Photos of this life: Bare Bones

If there is one thing I enjoy about shooting outdoor portraits, it has to be the allure of the unpredictable nature which brings me back. This post will be about a few portrait shoots that I did recently. First up is a shoot with a fellow photog/model/dancer at the Pima Air and Space Museum. I've done some video work there before and always thought it would be a cool place to shoot a model. Having arrived I began to scope out the place and decided a few shots outside near the planes would be good. When it comes to working creatively, working with other artists always tends to lead to good results. Nicole was very good regarding her awareness of her body which I think shows in our shoot together. The next shoot was with Fiorella at Gates Pass, if you've followed my blog before you know I have a special bond with this place for various reasons. As usual, once Fio gets in front of the camera, she does a great job at expressing herself and showing she wants to be there. Since this shoot was at sunset unlike the others, I had to go with a bit different approach regarding exposure since I would not be using flash. Last up was last weekend's shoot with Leila and Lola. Having shot with Leila multiple times I already knew what to expect, a very very pretty model capable of delivering on her end. This would be my first time working with Lola but I felt confident in getting the images we needed. We began shooting behind Plush, left for 4th ave, then off to the train tracks by Toole ave. As stated previously, the unpredictability of shooting outdoors can sometimes either make or break your shoot. The amount of factors are endless: bright outside, cloudy, sunset, is it cold?, are there creepers watching? Do not be thrown off or deterred, embrace it and apply your own creative touch. In the instance of an image with Leila and Lola, we were shooting a posed photo of both models when the lights and noises started, the train was coming. Seeing this, we moved quickly to incorporate the moving train into the frame with the girls. Time with the moving train was limited, this is where knowing your camera thoroughly helps to get the look you want. I moved quickly to achieve a proper exposure with an aperture of F/4, as I wanted a shallower depth of field with the emphasis and focus on the models. Overall, I had a fun time every shoot and I can't say thank you enough to all those who help in any way possible. Until next time

3 Tips for shooting outdoor portraits on a budget

1.) Shoot in the shadows, direct sunlight can be harsh unless its diffused by a cloud, wait for one to come by and cover up the sun. If not don't have clouds, find shadows elsewhere like under a ramada or wing of an airplane :)

2.) Backlight your subject, it can be a bit difficult to achieve proper focus with a heavily backlit subject but stay determined. Overexpose slightly to get some detail in the shadow side of the subject.

3.) Don't be afraid to blow out the highlights of the background. If you're going bare bones with no flash or reflector, this is a good option as your model will be properly exposed and the background mostly white. You're there to shoot the model after all right?