Overcoming Obstacles in Beach Portraiture: Class Notes

Transcription

1 Overcoming Obstacles in Beach Portraiture: Class Notes Why should you watch this webinar? How to Assess the Light You have been hired (or hope to be hired) to do a destination wedding at the beach. You want to add beach portraits to your offerings because you realize that beach sessions are more lucrative and they look pretty in your portfolio. New product line for existing clients You want to write off your family s next trip to the beach. You are smart enough to realize the beach is a unique environment and you don t want to be caught off-guard in front of your clients. Does your subject have to squint when looking towards the sun? This is different for different people. Blue-eyed people are typically more sensitive to the sun. Babies are very sensitive. The best light on a clear day is usually 30 minutes before sunset until 15 minutes after sunset. Clouds make the sun softer earlier, so you don t want to wait too late on a day with clouds or you won t have enough light. Reasons You May Have to Work in Harsh Sun You have a huge family group and you want to get as many sub-groupings as you can, so 45 minutes isn t enough time. You have a wedding and the only change for portraits is before the softer light at sunset. You want a more vibrant blue in the sky for a stronger, more commercial looking image. Weather ruined your session the night before, and this is the only chance to salvage the session.

2 How to Adjust in Harsh Sun How to Get the Best Light Turn your subjects away from the sun and backlight them (choose darker backgrounds, small reflectors). Have your subject wear sunglasses (great for groomsmen). Take advantage of the strong light by playing with shadows and doing action shots. Have family session clients wear stronger colors to match the stronger colors of the sky. Have them wear bathing suits and play in the water. Have the bride and groom look at each other instead of towards the sun. Do more action shots or have them look out towards the water. Use a very powerful off-camera flash and a ND filter or a Polarizing filter (assistance usually needed). Do not schedule more than one session a day unless you want to do a sunrise session at 6 a.m. (yuck!). Schedule a back-up day when able. Sell them on that feature of your sessions. Prepare your clients ahead to be flexible with their time on the day of the session. Talk a day ahead and come up with a projected earliest and latest start time based on the expected cloud cover. Call your subject at noon and revise the plan based on the radar and expected conditions. Call as often as possible to revise and update your plan. Keep an eye on the radar in motion. For weddings, plan flexible time near sunset.

3 Preparing for Humidity How to Assess the Wind Mainly an issue in the heat of the summer L series lenses have better sealing and fog up less. Test your camera before the session. Every day is different. Put your camera outside at least 2 hours before the session. Use 2 cameras for weddings. Wrap the camera in a trash bag and tie the end. Bring Nikon Fog Eliminator cloths. These are safe for lenses and reduce fogging. It won t work for interior glass fogging, however. Humidity is nearly impossible right after a rain storm on a hot summer day. Rough wave action and wind increases humidity because of salt spray. Humidity will affect the contrast in your pictures and turns hair blue. Humidity isn t all bad. In summer, it softens the light on a clear day. A clear day in late Fall through early Spring will only have about 15 minutes of good light due to the lack of humidity in the air. Wind can make or break your session. You need to be aware of the wind speed and direction so that you know how to prepare or if it s better to postpone the session. o Weather.com o Weatherbug.com o Ikitsurf.com (most comprehensive) Wind speeds > 10 MPH are difficult to work with. Clients will have clinging clothing, strong blowing hair, and will not like their pictures as much (especially women who wear bangs). Winds > 15 MPH are almost impossible and create stinging sand, heavy salt spray and mist in the air, and crazy hair. At sunset easterly winds are the worst because you can t face your subject into the light without having hair issues. Winds off the ocean are also bad because they will be head on. Winds from the direction of the land will be less threatening because the houses and dunes will buffer you somewhat.

4 How to Adjust for Strong Winds Equipment Issues If at all possible, move your session to another time. If not, here are some suggestions: Take pictures of brides or families in or near the house before going out. They have invested a lot of time into getting ready, and in this worst case scenario you can at least get one good portrait inside or on the side of the house away from the wind direction. If you (the photographer) have long hair, pull your own hair back in a ponytail or other hair clip. Suggest your subjects do the same or at least use heavy hair spray. Position people with longer hair so that they are facing into the wind. Bend the front knee of women in skirts (including brides) to give the dress a nice flow and keep it from sticking to their legs. Have them walk crossing one foot slightly over the other. Use dunes as windbreaks when possible. The closer you get to the water, the stronger the wind usually gets. Start in the safest places and then get more daring. Keep small children in the arms of parents to keep blowing sand from hurting them or getting in their eyes. Brides will be freaking out. You will need to be calm and positive. I often say, Wow. We are going to get some great dramatic shots of your veil blowing. If it s real bad, tell them to be prepared to give their veil to the maid of honor if it s a distraction to them during the ceremony. Prepare moms that the windblown look adds to the effect of looking like you re at the beach. Help them feel like it s a good thing. I rarely use a reflector. The sand is usually a great reflector by itself. Reflectors aren t strong enough to balance out the brightness of the background at the beach, so they aren t very effective. The wind makes them difficult to use. Because the beach is an overall light scene, I find that it helps to set my camera s exposure compensation to +2/3 stop. Be careful with expensive equipment.

5 On-camera flash can ruin the natural light of the beach. Off-camera flash: Beware of using umbrellas and soft boxes. Have an assistant and assess the wind. Light stands should be relatively cheap because they will rust. Hollow legs are more easily driven into the sand. Invest in some canned air. Tips for Strong Compositions on the Beach Use sea oats or sea grass in the dunes to create depth When the clouds are dramatic, get a very low camera angle and feature the big scene Have clients wear softer colors like pastels at sunset, and strong vibrant colors in the stronger sun hours Put the shoreline in your background to create leading lines and more movement Look for tidal pools to create reflections and get a low angle to get the strongest reflections Have subjects walk or stand in the wet sand just after a wave has come through to get a nice reflection. This will occur most naturally when the shoreline is more level. This will change with the tides and day to day. Find clean sand. Move to a new spot when the sand gets messy. Move closer to the water to avoid tire tracks, footprints, and seaweed in your pictures. Use walkways and piers for leading lines Have subjects squat near the water to fill the frame with water in the background. You can also do this by getting a high camera angle with a stepladder or natural high point on the beach. Have subjects walk towards the light and away from the light for two completely different looks.

6 Preparing Families for a Beach Session Advise them how to dress if you don t want white and khaki. They ask all the time. Discuss children s bedtimes. In summer, many go to be before or near sunset. Advise parents to slowly adjust naps/bedtimes to allow for sunset sessions. If parents are traveling for their session with small children, make sure they bring towels and a change of clothing. Children will get wet. Explain the value of being flexible to react to the weather. The single biggest factor in gorgeous beach pictures is timing the light just right. Moms will work with you if you educate them to expect a last minute decision and plan for it. How to Organize a Successful Family Session Get to your clients a little earlier than you plan to start. On your own, scout the beach immediately before the session for dunes, direction of light, tidal pools, sand castles, and other ideas for what you will do. Go back and visit with the family in the house until the light looks almost right. I start just before the light is right and use that time for individuals of children in the dunes, usually backlit. Then, I do individual families in the dunes. It is the natural place to start, since you are usually coming from the house. It is also the best place for a more formal picture and sitting poses. Children will be their calmest at this point. Next, I get the families walking towards the water together. Once I get to the water, I do the largest family grouping. Then, I do subgroupings involving the smallest children who will not last long, remaining subgroups, and finally candids and images of the families playing and interacting. Be prepared for children to get wet at this stage, which is why you take any formal pictures first. To get children to stay engaged, I usually bring some items to gain their attention that are tasteful and appropriate to the beach.

7 My Goody Box for Kids Small waterproof box that s easy to carry 1-3 shells that are believable or native to the area Metal pail Toy puppet Classic sail boat from APRprops.com Bubbles Preparing Wedding Clients Glow Sticks from the Dollar Store Have the bride get ready in an ocean-front room. They typically have big windows with lots of light. Advise couples to get their wedding party to bring sunglasses if you are going to need to take pre-ceremony pictures on the beach. Brides commonly want advice about what time is best for a beach ceremony. I recommend 1 ½ to 2 hours before sunset to be safe. This will still give you light on an overcast day. If they don t ask, then ask them. You will be stuck with bad light if you don t educate them. Make sure that they leave flexibility in their timeline for at least couple pictures at sunset. They are getting married at the beach for the scenery, so this is usually something they are willing to do. Explain that the soft light will be more romantic and flattering for portraits. Most wedding brides are easy-going, but anyone gets worried when the weather looks bad. Be positive and reassuring. Play up dramatic clouds and wind. Assure couples you will come back another day to get their pictures if you don t get them on the wedding day. This wins big points. Do beach wedding research on Etsy or Pinterest.

8 Most Unusual Things to Watch Out For When at the edge of the water, your subjects feet will sink into the sand with each passing wave. Have them step forward after a few waves or it will appear as though your subjects have no feet. Most beaches have laws against climbing in or on the dunes. Look for natural footpaths that clients can stand on to avoid nasty looks and still get the feel that your clients are in the dunes. Take the image from the side so that the path is unnoticeable. Bugs can be a problem in coastal areas in the summer months. If the wind is light, bring bug spray. I keep it in my car. How to Book Beach Sessions (when you don t live at the beach) For More Information Do a sample session with models or friends, preferably at a beach you like to visit. If you are a wedding photographer, ask your brides and grooms if they have a favorite vacation spot, and then offer to do an engagement session there with no travel fees. Post the sample session on your blog with a title that includes the name of the specific beach where you photographed. At the end of your post, have a link to your with to find out more about having your session at Beach X, us at your .com, or say now booking for July 14-20, 2013 if you know the dates you will be there. If you don t have a blog, make a slide show of your favorite images and post it to YouTube or Vimeo with search tags for Beach X, Photographer, and Photography. On the last slide, include a call to action like now booking for limited spaces in 2013 along with a link to your website. Come up with dates when you will be at that beach (when you want to vacation there) and post those dates on your blog, Facebook, or newsletter with only X sessions available. When your clients see that you do beach pictures, they will start to plan their vacations around yours. You can usually charge a higher session fee for these sessions. Once you have some real sessions under your belt, post those as well and make this a yearly event for your studio. To receive s that notify you when new, free educational resources are available, sign up at