I love shooting senior portraits outdoors. I get to take advantage of some beautiful scenery in Colorado and wonderful light. In this portrait shoot, I chose a lake by my house. The lake features a short nature trail through a grove of cottonwoods before reaching the lake. The trees were also in full color which helped add interest to the background.
But sometimes, the light isn’t so wonderful. This session had to be shot in the early afternoon. Shooting near midday can be a real challenge. Sunlight can cast nasty shadows, or worse, put hot spots on my subject’s face. I live in Colorado, after all, so waiting for an overcast day isn’t a realistic option. So what to do? First, I try and take advantage of shade in the area. I try and place the subject with his back to the sun and find a tree or bush to help shade his face. I then use flash to fill in the shadows. If that doesn’t work, I try to use a reflector or other object to shade my subject’s face. In this shot, I had the subject’s mother hold a reflector near his head to take away the hot spots. We were shooting on a pier out over a lake so there was no shade in sight. I used a flash to fill in the shadow.
I also try and make sure I thoroughly cover a location to find what works. Then, I experiment. This shot was taken with no hot spots hitting my subject. A step to the left or right, and he looked like he had sun spots.
Regensburger Photography is a full service photography studio providing innovative and stylish portraits, senior portraits, weddings, and more in the Denver metro area. If you are looking for someone to capture memories that last a lifetime, contact Regensburger Photography today at 303 478 -7586.
