Photography News Issue 48

Photography News | Issue 48 | photographynews.co.uk

Technique

How to take better location portraits Shoot out If you’re looking for a way to re-energise your portrait photography, try shooting on location. In this guide you’ll find solid advice for taking better indoor and outdoor portraits away from your home or studio, with help from portrait pro Paul McLachlan…

Pictures by Paul McLachlan

Taking portraits is one of the biggest draws in photography; it’s the reasonmany of us picked up a camera for the first time. But simple set- ups can only take you so far. If you want to inject drama and a story into your portraits, try some location work. We caught up with Paul McLachlan of Pauls Events (pauls-events.uk) to find out

more about shooting great people pictures on location. “The creativity, storytelling and a sense of place that you can weave into an image make location portraits really special,” he told us, “but it’s also about clothing and props that add mood and drama. And with location work there’s the opportunity for far more varied poses than in a studio.”

Ace your location portrait exposures

When working with natural light on location, you need to stay on your toes. Exposure settings will change with the light and you must be able to adapt. It’s very different from the consistency of working in a studio, where, says Paul, “multiple flashes give you control of every aspect, making shooting quick and easy.” On location, “the time of day and the changing level of available light requires careful positioning of the subject to take advantage of the best illumination and ensure shadows are balanced or filled.” Paul tends to use spot metering, taking a reading from a mid-tone area on the subject’s skin. In this way, the exposure for the subject should be perfect. Shooting in aperture- prioritymode, spot metering is a great method for portrait exposures, but you need to watch where youmeter from and your shutter speed. If the shutter speed falls too low, you can start to pick up camera shake; so increase the ISO to offset it. It’s also easy to meter on a part of the subject that’s not a mid tone; this will under or overexpose the picture, so check results on screen. If the subject moves to a brighter or dimmer location, or the light changes, you’ll need to spot meter again.

Get the best from your subject

Posing can make or break the shot, says Paul, “natural, relaxed poses can look good but can get a bit boring, so it’s good to have some ideas and themes to use; you can use a smartphone gallery to help give your model ideas.” Beyond that, he says it’s important not to over-direct them. “It’s better to be free flowing and review the images with the model, discussing what works and what can be improved.” Another vital aspect, Paul says is “safety and not taking unnecessary risks. Always think through a risk assessment for your location, and how you would deal with any situation. On most location venues I ensure that I have public liability insurance, just in case of accidents.” But it’s not just health and safety. If you’re working in outdoor or unheated locations there are some basic comforts that’ll make things go easier. For this Paul advises taking warm coats for your subject to slip on between sequences. “Hot tea and lots of breaks are good, too – some models have been known to bring hot-water bottles!” You can offset a lot of problems by being fully prepared before the subject needs to start posing, he adds: “planning the locations, getting lighting set up in advance, doing test shots before the models arrive.” 

Images Metering can be tricky on location. As the sunmoves or your subject changes posture or position, themeter reading can change. Use spot metering for an accurate exposure and if anything or anybodymoves, take another reading – just tomake sure!

Find better portrait locations

Part of the fun of location portraits is finding backdrops and scenes that work well with the human figure, whether indoors or out. Older houses are a real favourite of Paul’s and it’s there you’ll find some of the easiest and most effective framing devices for your subject. For many of his location workshops, Paul uses houses with “lots of big windows, door frames, unusual architectural features and furniture to pose on, like large mansions and manor houses.” These kinds of features set the subject off perfectly and to make the most of them, Paul advises taking test shots before the event: “seeing what works and in what format; landscape or portrait, as well as changing the shooting angle to above or below the subject.” It’s important, too, to make sure that the background isn’t dominating the subject, or

fighting for attention. To guard against this, Paul recommends “using the viewfinder very carefully, and scanning around the subject for anything in the frame that’s distracting; this could include bright colours or highlights.” Before you take the shot, check one last time around the very frame edges for anything that’s breaking the lines there. “Outside,” says Paul, “all sorts of objects and colours can be distracting, but changing your shooting position and focal length can solve these problems.” If your subject demands something simpler or you just need a break from more complex backgrounds, scan the area for plain walls; whether they’re papered, painted, stone or wood. They should be easy to find; you don’t need much for a head-and-shoulders portrait.