What are the composition techniques for taking outdoor portrait photos?

For the novice photographer, outdoor photography is one of the most affordable photography types. Practice in nature or the city, and you will get the best results every time. Before shooting, I suggest you read more suggestions about shooting location and time, model image, composition and camera settings.

The advantages and disadvantages of open air are that the same place (depending on the time of day, season and weather) may look completely different. On the one hand, it brings great opportunities to photographers, on the other hand, it is naturally uncontrollable. Please consider the following points when choosing a shooting location.

Nikon D700/24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 ISO 200, F3.2, 1/400 s, 52.0mm

Choose a place with ideas.

If you need a soft, light, romantic and feminine portrait, and the air is ventilated, it is best to shoot in the natural environment. Can be used in reservoirs, parks, fields, gardens and forests. Usually, in any of these places, there is a wide field of vision, which can make the model fit the beautiful perspective and be surrounded by textures (bark and leaves, trees, flowers, stones, sand). If you need clear lines, scenes and characters, then the city is a more suitable solution. A city is characterized by a rhythmic side (lines of lampposts, windows of houses, bends of highways), and the horizon is closed by many buildings and geometric shapes (from rectangular houses to architectural masterpieces in the form of spires and columns).

After determining your idea, you need to look at the shooting location in advance to understand its appearance and how to fit the model more naturally. The emphasis should always be on people. It's best to visit there when you plan to shoot, so that you can see the general light (of course, you should also provide similar weather). For example, if you need to go to the sea at sunset, please make sure that the sun does set at the predetermined position on the water side.

Nikon D800/50.0 f/ 1.8 Settings: ISO 200, F 1.8, 1/500 s, 50.0mm

Different times of the year.

According to the season, the color characteristics of the space will change. Spring is pure sky, lush grass and blooming gardens. Bright sunshine in summer. Autumn is a calm and soft color, but it flashes bright colors. Winter is the contrast between white and black.

Every season has its own characteristics, which must be taken into account when shooting. The main difficulty in winter is shooting snow. Its texture is most obvious in the side and back light. It is best to shoot falling snowflakes in a dark background. Under the backlight of sunset or dawn, the tree frost is beautiful.

When shooting in bright autumn, please try not to let the model blend in with the background. Choose different clothes colors from autumn, and look for the model's perspective on a pure background (such as tree trunks).

Nikon D700/50.0 f/ 1.8 ISO 200, F2.8, 1/250 s, 50.0mm

Outdoor photography is very close to landscape painting. With the help of color and light, a certain atmosphere can be created inside the photo frame. The background itself is not important, just as a way to talk about the characteristics of the picture. With the help of color, shape and texture, this character can be presented to the viewer more accurately. When dealing with landscapes, photographers can express different feelings-loneliness, harmony and anxiety. For example, a photo of a girl in the garden tells the story of her youth.

Nikon D800/24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 ISO 250, F2.8, 1/250 s, 62.0mm

Selection of shooting time

Choosing the shooting time is actually choosing the quality and intensity of lighting at work. Unlike the photographer in the studio who can control the light, it is impossible in the open air. Therefore, the main task is to illuminate her face correctly and most favorably by observing the light in the right direction, and choose the appropriate shooting time.

Nikon D700/ Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 ED AF-S Nickalls zoom ISO 400, F3.5, 1/640 s,112.0mm.

Usually, the best time for sunny days is dawn until the sun rises. Evening and sunset. Why is this exact? The sun is a bright directional light source. If it is just above your head (at the zenith), there will be deep shadows around the eyes, under the nose and under the chin of the model. Ideally, when the sun is low, it will leave a clear shadow and the light will be softer. Moreover, it can be used as both a backlight (highlighting the model on the back) and a filler (front and side). If the shooting still drops during the time when the sun reaches the highest point, the mirror will help to get rid of the rough shadow.

If the weather is cloudy, it is suitable for daytime. Cloudy to cloudy weather is good because the light is evenly scattered everywhere.

Nikon D700/50.0 f/ 1.8 F4 ISO 500,1100s, 50.0mm

Model image

In the concept of "image", the essence of appearance, clothing, accessories and models are combined. Generally speaking, you should have a good relationship with the shooting location you choose.

To take a natural, delicate and feminine portrait, please choose patterned flying fabrics and loose hair. It is good to have a distinctive portrait with clear outline of clothes, uniform fabric, neat hair or tight hairstyle lines. Remember, white clothes often reflect the color of nearby objects. So, for example, the white dress in the photo can be given green grass color.

Usually, your imagination is unlimited, just remember that the model is a part of your corresponding shooting and observation space.

Nikon D700/50.0mm f/1.8f4ISO320,11000s, 50.0mm.

Rules for outdoor portrait shooting

Photography, as a visual art work, should abide by the law of composition. Let's talk about dichotomy first. Its essence is that we divide the line into three equal parts in spirit, first vertical and then horizontal. The intersection of these lines is the visual center where the line of sight immediately points.

Nikon D800/50.0 f/ 1.8 ISO 200, F 1.8, 1/500 s, 50.0mm

By the way, using Nikon camera in real-time display shooting mode can open the grid to view the composition, which is helpful to novices first. However, violating this law is definitely not the key. Pay attention to the overall look and feel of the picture and improve the taste-this is more important than any rule. However, if you want to succeed, you need to know the rules of composition.

Nikon D800/24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 ISO 640, F2.8, 1/400 s, 26.0mm

Please use the foreground: shoot at the open aperture and focus on the model. Therefore, the background will become less clear, which helps to highlight the main object in the photo.

Moreover, models can be separated from the background by the color of clothes. Color is one of the key elements of photography. If the color close to the shadow is used in the picture, the picture will have an attractive feeling and bring a sense of tranquility. At the same time, it is important that the colors in the photos should be combined with each other to form a unified composition.

Black and white photos help to better understand geometric lines, shapes, textures, plots and moods. This can be achieved by enhancing the contrast or otherwise darkening it. This kind of photo emphasizes the rhythm in the photo, can see the essence of the photo, and will not be scattered by color.

Selection of shooting camera

When any useful lens is suitable, the possibility of spatial sense can be easily photographed with telephoto lens and portrait. A wide-angle lens is a good choice if you don't distort the scale of the picture when shooting. Use Nikon D700 and Nikon D800, Nikon AF-AF-S Nichols 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens, Nikon AF-Nichols 50mm f/1.8g, Nikon AF-Nichols 70-200mm f/2.8g ED AF-S VR II. Using these lenses can meet all the needs of shooting female portraits outdoors.

As for the camera settings. When shooting in M mode (manual mode), you can choose aperture priority (a)-in this case, the camera will set the shutter speed according to the selected aperture (depth of field). If shutter priority is selected, the camera will set the aperture according to the set shutter speed. You can shoot in automatic mode. But remember: if you choose it, you will not be able to control the process and make the framework the most suitable for you.

When choosing settings, always start with your preferences. If you like to blur the background, please try 1.8 aperture shooting; 2.8; 3.5; 4. If you want to make the background clearer, please close the aperture to 5.6 and the maximum to 8.

Turn the shutter wheel until the image is no longer overexposed or becomes too dark. Remember, if shooting in motion, it is best to set the shutter speed to 1/250 and 1/300 to avoid blurring.

Nikon D700/ Nikon 80-200 mm f/2.8 ed AF-Nichols zoom settings: ISO 250, F3.2,11000s, equivalent to 200.0mm ..

Finally, outdoor female portraits provide photographers with opportunities to take photos of special weather. Try, take pictures, and look. Through the integration with the surrounding space, shooting is more spatial.