Outdoor fashion photography, as the name implies, is doing a fashion session in a natural environment. It entails using the composition of the environment to your advantage while displaying a fashion model against a setting that already exists. The topic must start with the clothing you capture because fashion photography is your goal. This image is intended to showcase the apparel while also highlighting the brand’s mission and guiding principles. As a result, the idea typically highlights the qualities of the designer or brand.
The outdoor fashion photoshoot would be difficult for you if you are a one-person army, which is how most photographers are these days. As a result, be ready to require two additional hands to help you with outdoor fashion photography.
In addition to the fundamentals, such as meeting time and place, shooting schedule, etc., there are a few other crucial things you should be ready for.
- Location
- Makeup, Hair, and Dressing
- Between shoots get change
- Camera Preparation Props
Location
The setting needs to be chosen initially because it is outside fashion photography. It’s crucial to be well-versed in the area.
Make sure to choose the site in advance so you have plenty of time to explore all of its nooks and crannies.
Additionally, go to the area a few days before the last shot to look around and make any necessary plans. Bring your camera because sometimes seeing a place with your naked eyes is insufficient; seeing it through a lens gives you the right perspective of the frame and helps you come up with more original ideas.
Hair, Cosmetics, and Dressing
Given that it is a fashion photoshoot, models are required, and when there is a model and camera, cosmetics and hairstyling are required. Photographers are used to taking pictures in challenging circumstances. They don’t need a place to sit down or a roof over their heads. On the other hand, photographers should be aware of some of the basic needs of hair and makeup professionals.
For makeup, the majority of beauty artists choose a space with tables and seats where they can arrange their cosmetics and brushes in comfort.
For hair, however, hairstylists may require power plugs for their equipment to create a particular hairstyle for the theme.
The ideal setup area would include power, tables, and enough space to store clothing and props. These conditions are easily met in a studio. In the event of an outdoor shoot, the photographer must take into account locations where each member of the team will be able to provide their best effort.
Between shoots, dressing up, and changing:
In a typical fashion session, several clothes are recorded, each with a unique outside location. This requires modifying the model outside. Depending on where you shoot, bathrooms may not be easily available. The photographer should pre-plan a route that permits the crew to utilize public facilities or changing rooms to achieve a seamless transition between looks. I usually take care of this when conducting a location scout. Simply put, a location scout is a trip I make to the area I plan to film before the actual shoot to map all the details.
The Camera and Its Settings
One of the most important factors for aspiring fashion photographers is the camera settings. Although the surroundings are seldom important in fashion photography, you should learn how to use them. Here is the typical usage of the Aperture, Shutter, ISO, and White Balance for your convenience.
- Aperture
f4.0 is the best aperture for fashion photography. You want to get the following when photographing for a fashion firm or a fashion editorial: a sufficiently blurred background, a sharp face, crisp clothing, and some accessories. That balance will be available to you at a 4.0 aperture.
- Shutter
The shutter may be tuned to around 1/200. The main goal of this is to completely remove the possibility of camera wobble.
The ISO is simply the lowest setting at which your shot is correctly exposed once you’ve decided on the aperture and shutter speed. Because this is an outdoor fashion shoot, ISO will be determined by environmental conditions such as the time of day, the brightness of the sun, the amount of cloud cover, the amount of ambient light, and so on.
You can refer to the light meter built into your camera (for digital camera users) or a light meter (for film users), then adjust accordingly.
In general, when shooting under broad daylight, the ISO can normally range from 100 – 1000.
For fashion shoots, you can set your ISO manually. 99% of the time, you would not feel about leaving it on Auto.
Here are some more essential factors that can bring great outdoor fashion photographs.
- Expression of the Model
- Choosing the appropriate time of day
- Obtain the greatest camera exposure you can
- Always capture raw images, i.e., without filters
- Take many pictures from various perspectives.
- Aid the model in finding postures
- Please see some examples of outdoor shooting postures.
- Ensure the model is at ease
