Outdoor portrait photography made easy: tips for pro-quality results

jmeyer | Photography Tips | Portraits | 03/09/2012 11:00am

0 Comments

Using telephoto lenses for outdoor portraits

Shooting from a long distance from your subject with a long focal length lens can produce some striking results.

It  will make the background (and any objects in the foreground) appear to be much closer to the subject, giving a far more enclosed and almost claustrophobic effect.

This is easy to do when shooting head-and-shoulders portraits or close-ups, but to get the whole figure in the frame you’ll need plenty of space. So think about this when choosing the location for your shoot.

Pros

It’s very easy to get attractive shallow depth of field effects.
Shooting from a long distance makes the background and foreground appear much closer to your subject.

Cons

You can end up standing a long way from your model, making it difficult to communicate with them.
You’ll need plenty of room to shoot anything wider than a head-and-shoulders portrait.

PAGE 1: Outdoor portrait photography overview
PAGE 2: Master the basics of outdoor portrait photography
PAGE 3: How to make the most of natural light
PAGE 4: Master depth of field in outdoor portraits
PAGE 5: The best lenses for outdoor portrait photography
PAGE 6: Using telephoto lenses for outdoor portraits
PAGE 7: Using wideangle lenses for outdoor portraits
PAGE 8: Essential flash techniques for outdoor portrait photography
PAGE 9: How to set up and use your flash outside
PAGE 10: Easy flash techniques and ways to fire your flashgun