Outdoor photography lighting

Outdoor photography lighting for professional model shoot with flash light is widely used for commercial purpose. This photography is done when we want to show the model on a location. It can be for a product or a service, and photographs may be used in press ads, calendars or posters.

We require a powerful studio flash light with a large soft box or we can make the light soft by placing a large translucent sheet in front of flash light. (If one flash light is not having enough power, then we can use more lights.)

This way we can shoot the model with the sun behind him or her. The flash light is used to open up details in the frontal part. Flash has to be balanced with the sunlight in such a way that it does not over power the sunlight. By keeping it 11/2 to 2 f stop less powerful then the sunlight, we can get this balance.

A flash meter is useful to measure the light. However, if we do not have a flash meter to measure the light, we can do it with a portable camera flash. We will require a wire for the flash light.

First, find out the required aperture at flash synchronising shutter speed. Say flash synchronising shutter speed of the camera is 1/250 of a second. So set the shutter dial at this speed and find out what aperture is needed, with camera TTL meter.

Assume that we need aperture f 8. Now find the distance we require to get f 8 from your portable flash light. This can be calculated with the guide number of the flash. Say guide number of the flash is 110 (we can find the guide number from the instruction manual of the flash) So distance we will need to get f 8 is roughly fourteen feet. (distance x aperture = guide number)

So we have to place the flash at fourteen feet from the model. The camera can be at any distance, as it will be according to the composition and the focal length of lens we use. In order to fire the flash, we will have to connect it with the flash wire.

This is 1:1 lighting ratio, as both sources of light (sunlight and flash light) require aperture f 8 and shutter speed 1/250 of a second. However, we need less light from the flash. So if a white cloth is placed in front of the flash at about two to three feet, then we will loose almost a stop and a half, and the lighting ratio will be natural and within tolerance.

Change the distance of the flash light to get the desired contrast and lighting effect for outdoor photography lighting.

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