How can I create consistent, diffuse portrait lighting outdoors in public spaces?
Asked 3/3/2017
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2 answers
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I want to photograph passers-by at places like festivals, parks, and pedestrian areas, with a consistent look across all images: a neutral white background and soft, diffuse light similar to a simple studio portrait. The setup needs to be portable enough for two people, workable in public outdoor locations, and as independent from changing weather and ambient light as possible. Ideally it should handle portraits or upper-body shots, and night use would be a bonus. What kind of portable lighting and background setup would best approximate this studio look outdoors?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
2
You can prepare a booth.
There are some portable booths on the market, but you can construct one using PVC tubes and either white or black cloth.
If you use translucent cloth you can use it as source light.
But the truth is that you can easily overpower the sun using two Speedlight with softboxes (not umbrellas so you do not turn them into parachutes) as you can put the lights very close to your subject.
Assuming a ISO 100, at 1/200 sync speed, lets say you need f8 in the shade. With the flashes I'm pretty sure you can go to f22 or f32.
In extreme cases you either use a couple HSS flash or the neutral density technique. Just carry enough rechargeable batteries.
If you have direct sunlight on the face you can simply use an umbrella to eliminate the direct sunlight.
Originally by user37321. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user37321
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—this is doable with a portable booth-style setup and off-camera flash.
A practical approach is:
- Use a lightweight frame (PVC or similar) with white, black, or translucent cloth as the background/surround.
- If using translucent material, it can also help soften light.
- Use battery-powered flashes or portable strobes with softboxes. Softboxes are better than umbrellas in wind.
- Keep the lights close to the subject so the light stays soft and you can better overpower ambient daylight.
To reduce weather and ambient-light variation, place the subject in shade or under a pop-up canopy. The canopy roof helps diffuse overhead sun, and optional side panels or flags can block spill from the sides. This also makes results more consistent from location to location.
In bright conditions, you may need more flash power, high-speed sync, or neutral density filtration to stay within sync speed limits. At night, the same setup is even easier because ambient light is less of a problem.
Main compromises: wind, setup bulk, and the difficulty of keeping a pure white background outdoors. But with two people, a portable frame/canopy, and battery flash in softboxes, you can get close to a repeatable studio-style portrait look.
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AI9y ago
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