So I'm jumping right into the mix with a 5 outfit environmental shoot later this month. We'll be shooting in a smallish-town park, right after sunrise (6am-ish) on a Sunday. The park SHOULD be empty at this time on a Sunday so we'll have 10+ blocks of awesome park to shoot in. I'll have a hair and make-up artist as well as an assistant, but that's it.
I've never shot anything like this (one model and multiple outfits/looks) so I'm hoping the collective experience of this group can give me a few tips to include in my planning.
Lighting thoughts?
Lens thoughts? I'm thinking 85mm 1.8 for a good bit of it.
Link to the location:
Gorgeous location. I would keep it simple. Use natural light and that 85mm. Bring a reflector and a scrim. Have the assistant working either of those depending on the situation.
As usual, agreeing with Peter's advice!
If you do have a strobe, I would recommend bringing that along in the event that the reflector isn't shaping the light as you would like it to. But, otherwise, outdoor environmental fashion stories are mostly done with just natural light. Having an assistant to help with reflecting or flagging off some harsh highlights will also go a long way. Sunday mornings are my favorite days for shooting outdoor fashion stories, so I think you'll find a lot of success with that.
The key is going to be trying to pre-plan your shots, in terms of what areas of the park will be used for what. It'll make the production go much smoother if you already have some of your backgrounds in mind for both time and composition's sake.
It looks like you'll be having yourself a great shoot. Good luck and have fun!
Thanks guys!
I've been provided the outfits and walked the location a few times to see which color pattern will look best against which backdrop at that time of day and I think I have it sorted.
While i'm used to shooting people outdoors (Wedding and Engagement photography), I've never had to have the focus be primarily on the clothing. Add in that new focus with the requirement of it being outdoors, in varying light and background patterns...well, it's gonna be interesting! All that said, I'm really excited as this is forcing me to really push myself and think differently than the normal wedding routine.