How to choose a location for a portrait photography studio. How to choose a location for portrait photography. As a bonus, prepare a waiting room

Working in a studio is usually completely different from working on location, especially when it comes to shooting portraits. In location it is easy to focus on the model's face, but the surrounding environment also contributes. In addition, the studio has a lot of complex lighting equipment, and the photographer must create the light himself, and not adapt to the existing light.

Therefore, working in a studio often frightens novice photographers, leading them almost to a nervous breakdown. Here are 10 studio shooting tips that can really help you.

1. Think of studio shooting like bowling.

When shooting in a studio, the model should not change her position, and you should only move forward or backward. You cannot move to the right or left, as you may disrupt the lighting pattern. The same applies to the model. Instead of taking two steps to the side, ask the model to turn around.

2. Use clockwise direction

Often the model and the photographer get confused in directions, because for her, your right is your left, and vice versa. So it's really very easy to get confused. At the same time, turning clockwise or counterclockwise is the same for you and for the model.

3. Where is the right, where is the left?

Clockwise orientation helps to some extent, but sometimes you still need to tell the model which way to go, and for this you need to know how to say it correctly. Among professional photographers, it is customary to indicate sides from the position of the model, since she does not have to think about where to go, but immediately follow the photographer’s command. It is very important to immediately agree with the model about this, especially if it is not a professional model.

4. Fixed focal length lenses

There are and always will be arguments for using zoom lenses in the studio, but if possible, use primes. They are usually sharper and brighter. A standard portrait lens has a focal length of approximately 80-200mm. If you are using a camera with a sensor smaller than a film frame (crop), do not forget about this when choosing a lens. For a full-frame Canon camera, photographers prefer 85mm f/1.2 and 135mm f/2 lenses, and for crop cameras, 50mm f/1.2 and 50mm f/1.4. Nikon photographers prefer the 85mm f/1.4

5. Be at the right height

Use the correct camera height for a variety of portraits, otherwise you risk getting the wrong perspective and distorted proportions. For a close-up portrait, hold the camera at the subject's eye level. If you're shooting a full-length portrait, hold the camera at chin level. For a half-length portrait, this will be the level of the chest, and for a full-length portrait, this will be the level of the abdomen. Although, for some creative shots you may need to lie down on the floor or use a stepladder.

6. 1/125 and forget it!

Camera settings for studio shooting are quite simple. Set your camera to manual mode, set ISO to 100 or 200 (if your camera doesn't have 100) and shutter speed to 1/125 sec. Because flashes are used, it makes no difference what shutter speed to use, 1/100s, 1/125s, 1/160s or even 1/200s.

7. Use a flash meter

Modern cameras have a very developed exposure metering system. But she can't help you in the studio. You won't be able to determine how much power to light the background or hair, for example, until you take test shots. With the help of a flash meter, you can adjust the lighting scheme immediately and correctly. Just because you can read a histogram on a camera doesn't mean you shouldn't use a flash meter. This will save you from unnecessary headaches due to lighting.

8. Focus on the eyes

Regardless of the aperture and depth of field you choose, the eyes are what tell the story of the portrait. Attention should always be on the eyes and they should always be in focus.

9. Custom White Balance

We constantly require you to use custom white balance, and for good reason! Light modifiers such as umbrellas, softboxes, dishes, and snoots have a small effect on the color temperature and coloration of the light. Therefore, setting a custom white balance before shooting will ensure the most accurate color reproduction.

10. Try just one light source.

Famed fashion photographer Helmut Newton was known for using only one light. This, along with changing the angle of the lighting, can create truly dramatic and stunning photographs. If you have many light sources, this does not mean. that they all need to be used. Try a simpler approach to lighting, working with one source instead of several.

Studio portraits are quite difficult to perform. We hope these 10 tips will help you and inspire you to take more beautiful photos and continue to improve.

Each photographer uses his knowledge in his own way. He can arrive at a certain result through various experiments. Now we will understand the principles of light in portrait photography through reasoning and experimentation. Hard light allows you to emphasize shapes and volume. This is exactly what we will do.

Painting light

First, let's take a reflector and simply point it at the model:

The drawing turned out to be very contrasting. The shadows fade to black. This illumination is obtained using a reflector, which is installed at a distance of less than one meter and with installed honeycombs and a diffuse filter. The reflector illuminates the model and nothing more. No light reaches the background. If you remove the honeycombs and move the light source away, the lighting will become more diffused, the light will hit the background, walls, be reflected from them and return to the model. This will all lead to loss of contrast. The picture will become softer, but we are now learning to work with hard light, so we will leave everything as it is and move on to the next issue.

Background lighting

When working in a studio, there is no point in using a shallow depth of field. The background is usually close to the model and there is nothing to blur. Only a single color background. The volume has to be formed with the help of light. It is the background lighting that will give volume and allow you to build a composition. The drama of our plot requires the same background. IN in this case you can simply make a small spot of light behind the model. It should be positioned slightly below the head.

If the background lighting is disproportionately small in relation to the model's lighting, it is worth increasing the power of the background light.

Increasing the power of the background light will make the light spot not only brighter, but also larger in size. Everything must be balanced, therefore, by adjusting the power, we find the optimal option.

Fill light

Fill light is used almost always in studio photography. It is not used only if you need to get absolutely black shadows. Fill light brings out details, illuminating dark areas. You can't highlight shadows too much. Then both volume and contrast will be lost. You just need to lighten the shadows slightly.

The best way to get fill light is to point a reflector at the wall behind the camera. Then the reflected stream will dissipate throughout the room and softly fill the shadows.

Fill light does not always have a significant impact on the photo. Sometimes it can be practically unnoticed, but if you look closely at the details, you will see the smallest details in the shadows that would have been inaccessible without this light.

By adjusting the power, we select the appropriate fill light setting.

Even lighter - 1 from the maximum.

A large amount of fill light will change the style of the photo to high key and completely remove the drama. With proper lighting settings, hard sources can create a soft picture.

Light filter on the main light source

It's time to work with the temperature of the light. The contrast of a neutral background and warm skin color does not look very good. The fill light and background lighting need to be warmer. We will do this in a graphic editor. For shooting, we will cool the key light a little. Changes in skin tone should be subtle.

In the RAW converter, we increase the color temperature from 5600K to 6200K. This will compensate for the cooling of the skin color and make the background warmer.

Reflector

We will use the reflector as backlight. The reflector should catch the backlight and highlight some areas of the model. Here you need to carefully monitor the result, since the reflector sometimes spoils the view, highlighting what is better left in the shadows.

It can often happen that the reflector will act as a fill light.

Additional light

If you add another reflector that will shine on the reflector, you can freely adjust its position and intensity.

If the power is too high, the light will create a bright spot that will distract attention.

A slight adjustment will allow you to achieve optimal lighting.

Photographing

In harsh lighting, any change in the position of the head or rotation of the model’s body will change the shadow pattern and everything that was adjusted will turn into a completely different picture. After working with the light and achieving the desired result, you need to take a sufficient number of photographs. You can then allow the model to move her head and body a lot, but you cannot move out of the lighting area. This will give you the opportunity to look at the picture differently. Sometimes such a decision helps to find a better position.

Then you can let the model move freely. Since the light sources are built for a specific pose, it is unlikely that you will get anything worthwhile, so you should change the position of the lighting fixtures as you move.

When you tilt your head, the shadows will fall on your eyes and they will completely fall into black.

Turning your head didn't have the best effect on the look of the photo, but if you adjust the light, something might work out.

You may end up back where you started or find something completely new. Vision comes with experience and practice, so work and experimentation is a long and hard road to success.

Portraiture is very different from all other types of photography. To help you master this format, we have put together 6 rules for portrait photography for beginners that will prevent you from making the most common mistakes.

1. Technique

Any camera is suitable for taking portraits. The advantage of a DSLR camera is its prompt response to commands, change of optics, which allows you to vary photographic modes, the ability to shoot in manual mode, which means that you have many opportunities to solve your artistic problems and the ability to shoot in difficult conditions(for example, in dark rooms).

Good portraits can be taken with compact cameras. But it’s better if your compact has a zoom (the longer, the better - the background will blur more, the proportions of the face will be better).

For SLR cameras, it is recommended to use lenses with a focal length of 50-80 mm (in some cases up to 135 mm). With a focal length of less than 50 cm, you will get distorted proportions of the model. When shooting a portrait, preference should be given to portrait lenses with soft-focus optics.

Softly drawing optics allows you to hide skin unevenness and focuses attention on the main elements of the portrait (eyes, mouth, forehead), gives a sense of volume due to smooth declines in sharpness from the main to the less important.
To even out the brightness in the frame and highlight shadows, it is sometimes necessary to use a flash or reflector.

2. Settings

Portraits are typically shot with a shallow depth of field. A small depth of field means an open aperture, i.e. small aperture values (preferably from about f 2.8). If you are photographing with a compact, shoot at the maximum zoom position.

What will this give? The subject will be sharp and the background will be blurred. We must not forget about the distance at which you are shooting and that the depth of field depends on this distance. Of course, it all depends on your artistic goals, but in a classic portrait the eyes and preferably the rest of the face of the person being portrayed should be sharp. If you're shooting two or a group of people and you want the whole group to be in sharp focus, you'll need to stop down your aperture (f 8 - f 11 or larger).

The shutter speed when shooting portraits should not be too long. People cannot remain silent and breathe for a long time. If the shutter speed is too long, the photos will not be sharp. In addition, long exposures cause tension in the person being filmed. At short shutter speeds you capture the moment and everything that was intended appears in sharpness (eyes,...). This is especially true for children who cannot sit quietly in one place. The faster the shutter speed, the more likely you are to get a sharp photo. We have already written that it is better to shoot children at shutter speeds no longer than 1/250 s; for adults, you can use longer shutter speeds. It is important that you have enough light to shoot. It is optimal to shoot on the street or at home near a window.

Try not to raise the ISO. If possible, shoot at ISO 100.

The focus in a classic portrait should be on the eyes (not the nose, forehead or anywhere else). It is best to switch the camera to manual focus point selection mode and select the point that falls on the model’s eyes.

3. Light

In order to get not a flat, but a voluminous face in a photograph, it is best to use light falling slightly in front and from the side (front diagonal lighting). In principle, good results can be obtained with side lighting, but with side lighting it is best to use a reflector (which can be, for example, a white wall of a house) or an external flash. The best time to shoot outdoors is in the morning or early evening. If you shoot at midday, when the sun is at its zenith, the overhead light will produce deep shadows and very sharp contrast.

With the help of backlighting, you can get a silhouette if you shoot, for example, in the evening. If you want to highlight your face, you will also need a reflector or external flash. Frontal lighting will make your face look flat and should be avoided.

At home, it is best to shoot with light from the window (if possible, not from the sunny side). Sheer curtains will help you diffuse and soften the light.

4. Shooting point

Typically, any photograph begins with choosing a shooting point. That is, the model will be photographed from close or from afar, from above or below, to the right or to the left. The shooting point mainly determines the composition of the photo.
The scale of the image will depend on the distance. As we already wrote, there is no need to reinvent the wheel in photography. The scale of a portrait has long been determined by fine art. By scale, portraits are divided into full-length, side-by-side, bust (chest) and fragmentary.

Bust portraits are the most popular. They allow you to convey the external appearance and “look” into the eyes of the person being portrayed, conveying the peculiarity of his face (external resemblance). With the help of a bust portrait, you can try to convey the inner world of a person.

A bust portrait should be shot with a long focal length (portrait) lens from a distant point. Otherwise, there is a risk of distortion of the face shape and loss of external resemblance.

By removing the shooting point you can get a half-length portrait. Most often, half-length portraits are taken while sitting. Hands also participate in the half-length portrait. You need to watch your hands very carefully. Using the position of your hands you can determine the mood of the portrait. The position of the hands should be absolutely natural. To prevent your hands from becoming tense, you can give the person being portrayed something to hold in their hands.

A generational portrait poses the task of showing the proportions of a figure to an even greater extent. Try to shoot generational portraits not statically, but with an energetic turn and an active gesture.

We move away from the shooting point and move further and further away from the model’s face. In a full-length portrait you can show the proportions of the figure. It’s better to shoot from height without standing - it’s very difficult.

When shooting bust portraits, it is best to shoot from the model's eye level. Half-length portraits are taken from chin level. When taking a portrait in full height, remove from waist level (crouching).

5. Composition

In portrait photography, all the classic rules of composition apply, which we have written about more than once. Particular attention should be paid to the background. It should not distract from the subject being portrayed. Avoid taking portraits against contrasting, bright or colored backgrounds. Calm, monochromatic backgrounds that do not distract attention are best suited.

Do you remember the rule of composition, according to which you should not place the main subject in the middle of the frame? This rule also applies here, but in a portrait it is very important that the frame is balanced. That is, there must be something in the frame that balances it. It could just be an abstract background.

When filling the frame, it is very important to consider the direction the model is looking. That is, if a person is looking to the left, then there should be enough space to look on the left. The gaze should not rest on the edge of the photo. The mood of the photo depends on the direction you look. The picture can be made more interesting if the model is not looking at the camera, but somewhere else.

6. Working with the model

Very often we see tense faces and tensely smiling people in photographs. Most people see the camera and start posing. This rarely gives a good result, since those being portrayed tend to tense up while posing. A good portrait photographer must be able to reveal a person’s inner world, and this is only possible when the model is relaxed and naturally at ease. We already wrote once that every photographer has his own favorite genre of photography. A portrait photographer must love communicating with people and be able to win someone over.
It’s best to start shooting with a casual conversation. When a person relaxes, you can start shooting.

At the beginning of shooting, you can say that you are not shooting yet, but simply choosing a shooting point and setting up your equipment, trying a new lens, i.e. take test pictures. This is often when you will be able to capture the best footage. Interesting shots are also obtained during breaks, when the model is tired, stops “posing” and relaxes. Here again you can say that while the model is resting, you are again testing the technique and choosing an angle for further shooting.
All this, of course, does not apply to professional models who know how to work in front of the camera.

There are many photographers who specialize exclusively in portrait photography. And their passion is understandable: portrait photography is one of the most complex and interesting genres in photography, which reveals a person’s character.

Exciting? Then you just need to learn everything about portrait photography techniques.

Camera settings for portrait photography

It is best to use aperture priority mode. An open aperture when shooting a portrait is the ideal solution. This way you will “blur” the background, create a bokeh effect, successfully highlighting the subject. Surely you assumed that we would give you the magic numbers of perfect settings suitable for any occasion. But, for example, we cannot say anything about certain aperture values, since the aperture will depend on specific cases, shooting conditions, as well as on the capabilities of the camera and its lens.
To eliminate grain and noise, set the ISO to the lowest possible value. These parameters directly affect the brightness of the image and need to be adjusted based on the lighting, but we recommend setting the most small value which is possible. However, the extent to which noise appears at high ISO depends on your camera and the optics it uses. And therefore, the photosensitivity settings will be individual in each case. Speaking of optics: if you want to devote yourself to portrait photography, then a portrait lens is simply the perfect solution.
Since a person cannot stand still like a statue, but play with the model the game “Marine figure, freeze!” somehow not comme il faut, to avoid blurry pictures, just set the shutter speed to 1/60 - 1/125 seconds.
Don't worry too much about white balance. Standard settings are also suitable for any conditions. If the soul requires more creativity, then there is always a manual mode M.
Exposure metering mode is also important parameter in portrait photography. Most modern cameras offer to perform the average, that is, over the entire frame. You can also apply it to a small area in the center of the frame (evaluative or spot).

Taking portraits indoors

If you are on a limited budget and do not have serious lighting equipment, and neither you nor your model can afford to rent a studio, just use the light from the window. Taking a portrait at home can be very successful if you shoot in a room with one window and light up parts of the face that are in shadow a little using a reflective screen. Place the screen about a meter or two from the model.

If you decide to shoot on a bright sunny day, when direct light mercilessly illuminates your face, we advise you to lightly cover the window with a light white fabric. This way you will be able to avoid unpleasant shadows on the model’s face (unless, of course, you wanted to turn this nuisance into the highlight of the photo).

Taking portraitsat home: practical advice

Ask the model to stand sideways to the window at a distance of about one and a half meters. Position yourself with your back to the window so that the visual axis is perpendicular to the plane of the window.
The background can be either plain walls or some bright element. To find the perfect angle, ask your model to walk around the room until you find the lighting conditions that best suit your idea. Since when shooting indoors you have to set a longer shutter speed, shooting a portrait with flash, unless you have a tripod, of course, is simply inevitable. Point the flash upward and attach the reflector so that it can cast light on the model.
Here's a great lighting scheme for quality results. Use a pair of electronic flashes, which you place at a distance of about one and a half to two and a half meters from each other. Use the main light source to give your subject the desired effect, and place additional light sources as close to the top of the lens as possible, using them to highlight shadows.

Below we have described several classical schemes lighting used for portrait photography in the studio.

1. Take two additional light sources and place them at a slight angle in relation to the model. This will help you add extra volume to your photo.

2. Direct one source parallel to the camera, place the other at an acute angle in relation to the model, securing it at a height of about three meters. Light the model's head third from behind and slightly from the side - this will allow you to create volume in the frame. Light the background with a fourth light source.

3. In order to soften the picture a little, use reflected light, which can be obtained by directing the lighting device at the walls and ceiling.

4. The simplest lighting technique is carried out using a single source - a reflective screen. The method is as simple as three pennies, but despite this, you can use it to create unusual lighting effects.

Taking a night portrait

Portraits on a black background with bright spots of color usually look very unusual and contrasting. True, such conditions require a good external flash and the absence of too long shutter speeds. For example, you won’t be able to set a shutter speed of thirty seconds. Because even the most powerful flash will not give the object clarity in such conditions, only if the model freezes in one pose for a long time.

And now we will try to describe the technique of taking portraits at night against the backdrop of the colorful lights of the city at night.

Try setting the shutter speed from 1/15 to 1/10 sec.
Set the aperture value not very large, in some cases f 1.8 is perfect.
Photographing a portrait at night, as we have already said, involves using a flash. In principle, in the absence of an external flash, you can try the built-in one: just set the synchronization to the second curtain so that the picture does not turn out blurry.
If you shoot with an external flash, you can set it up in the same way as the built-in flash. First, try it on automatic; if this option doesn’t suit you, turn on manual mode and have fun with the settings all night long.
Indirect light is best suited for this type of photography, so use umbrellas. If you have a synchronizer, place the flash on a tripod at 45 degrees, to the side of the model. This will give your photo depth and contrast.
Want to make your background stand out more? Set your ISO settings to a high value.

Common mistakes when taking portraits

Shooting using a wide-angle lens. Such optics are not suitable for portrait photography, as they exaggerate the perspective. If you wanted to get a comical effect, go ahead, but if the shooting is artistic, then you should not use such a lens.
Unsharp eyes. The eyes are perhaps the most important thing in a portrait and as such they need to be sharp, especially when you're shooting wide open to limit the depth of field.
Depth of field too deep. Shooting with a closed aperture is also not the best best idea. A sharp background will distract from the main subject, and the photo will not look very good.
Objects sticking out of the head. This can happen if you don't pay enough attention to the background. Of course, the tree peeking out from the head or road sign can be removed in the editor during post-processing. But why burden yourself with unnecessary work when you can pay attention to the background and, if necessary, step slightly to the side.
Wrong angle and height of shooting. The correct height for shooting is best determined by the context of the image and the subject, but most best result, as practice shows, can be obtained by shooting from the eye level of the person being portrayed.
Sharp shadows. Often such shadows do not provide a favorable effect for the photo.
Red eyes. To avoid this, move the flash away from the lens (if it is not built-in, of course)
Overkill with details. In pursuit of sharp eyes, we often forget about the rest. You should not use modes that increase saturation - they can highlight skin imperfections, which will then have to be retouched for a long time and painstakingly.

Before you pick up a camera, you need to decide what kind of photo you want to get as a result. What is the purpose of your shoot? Perhaps it’s a business portrait, fashion photography, online promotion, or you just decided to take an artistic photograph of a friend. Think carefully about the settings and style of future shooting, based on the task assigned to you.
Have you decided on the purpose of shooting? Great! In this case, it will be easier for you to choose the appropriate place for it. What might be ideal for realizing your idea? For an artistic photo, this could be a forest, an abandoned house, or any other mysterious place. Fashion photography can be organized in a studio or stroll through the city at night. A business portrait can be taken in a cafe or office.
If you are working outdoors in natural light, it is very important to consider the time of day at which the shooting will take place. We do not recommend shooting in the middle of a sunny bright day, when the sun is especially merciless, because direct light, the blinding rays of the sun, will complicate your work, and it will be quite difficult to avoid overexposure.
Don't forget about the basics of chiaroscuro, which everyone studied in art classes at school. Harsh, harsh lighting creates dramatic shadows. If such an arrangement was not included in your plans, then try to create conditions under which the light would fall on the entire object at once. Soft light can create an effect that makes everything appear flatter, but it can save you from worrying about losing detail in dark or bright spaces.
The advantage of working in a studio is the freedom to experiment with art using artificial light sources. In field conditions, this is, of course, impossible. But in the studio, you, as a photographer, hold all the cards! We can set different light patterns, move and adjust the height and tilt of the sources in accordance with the idea. In other words, working in the studio makes you feel like a master of light.
It is very important to organize competent work with the model. Reach mutual understanding, find contact and win over a person. Don't think that the model can read your mind - communicate with her! Talk about what pose is best for her to take, where to look. Smile, joke, create a relaxed environment in which a person will feel comfortable and can open up.

If you are interested in portrait photography, training is a must. Ours can offer a large number of different courses taught by professional photographers. Everyone is welcome!

Today I want to talk about choice and, what is also important, about correct use shooting locations for portrait photography. For the portrait genre, the choice of shooting location, on the one hand, does not play a key role, but on the other hand, this very place can literally breathe life into the frame. So you shouldn't neglect this.
In fact, the place where we shoot a portrait indicates the model’s surroundings and therefore can create a mood in the frame, show a story, emphasize the meaning. It is important that this environment does not dominate the model. Various techniques are used for this. For example, many people shoot against a uniform background without details. This technique is quite appropriate. It allows you to take all the viewer's attention to the model, but does not perform the functions that I just mentioned.
If you choose a different, non-uniform background, then there will be ways to make sure that the model does not get lost on it. You can, for example, place environmental objects outside the sharpness zone, make them darker or, conversely, lighter than the model.

By the way, a fairly effective option is to make the background a very dark shade, sometimes almost black. Often this is done during post-processing of the frame. In this case, it is not necessary to darken the background across the entire field of the frame around the model. It is quite possible to limit ourselves to a vignette, although it will be significantly larger in area and degree of darkening than is usually customary. This method, in my opinion, is suitable mainly for close-up portraits.
It is also quite possible to shoot against the backdrop of a textured wall. And if this very texture is not enough, then you can apply a subsequent texture overlay during processing.

These techniques allow you to quite effectively create an atmosphere in the frame, despite the fact that this environment remains very laconic. This is where light spots and shadows from various objects come to the rescue. It would seem like such a small thing, but it can look very advantageous in a photograph, making it more interesting and lively.
Then you can perfectly use the interior of the premises. And also very different. Apartments, cafes, libraries, shopping centers, not to mention specially equipped photo studios. All this provides its own opportunities for shooting decoration. If we decide to get out of the studio (or
another room) into vast open spaces, then a great many options arise. Among them, I would conditionally highlight those that are initially attractive and those that do not in themselves represent an object pleasant to contemplate, but due to some of their properties are able to “play” in the frame.

For example, I have already filmed several times in the pedestrian gallery enclosing a construction site. From the outside, this place looks, to put it politely, unremarkably. But due to its geometry, which creates rhythm and perspective, the specific color of the structures, and the presence of openings that form peculiar windows through which daylight passes, this object provides very interesting opportunities for photography.

I think finding places like this can be very interesting. At the same time, I would not recommend going to the point of absurdity and including objects in the frame that the viewer initially associates with something negative. In other words, you should not shoot a portrait against the backdrop of garbage containers, even if their shape, color, texture or other properties seem suitable for the frame. Of course, there are plenty of places whose suitability for photography is obvious, for example water. Rivers, lakes, ponds, seas - all this can be a wonderful environment for a portrait photo.

I would pay special attention to places where there is linear perspective or rhythm, and often both at once. These can be alleys, colonnades, bridges, train stations, stations, train or subway cars and much more. By the way, greenhouses and conservatories look very interesting in this regard. As long as the plants growing in them do not block the visibility of the structures themselves.
Shooting in such locations will help make your shots more voluminous and give you the opportunity to work with lines in the frame.
Arches and other architectural elements that create a kind of frame for the model can look quite interesting. Experiment with subject distances, focal lengths, and aperture numbers. This way you can build the necessary proportions in the frame and use objects of completely different sizes in it.
If you are shooting in the city, I highly recommend trying to shoot in the late afternoon, when there are various lights, be it light from windows, street lights, headlights and brake lights of cars will begin to be read in the picture. And the light closer to sunset becomes more suitable for portraits. Using these lights in the background can create magical shots. Experiment with the weather. Sometimes in the snow or rain you get incredibly atmospheric shots.
There is an opinion that beautiful nature in a portrait frame will always look advantageous. Surprisingly, for me, for example, the summer greenery so familiar to us looks somehow alien in the frame. For this reason, if I shoot such frames, I then correct the color of the greenery, taking it to a different shade. And when foliage comes into the frame, I often use optics that swirl the bokeh. I think this makes the pictures look more alive. In addition, the swirling bokeh also creates a kind of vignette, visually highlighting the model.

But greenery is not with us all year round. Everyone knows well what beautiful, juicy pictures you get when it’s golden autumn: it helps to create a very specific mood.
But few people know that in early spring, when the leaves have not yet begun to bloom and the grass is turning green, you can take very interesting and atmospheric shots. Outwardly, pictures of nature at this time may seem gray and dull, but in fact this feeling is deceptive. Although this time is very short, I try to use it. I advise you to try it too. And I also want to give one practical piece of advice. I hope it will help you consciously choose a place to shoot. And if it has already been selected, it will allow you to identify and use its capabilities more effectively.

The point is, it's a good idea to visit the location before shooting. Ideally, at the same time when the shooting will take place and in the same weather. In practice, this can be difficult to do. But nothing prevents you from taking advantage of the time immediately before shooting. For example, while a makeup artist is working with the model. Sometimes a few minutes spent studying a location significantly improves the quality and speed of work. Just shoot an “empty” location (without a model) from different angles. Use different aperture numbers. It is important to take pictures close to what you will do with the model. Just don't shoot the landscape. Don't focus on objects that will be in the background when the model appears in the frame (later in the shoot). Focus where you plan to place the model. Even if, as a result, there will not be a single object in sharpness on the sighting frame. We don't need this. But it will be clear how the environment works, what this place will look like in real footage. Use different directions shooting. See what the light will be like, pay attention to various other nuances. There is another advantage to this method of preparation. This will help you notice those details that will become secondary when the model is in front of the camera, and which, alas, we sometimes pay attention to when analyzing the footage.