My studio is located in a strip of industrial type offices - it’s a great studio inside (I am being modest - it is an amazing studio inside!) but the outside is pretty basic. No complaints - it’s safe, and there is a lot of parking and no steps - but it isn’t very photogenic.
When I leased the space I thought I would have to shoot outside shots on location, either on my own property or in a park. But once I got here and began to play outside with my dogs (my favorite subjects!) I started to see how I could use what was available to me to shoot outdoor headshots.
Using the few trees in front of the building to shield the client from splotchy sunlight, I was able to focus in tight and use the beautiful lighting resulting from the shadows created from the few branches of the little trees - the results are great! And being able to take both studio headshots and outdoor headshots in one location saves a lot of time for everyone involved.
I first learned this years ago when I was hired to take pictures of the pilates instructors at Lifebridge Fitness. Originally they wanted pictures inside with their equipment but they weren’t coming out great… I couldn’t really move the equipment around and the lighting was really yellow. They were great sports and came outside in the cold and I had them basically squatting under whatever foliage I could find to get that soft shaded look. The pictures came out great (and the subjects were incredibly sweet about it!!)
You can adapt this to any situation — there is a lot of power in knowing that you can totally shape the environment of your pictures by cropping in and changing the light or visual background; this knowledge gives you the confidence to start playing with composition and allows you to create your image to suit what you want to accomplish.
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