10 Tips for Perfecting On-location Portraits

1. Choose the right location

Good locations are safe places to shoot that in some cases are close to amenities like a coffee shop and a WC. They have a variety of interesting backgrounds to work with and have some top cover, too. Good locations include country parks and urban areas in need of regeneration.

 2. Plan for the weather

Rain doesn’t stop me shooting. I place clear food bags over my flash heads to keep them dry. Choose styling items and accessories like hats and gloves for the person you are shooting to keep them warm, if required. I find that, even on a sunny day when I’m working in the shade near tall buildings, the wind can be quite chilling so bear this in mind.

3. Travel light

The less kit you take the fewer decisions there are to make. I often shoot with just one lens on one camera body. It simplifies the shoot and keeps the picture style consistent.

 4. Practice, practice, practice

I find that I need about three shoots a week to keep my photography evolving and improving. It is practice that delivers the experience needed to be relaxed and confident. This air of confidence relaxes sitters and it shows in the pictures.

5. Purpose

Understand exactly who the shoot is for. Are the pictures for you or the person in the picture? Perhaps you are shooting for someone else entirely; a magazine picture editor or a company website designer. Have the user of the images in your mind throughout the shoot and you will find yourself tweaking the mood, expression and poses to suit their needs.

 6. Prepare your camera 

Adjust your Fujifilm camera’s JPEG settings to give you as close to the final look of shot you want. Don’t say “Oh I’ll fix that in post”. If you are planning to present the images in monochrome but want to shoot colour too, switch the camera to a monochrome Film Simulation but shoot RAW and JPEG so you can have the best of both worlds. With the right settings for the look you want set in the camera you can take control of the shadow detail, highlights and exposure.

7. Start with the end in mind

If the shot is going to be published as part of an editorial, leave space for text. If it might make the cover, shoot in portrait orientation and leave space for the title. If it is for social media think square. If it is to be printed on art paper, give the shadows an extra stop of exposure etc.

 8. Keep the shoot fun

Even if you are shooting serious portraits, have fun between the set ups. For a lot of people, being photographed is like going to the dentist. Give your subject something to laugh about and the whole experience can become fun. A better rapport will express itself in the depth of the pictures.

9. Connection is everything 

If you have eye contact in the photograph make the expression engaging. Pull the character from the sitter into the lens. If you don’t have eye contact in the shot (many of my portraits are profiles), consider using a long cable release or the Fujifilm Remote App to trigger the camera. Set the camera on a tripod, focused and framed correctly, then move yourself into the eye line of your subject, create the moments you want to capture and take the shots remotely.

 10. Work together 

Share the images you shoot with your sitter as you go so you can both have input into the creative process.