Thread: You Asked for it: Hot Tips for On-Location Photo Shoots

Lately, I've been getting tons of e-mails from dancer-friends looking for ways to get the most "bang" from their on-location photo shoots. I'm not an expert on the subject just yet but I thought I'd take a stab and put together some tips on shooting in unpredictable outdoor conditions. Now, go out there and hit the streets (and the beaches, and the parks) while the weather's still nice! Enjoy ..g.:

Location, Location, Location: Tips for Shooting Outside the “Box” | Carrara Nour

Fantastic, well thought out and written and I really enjoy your photos! Thank you.

Glad you enjoyed it! ..g.:

Excellent! So helpful! I especially thought the tip of having your costume compliment the scene extremely important. Thanks!

Cool, Surida - glad you liked it. A lot of dancers don't like the idea of shooting on location because they feel like they'd look like somebody just stuck a dancer on a beach or in the woods. The goal of a well-integrated image is to avoid this sense of confusion

Great article, I enjoyed reading it and will definitely use the advice! Thanks!

Loved it. Fantastic photos, now how about some advise on being THAT photogenic.. Great article, I would never think to bring along a portable changing station. Where did you get yours?

Glad you guys liked the advice! LOL if you want to be photogenic, that requires practice, confidence and a talented person behind the camera

My photographer Steve got his at Eastern Mountain Sports, or you can order your own at PortableChangingRoom.com. They're only like $45. I should spring and get my own!

From a photographers point of view: Natural light is always better. Even better than portrait shots, action shots come out so much better because you have enough light to compensate for higher shutter speeds.

As far as backyard shots, it doesn't take much to glam those up. Use a larger aperture (f4-f1.4) to narrow the depth of field and blur out the background. That unpleasant kudzu will look like a lovely, lush wall of greenery.

For fill light, a white sheet of posterboard or foam core board can reflect soft light back onto the subject or block light. Or you can use a flash to fill harsher shadows. (Bright daylight is actually one of the best times to use a flash.)

The best thing is that you can go into your backyard at any time of day for different lighting and it's not too far from a bathroom.

Ahhhhhhhh, cool, thanks for the tips from the "other" side of the camera! ..g.:

Sometimes, backyard shots really can turn out surprisingly gorgeous!