Portrait photography in natural settings can teach you a lot about controlling light, managing backgrounds, and focusing attention on your subject. A dynamic environment, like a field of Japan’s red spider lilies, pushes these skills to their limit while offering rewarding results for those who know how to work the scene.
Coming to you from Pat Kay, this insightful video walks through the end-to-end workflow of a portrait shoot with red spider lilies as the backdrop. Kay shares behind-the-scenes footage, shooting techniques, and editing strategies to give you a sense of how to achieve standout results. While experimenting with compositions, he emphasizes the importance of using longer focal lengths, such as 70-200mm lenses, to compress the scene and create a layered look. By adjusting angles and exposure settings, Kay manipulates natural light to highlight the silhouette of his subjects, ensuring that the flowers remain an integral part of the frame without overpowering the shot.
During the editing process, Kay provides a detailed look at how to enhance colors and textures to bring out the best in both the subject and the floral environment. His use of selective adjustments, such as targeted masking and contrast shaping, helps direct the viewer’s eye to the most important parts of the image. He also explains the rationale behind underexposing his shots during capture to protect highlights and maintain a dynamic range for post-processing. These methods, combined with subtle tone and color adjustments, result in a polished, cohesive look that works well for both portraits and environmental shots.
Kay also discusses the challenges of balancing technical accuracy with creative expression. For example, he adjusts the skin tones of his subjects to remain as natural as possible while also experimenting with the bold reds of the spider lilies. The deliberate control of green and yellow hues adds complementary contrast to the scene, enhancing the overall visual interest. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Kay.
If you would like to continue learning about the art of portraiture, be sure to check out our range of tutorials on the subject in the Fstoppers store.
