This session uses mostly basic techniques, yet pleasing results were achieved. Woodlands can be very difficult locations for portraits due to two primary reasons.
The colour of light is often contaminated, but by how much depends on the season, time of day, and the predominant hues within the proximity of your scene.
Light quality is another consideration that will have a considerable impact. During the summer months, the light often descends quite brutally (to a sensor) through openings in the leaf canopy and lands on the woodland floor as high-contrast shafts. Mornings and evenings reduce this contrast but don’t eliminate it.
During the winter months, the absence of leaf cover, including holes, combined with a lesser angle of the sun and the overall softer quality of light, can produce the most beautiful results.
The background pictures will give an insight into how some basic light-reflecting accessories helped control and shape the light. Albeit applying themselves in a somewhat unnatural way on the image where Ben holds the reflector close to his chin.
Woodland floors do not naturally provide this level of uplighting.
You’ll note one portrait was taken using a portable Elinchrom Three flash head, which took control of the lighting in an area of open shade. Thank you, Ben, you were awesome.
Please get in touch for much more on this topic. Bjorn.
