10 Tips to Take Spectacular Portraits Outdoors in Colorado

 After ten years of taking portraits outdoors in Colorado, I’ve compiled a list of 10 Tips to Supercharge Your Photography Portrait Skills when taking outdoor portraits.

 
1. Make sure you understand and use natural light correctly. First things first, get outside and look around you! I do a lot of nature photoshoots; it’s 10 am and sunny, what do you see? Splotchy light, patterns from leaves on the grass and over and under exposed areas in the field. Very bright and rather blueish light reflected everywhere. Look at a friend or yourself at noon. What do you see? Unflattering bright light on top of the head and hair, bags under the eyes, shadows in all the wrong places. The shade would be your best option, but there is none! 3pm things are getting better and you could work in the shade. But the lighting is still really bright, your customer would have to squint if looking towards the sun and you would need really bright flashes to try to compensate for that strong light even if they have their backs to the sun.  Wait until golden hour, suddenly you have this rich golden light everywhere. The grass and fields look smooth, and your customer’s skin looks amazing! 
 
2. Choose the Right Location: Selecting an outdoor location that you know well, complements your subject, and fits your customer’s needs and vibe is essential. Ask your customers questions, and send them ideas. Communicate a lot about what flowers are blooming and when! Scout beforehand! Every year is different. It’s 2023 and sunflowers are three weeks behind in the Denver, Golden, Littleton and Arvada area. And in Colorado in general, flowers don’t always grow in the same place or at the same time. But during average years, I do go back to past photoshoots to review what was happening when and find parks with the best colors and variety. Consider the scenery, colors, and potential distractions in the background. If I see beautiful flowers but an ugly building to the west, I know I will have to spend a lot of time in post-processing, it’s not worth it! I always avoid water on totally overcast days as won’t reflect off the sky and is too grey. An exception would be black and white and moody photos, but there would still have to be cloud definition to make it interesting.
 
3. Use Accessories to change a look quickly: Incorporating props or accessories can add personality and variety to your portraits. I always ask for a few strong looks and extra accessories to change up a look in an instant! Full outfit changes take time and collapsible tents are a hassle! Especially if you are working in a park and don’t want to disrupt other people. In this case, stay close to your cars so your customers can change there. Or bring a large blanket for quick changes. Ask your subjects to bring favorites, like hats, scarves, kimonos, jackets and accessories. Props are crucial when taking photos of kids and babies. Though I prefer taking photos of babies indoors at the Magdalena Images Studio, located in Lakewood, Colorado. It’s close to several parks so we can finish the session with a few photos outdoors when
 
4. Do you love a beautiful bokeh effect? Then you have to understand Depth of Field, if you use a wide aperture (low f-stop number) to create a shallow depth of field this will separate your subject from the background and help you achieve a beautiful bokeh effect. My favorites are trees and lakes during golden hour, subject to their back to the sun! But after ten years of staring into the sun, I now make sure I cover the edge of my view with a reflector or something in nature, plus this stops green flares from showing up. 
 
5. Communicate a lot during the photoshoot and make sure your subject is feeling comfortable. I show my customers photos as we go, show them how to pose, make fun of myself, whatever helps in establishing a connection with them. Engage in conversation, ensure that you provide enough direction, and make your subject feel comfortable to create a relaxed and authentic atmosphere. Ask them a lot of questions to make sure that you are getting the photos they want! I modeled when younger and this comes easy, but there are plenty of posing tutorials out there and before you know it you will be posing like a Supermodel yourself! This link will take you to more natural photos of 2023 seniors by Magdalena Images and more stylized posing during Magdalena Images Photoshoots with pro models. 
 
6. Study your customer’s features and shape as you go: Make sure you understand what poses and angles will flatter your customer the most. I used to paint portraits so this comes easy to me, but you can look through magazines, and photos, and experiment with friends who have different skin tones, body types and features! You will start to see that certain features look better depending on what angle you are using. Everyone has an eye that is bigger than the other. I try to put the smaller eye closer to me when I can, for obvious reasons (it will appear bigger). Shoot from low angles to make your subject appear taller or more powerful or shoot from above for a different look, especially if someone feels uncomfortable with their weight at the time of the photoshoot. Don’t be afraid to move around and try different poses, looks, and angles.
 
7. Pay Attention to Your Surroundings and Backgrounds: Again, how can you find the best views while avoiding clutter and time spent in post-processing? Although since Colorado doesn’t always have flowers as long as I can get a few in the photo, I like to clone or add more in Photoshop and have been using their Beta program a lot (though still in low res, so only small portions of the photo). The background can make or break an outdoor portrait. I also try to simplify when I can! Parking is huge, I avoid overly popular trails and parks as don’t want to spend a lot of time looking for parking or walking to and from our cars to the spot where we are taking photos. A lot of people watching you and your customer work doesn’t help when trying to make everyone feel their best.
 

8. Keep an Eye on the Weather and Don’t overbook: June through late August is monsoon season in Colorado. And the rain comes in during golden hour a lot. It’s a challenge, but I make sure I only take 4 customers a week max during evening photoshoots. I want to offer them the best lighting possible and have some flexibility to move the date if I have to. I did open my Denver Photo Studio for this reason too. I can still photograph babies, headshots, maternity and so on if it’s raining outside. During typical years, it stops raining in August and then I can photograph more people outdoors. Keep an Eye on the Weather and Don’t overbook: June through late August is monsoon season in Colorado. And the rain comes in during golden hour a lot. It’s a challenge, but I make sure I only take 4 customers a week max during evening photoshoots. I want to offer them the best lighting possible and have some flexibility to move the date if I have to. I did open my Denver Photo Studio for this reason too. I can still photograph babies, headshots, maternity and so on if it’s raining outside. During typical years, it stops raining in August and then I can photograph more people outdoors. Your other option would be sunrise but I’m not a morning person and would rather start with more awkward posing in the beginning and be getting best photos at the end! Rather than dawn beautiful lighting at the beginning of the session when you’re just meeting. I recommend scouting your location at different times of the day! The sun sets in different places depending on the time of year too! 

9. Do you want more options, backlighting and images that pop? Master Outdoor Flash Photography! Learning how to balance ambient light with flash can open up a world of different possibilities. You can also use a reflector, but it’s not as consistent and can rarely overcome Colorado bright light (plus my customer’s skin can look too shiny). Experiment with fill flash to balance harsh shadows and add a pop of light to your subjects, particularly when shooting in challenging lighting conditions or backlit scenarios. If you take photos of your subject with their backs to the sun and don’t use a flash in front of them, they will either be underexposed or your background will be overexposed. There is no way around this that I know of.
 
10. Keep Learning and Experimenting: Lastly, never stop learning and experimenting. I’m currently taking a lot of AI photoshop classes. After opening the studio I attended workshops in order to learn indoor photography. You can online courses, I love YouTube classes by Lindsay Adler! I love her glamour indoor photography. Find photos on Instagram to inspire you! You’re welcome to check my Instagram page out! These are mostly Senior Class Photos taken outdoors near Denver, Littleton, Arvada, Golden and Lakewood. Embrace challenges, try new techniques, and your creativity. Trying new things will always help you develop your own style and improve your photography skills.