Hello, hello loyal readers. We know you’re compiling your portfolio with amazing snaps. Thanks for all your hard work! Models Direct is impressed with your dedication to your craft – whether it’s for yourself, your child, your family or your pet, we know you’re working hard to keep your portfolio updated with all the latest snaps our agency and clients love to see.
Today’s blog brings you an added layer of depth and diversity you can present in your portfolio with the addition of stunning outdoor photography. The weather is glorious this season so it’s an ideal time to make the most out of July’s heat.
If you’re already assembling the great outdoors into your collection, that’s fantastic, but if you haven’t done so far, not to worry because either way, our team has compiled some easy tips to help you get the most out of the natural light and connect your viewers to the world around you. So, let’s get ready to go outdoors! (Don’t forget your phone or camera though!)
Firstly, there are abundant different types of outdoor settings and subjects you can snap. They include:
Landscape photography
Outdoor portrait photography
Cityscape photography
Adventure photography
Travel photography
Outdoor sports photography
Street photography
Night photography
Wildlife photography
Nature photography
Environmental photography
Macro photography – this is often done outdoors and focuses on small objects and finer details in nature like flowers and insects, colours and textures. You’ll need special equipment to capture the art of these close-up shots.
You don’t have to use all of these suggestions when taking your pics but it’s great to know how versatile your images can be.
Here are some techniques that all you outdoor photographers can use to capture the best out of the outdoors (with you or your child, family or pet model included too, of course!)
Creative Lighting Techniques
Use natural light! The sun is glorious and can give you the best source of light to complete your images. With the natural tones enhancing clarity and shadows, it’s splendid for outdoor photography. You can also experiment with artificial lighting sources such as off-camera flash or reflectors to amplify your images.
Golden Hour Photography
We’re lucky that twice a day, every day, we are gifted with the sunrise and sunset. The light just after the sun rises and before the sun sets is beautiful to capture as part of your outdoor photography. For more accurate times, you can check online for your local area’s times.
Long Exposure Photography
This technique is usually used at night and uses a slow shutter to capture the stationary objects as they are whilst blurring the moving ones. The city traffic at night and the movement of the sea are popular examples which convert the vehicles’ lights into wavy electric lines or soften the sea into cotton wool-like textures.
HDR (High Dynamic Range) Photography
When you want to capture the high-contrast tones of the outdoors, HDR is the one for you. You’ll need a camera that has a higher dynamic range to achieve this as it’s all about getting the light intensities from the highlights to the shadows in the image.
Composition Techniques
Composition is all about how your subjects are placed into your photo. It’s about how they’re arranged and how to get the best out of your image. Popular techniques include:
Rule of Thirds
A great starting point for new photographers where they split the frame of their photograph into two equally spaced vertical and horizontal lines. The four points where they all meet are where you can place your subject. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll be in the middle of the frame but they’ll be placed in a way that’s easy for the eyes to follow into the image.
Lead Lines
Lines are everywhere, as are curves. Roads, footpaths, shorelines and even you can create lead lines with your arms and legs. This technique is great to get your viewer to follow into your snap with the subject being the focus.
Cropping
If you’ve captured a perfect image but there’s something that could do with cutting out, then use your cropping skills to slice your image down and keep what’s important.
Bokeh Photography
Maybe not a familiar term but a method you have seen. It’s where your subject is in focus at the front of the snap and the background is pleasingly blurred creating a definition to your image. You might already have snaps in your ePortfolio using this technique.
There are more techniques to master but these are Models Direct top ones which you can try out today. Elevate your portfolio with stunning outdoor images to create the perfect visual story of your skills, versatility and uniqueness.
