The Outdoor Portrait

The first consideration is blurring the background, as described above. And while you're considering the background, check for telephone poles or anything else that may appear to pierce the model's head.

The second consideration is light. Believe it or not, bright sunshine is not what you want for photographing people. Direct midday sunlight makes people squint, which is not such a flattering look, as you can see below at left. It also casts dark shadows and brings out wrinkles, which isn't so flattering either.

Tip

If your model is looking right into the sun, ask her to look away until you reach the count of three. That way, when she does turn to face you, she won't be squinting; in fact, she'll probably be smiling naturally as a result of this peculiar request.

image with no caption

What you really want is diffuse (softened) light, as shown above at right. Clouds, as it turns out, are top-notch diffusers; portrait photographers love overcast days, because the light comes out of the sky pre-softened and pre-evened. Early morning and late afternoon are terrific, too, because, once again, the sun's light is softer and more flattering.

Tip

Of course, professionals have an easy way of getting diffuse light: They use light diffusers. An assistant (or a special stand) holds up a huge, circular reflective cloth disc or white umbrella to bounce even light onto the model's face, for example. For ...

Get David Pogue's Digital Photography: The Missing Manual now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.