7 Tips for Shooting Models Outdoors

Shooting models alone, for fun or for work can be challenging enough, but mix in an outdoor, on-location shoot and you’ll really put your skills to the test. Shooting outdoors offers up many more variables within photography, but also puts a certain strain on the shoot.  Knowing what to do, when and quickly can make the difference between a successful shoot and a total flop.  Here are seven tips for shooting models outdoors.

Scout your location ahead of time. While this isn’t always possible, you should, whenever feasible, scout the location you plan to shoot ahead of time.  Take your camera, shoot some stills, and see how things will be framed in your camera.  Also try to scout the location around the time of day you plan on shooting.  Mid-morning looks different than noon, which is very different from early evening regarding light, placement of shadows and warmth.

Don’t rely on the LCD for image review. On even overcast days, reviewing images for exposure on the LCD of your camera can be very hard.  Direct and indirect light can often give you misreading about what is and is not properly exposed images.  If your camera has an option to blink blown out highlights and a histogram, use that option, otherwise take your camera inside, or at least in a vehicle nearby to review images if you must.

Bring a friend to be your photo assistant (PA). Working outside has some great advantages, mainly the natural light and scenery.  There are also inherent disadvantages, like having to walk long distances to get to a particular spot, wind and manipulating the natural sunlight.  Having a PA to help carry gear, hold reflectors and do some of the more labor-intensive work for you allows you to focus better on shooting.

Bring your own light. The sun provides so much light you say, why should I bring more?   Because the sun can only provide single direction light, and often times it won’t be in the direction you need it.  Additionally, you’ll need to fill in shadows on faces from late morning through mid-afternoon sun.

Speedlights are the easiest and most portable, triggering them using remote / radio triggers like PocketWizards is the most reliable.  Utilizing modifiers like softboxes and umbrellas on lightstands will depend on the shoot and your desired look, but keep in mind that both turn a speedlight on a lightstand into a kite if it’s even the slight bit windy out.

Anchor your tripods with sandbags, rocks or even your camera bag to prevent them from falling over.  A monopod or paint poll can also work really well as a light stand that your PA can then hand-hold and manipulate where you need it.

Reflectors and flags are your friends. Another job for the PA, hold the reflector.  The larger the reflector the better in most cases, I often use reflectors instead of speedlights for the simplicity of seeing what I’m getting as I shoot.  White and semi-white flags can be held above your models head to soften the light from the sun, acting in part the way the front panel of a softbox does, and are easily held in place by your PA

Get some distance between you and the model. Unlike studio shooting, location shoots are fun, in part because you can use your long lenses for wide-open depth of field.  This much desired bokeh in shots could be best achieved with long, fast lenses.  If you’re shooting at distances where you are using something longer then 200mm, you may need walkie talkies to communicate to your PA to help pose the model.

The model is the subject; the location is the compliment. Just because you’re outdoors doesn’t mean you need to forget about the model or throw the wide-angle lens on.  Each shoot and campaign you do with models, or even just portfolio building will have a different purpose.  More often than not you’ll need a location outdoors that compliments the model and overall feel of the shoot.  Don’t assume your over-the-top, extravagant location will make up for poor photography; they need to work in synergy.

Bonus tip! Take two of everything you need and a little more on top. You’ll be outside, your shoot may run long, you may get rained on, you may get cold or start to sweat, and you need to be prepared for this.  Take two of everything you normally use, including camera bodies, lenses, speedlights.  Take more then two sets of batteries, speedlights, reflectors and other related items.  A full roll of gaff tape weighs a good amount; consider two half-used rolls, one for you and one for the PA.  You can never have enough memory cards.  A rain poncho for you, garbage bag for your equipment bag and Ziploc bags for smaller items take up no space in a camera bag and become invaluable if the rain starts to fall.  Wear appropriate clothing for the location you’re shooting in, take sunscreen, bottled water and snacks for everyone involved if you are shooting more than two hours.

: http://www.lightstalking.com

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TAKING PICTURE OR VIDEO TECHNIQUE

There are several techniques for taking pictures or video, the following techniques are often used:

1.  [CAMERA ANGLE].
a.Bird Eye View.
Shooting is done from the top at a certain height so that shows that such a vast environment with other objects that appear at the bottom so small.
Taking pictures in this way is usually by helicopter or from tall buildings.
If you like to watch Hollywood movies, of course, these techniques are familiar to you.

b.High Angle.
Filming technique with angle shooting right above the object, taking pictures like this have the sense of the dramatic that is small or dwarf.

c.Low Angle
This technique of shooting that took the picture from the bottom of the object, the angle of this picture is the opposite of the high angle.
Impression that caused the keagungngan or glory.
Usually this technique is often used to create a monster or a giant human karakater.

d.Eye Level
Taking pictures with a point of view of the object at eye level, there is no specific dramatic impression in the can from eye level, which exists only memperlihatkna eye view of a person standing.

e.Frog Level.
This angle is taken parallel to the surface of the object becomes very large.

FIGURE 2. [FRAME SIZE]

a.Extreem Close-up [ECU].
Taking pictures is very close, only show certain parts of the body object.
Function for the details for an object.

b.Big Cloe-up [BCU].
Taking pictures is only limited to the head to the chin of the object.
Function to highlight the expression of which is issued by the object.

c.Close-up [CU].
Picture size only to the extent of head to neck.
Its function is to give a clear picture of the object neighbor.

d.Medium Close-up [MCU].
Limited to images taken from head to chest.
Its function is to reinforce the profile of someone that the audience is clear.

e.Mid Shoot [MS].
The extent of shooting the head to the waist.
Function clearly shows the figure of the object.

f.Kneel Shoot [KS].
Limited to head shots to the knee.
Funsinya almost the same as the Mid Shoot.

g. Full Shoot [FS]
Full shots from head to toe.
Memeperlihatkan function object and its environment.

h.Long Shoot [LS]
Wider shots of the Fool Shoot.
To mnujukan object with the background.

i.Extreem Long Shoot [ELS].
Exceed the long shots Shoot, featuring environments of the object as a whole.
To indicate the object is part of the environment.

Shoot j.1.
Taking pictures of the object.
Its function is to show a person or object in the frame.

K.2 Shoot.
2 shooting objects
For the second scene shows people who are communicating.

l.3.Shoot
3 shots of objects to show 3 people who were talking.

m.Group Shoot
Shooting set of objects
To show scenes of a group of people in the activity.


3. [MOVING CAMERA]

a.Zooming [In / out]
Movements by the camera lens closer or away from the object, this movement is a facility provided by the vidio camera, and the cameraman just to operate it.

b.Panning [Left / Right].
The mean motion in panning the camera moves from the middle to the right or left of center, but not the camera tripod that moves but the moves in the direction desired.

c.Tilting [Up / Down].
Tilting yitu movement up and down movement, still use the tripod as a tool to get the image on satisfactory and stable.

d.Dolly [In / Out].
Movement in doing the movement back and forth, almost the same as the movement Zooming but Dolly is moving tripod that has been given a wheel by pushing forward or pulling it backward tripod.

e.Follow.
Filming is done by following a moving object in the same direction.

f.Framing [In / Out].
Framing is done by movement of the object to enter the [in] or out [out] framing the shot.

g.Fading [In / Out].
An image change slowly.
When new images replace existing images entered in the call fade in, whereas if the existing image slowly disappeared and was replaced in the new images called fade out.

h.Crane Shoot.
Is the camera movement is mounted on the tool of self-propelled wheeled machine and the same cameraman, both near and away from the object.

4. [OBJECT MOVING]

a.Kamera parallel object.
Parallel to the camera follows the movement of objects, both left and to right

b.Walking [In / Out]
moving object approaching [in] and stay away from [out] the camera.

Well that was a few techniques in taking pictures using video cameras.
But there are some important elements that must exist in the picture.
And important elements include:

a.Motivasi
b.Informasi
c.Komposisi
d. Sound.
e.Sudut Camera
f. Continuity.

In addition to the techniques and procedures for taking pictures to be possessed by a cameraman there are other things that should have the sense of art or the art, because the picture was taken by the cameraman is a work of art.
Allows everyone to master the techniques of shooting, but if it does not have a sense of art or the beauty of the results in dapatkanpun less than the maximum.
So the sense of high art can be made in the primary capital to be a cameraman.

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