Bringing the studio outdoors: The importance of supplemental lighting for outdoor portrait sessions

Outdoor portrait using a mix of ambient light and strobe

When searching for a photographer, be wary if they tell you that they are a “natural light” photographer, like it is a special skill they possess. In reality, their shots will be no different than what you could do with your phone camera. Moreover, their creative control will be entirely dependent on the time of day, weather conditions, and the chosen setting for your shoot. They will have limited control over what is available to them. In most cases, there will be compromises that ultimately will affect your final photos.

With today’s lightweight, portable lighting systems, there is no reason why photographers shouldn’t bring strobes to your outdoor session. Bringing the studio outdoors will create the professional-level images you are expecting. 

Balancing light

A strobe was used here to fill shadows on the subject's face

Controlling outdoor lighting situations (ambient light) is crucial for creating perfectly balanced portraits. Harsh ambient light can create high contrast shadows and over-exposed scenes. Shady areas will leave faces dark and blank. With the right camera settings and the power and control of strobes, photographers can create a lightscape that enhances available light in ideal conditions or corrects less than perfect scenarios. Without strobes, photographers have limited options to enhance or correct lighting situations. For instance, if a client wants to pose in a full sun area, it will result in stark shadows and harsh highlights. With strobes, this situation can be easily managed by adjusting camera settings and using the strobes’ power to reduce the strong ambient light.  

Catch lights

Catch lights in the eyes make all the difference

There’s a little secret to shooting great professional portraits: catch lights. These are the specks of light in the center of the iris in portraits that add life and sparkle to the face. The effect is subtle, but it’s a significant factor in what makes a portrait great. The absence of catch lights can result in dull, lifeless images. Without strobes, it’s very challenging to create catch lights in a subject’s eyes. Simply adding a strobe to the light scene is what gives that “twinkle” to your eye.

contouring light and shadow creates depth

Making you look wonderful

Like when used in the studio, carefully coordinated strobes can produce dramatic, soft shading and contrast that accentuates the natural contours of facial features. Bringing strobe techniques outdoors can achieve the same results. With the full range of control available with strobe lighting, your photographer can sculpt a light scene by combining the available ambient light as an additive, enhancing the image rather than compromising it and creating the same contoured effect to highlight your best features. 

Producing Dramatic Scenes

High speed sync captured this action milliseconds after the ball was struck by the bat

Only with the aid of strobes can dramatic outdoor scenes be captured. Dynamic sport photography exemplifies this. A dynamic sport shoot is sports photography on steroids. By utilizing the latest technology in strobe lighting and techniques like high-speed sync, photographers can freeze the fast-paced movements of athletes in action while simultaneously creating a dark, dramatic scene that evokes the ambiance of arenas and professional sports fields. There are no other techniques that can achieve this level of capturing portraits. Strobes are the key to the magic that transforms anyone into a professional athlete, showcasing their passion for their sport.

Bottom Line

Outdoor portrait photography can be done without supplemental lighting, and in certain cases, “natural light” can suffice. However, exceptional conditions are necessary for acceptable results. When these conditions aren’t met, your photographer should always have a strobe or two on hand. When you hire Jassnight Photography for an outdoor shoot, we will always have at least one strobe, and in most cases, two. In special situations, such as dynamic sport shoots, we may even bring four strobes! 

Let’s make some magic!