella would be easiest to hand-hold since the handle is pointing away from the frame?

I have read the articles you point to, as well as strobist. Will continue studying.
 
I think you are on the right track. My basic setup for this sort of thing is a hotshoe flash, umbrella, lightstand and a remote trigger (or cord). With practice and familiarity you can get a lot of work out of this.

I prefer a shoot-through umbrella as I can get it closer to the subject. Mine are the ultra-cheapie jobs. I think of them as semi-disposable - any umbrella or lightbox you use for location is at some risk of damage and I don't like to have to worry too much about equipment.

My lightstand, by contrast, is the strongest I'm willing to carry. It has a nice wide base and a little weight to it, so is a little less likely to blow over, even without a sandbag.

For me, reflectors are much more difficult to handle than fill-flash - unless you have a good assistant to hold and aim them. Even the slightest breeze makes them a real hassle.

High-speed sync is great for this kind of thing. Get familiar with it.

Be sure to carry at least one set of extra flash batteries, even for a short session. You'll likely be using the flash at near full power, so recycle times can get long even on a short session.

I usually wind up doing these on manual settings, but others use TTL auto. This is part of the know your equipment thing - you have to work out what does best for you.

Good luck.

Gato

--

After 15 years of digital I still miss the gurgling sound of the print washer in the darkroom.

Silver Mirage Gallery:
http://www.silvermirage.com
 
For a quick and dirty portable outdoor flash setup that allows you to be pretty mobile, I found that I can use a "walking umbrella" setup. I took an old broken light stand, and removed the bottom half, so it basically became a straight rod with the light attachment at the top. I added a hotshoe mount to the top with an umbrella hole mount, and then I have my assistant hold the light wherever I need it very quickly as we move from place to place. It is really portable and I can get some great outdoor lighting very quickly with very little fuss and muss.

The only downside to the "walking umbrella" (I hereby trademark that term!!!) is that the assistant is used up holding the umbrella, and if I need a reflector for some fill light on the other side, there is no one left to hold the reflector, unless of course you get TWO assistants!!!

Outdoors always runs the risk of wind with umbrellas too, so it is not always the best solution, but it is so quick, flexible, easy and portable.

Good luck!

--
James
 
To cope with a similar situation, I used a brolly-box, a light stand, a Nissin D866 mk II and a 5m e-TTL cord. As it turned out, the weather was so rainy that we used the setup inside the church rather than outside as we had planned.

The setup was really quick, as I had the flash, the brolly-box and the e-TTL cord mounted on the light stand before the shooting, and just had to unfold the umbrella and extend the light stand to the right height.
I also brought a 5-in-1 reflector but did not use it.

The week before the actual event I visited the park where we were planning to shoot and engaged an innocent passer-by as a model. That was quite fun, and added a little to the experience ;-)
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Less is more
 
Thanks for all your input. I wanted to get back with the results.

I decided to go with a very cheap 60cm (24") softbox for my 580 EX II.

The day of the shoot offered horrible weather. Low temperature, light rain, low gray sky. We needed to get the portraits done in about 30 minutes, and found a nearby field covered with straw bales. Rubber boots for the bride. Closeups with 85/1.8 and the rest of the shots were 30/1.4 (on aps-C)

With no sun, I figured I could probably shoot just natural light, but the rainy sky was still quite bright at 3pm, giving flat boring light, and shadows under the eyes. The natural light shots were ok, but I'm happy I did some with flash+softbox as well because it really made the photos look more interesting.

Had a lightstand that I didn't extend, instead I let a person hold the short lightstand for me (voice controlled meat-stand).

Still playing around with PP (trying to get a nice de-saturated style here, feedback welcome) and think it is starting to look ok.

Again, thanks.



 
Thanks for sharing.
The picture shows a funny an memorable moment in very dull weather. Well done.
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Less is more
 
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