Even though I'm a professional portrait photographer,
when I'm traveling I don't take all of my location portrait
gear. Usually I only take my camera with it's built in flash.
And that's exactly what I see most tourists with. One camera,
one lens, and not a bunch of other gear to lug around.
When making photographs of landscapes and landmarks
you don't need anything but your camera. Sure, a tripod can
come in handy, especially as the sun is setting and longer exposures
are needed to get the photo. But, you can get away without one.
Flash is useless for making landscape photographs,
but is critical when making portraits. Even if you are making
photos during the brightest time of the day! Why? Because you
never want to position the people you are photographing so the
sun is blasting in their eyes! If you do that you'll get squints
and grimaces! There are a couple techniques you can use to make
better portraits on location without having to carry a bunch
of extra gear.
Of course you'll want to show the location
to prove you were actually there. So first find the spot you
want to make the photograph so the location is identified. Then
look for the sun. Now you want to stand in the place where you
will position your subjects, and look back in the direction
where you will be taking the photo from. If the sun is directly
in your eyes, you need to find a different vantage point. If
the sun is behind you at that point, or hitting you from the
side, you're good to go. Even better is to find a place where
your subjects will be in a shady area that still allows you
to get the landscape in the background.
You might think that if the sun is lighting
your subjects from the side so the light isn't in their eyes,
it's good just like that and you don't need any flash. The problem
is that the sun, unless it's covered by a cloud, creates very
harsh shadows. And the difference in exposure between the sun
lit area and the shadows is far too great for film or digital
sensors to record.
Now, you have your subjects either back lit
or side lit by the sun, or in a shady area where the landscape
in the background is lit by full sun. Set your camera to the
right exposure for the sun lit background, then turn the flash
on your camera on. Be sure that you are within the effective
distance of the flash to your subjects. In most cases that is
10 feet or less. Now you're ready to make the photograph.
Remember to set the exposure for the background,
then turn the flash on your subjects. This is very important
for sunset portraits as well. So simple really. Keep the sun
out of your subject's eyes, expose for the background, and use
the on camera flash. Happy photographing!
Stan P. Cox II is a professional portrait photographer
with over 30 years specializing in fine portraits of Families,
Children and High School Seniors. His work may be seen at Watanabe
Floral, Royal Hawaiian Heritage Jewelry, and at www.ParamountPhotography.com
