Jeff Smith. Posing Techniques for Location Portrait Photography. 2008

areas in your background between the ground and the lower branches of the

shrubs and between the tops of the shrubs and the lower branches of the

trees. This happens because the garden is pruned for a manicured, elegant

look. In contrast, when you go to a large park or natural river area, everything

merges together to fill in the background. The tall grass isn’t cut so it reaches

up to the level of the unpruned bushes and shrubs, which grow up to the

level of the low-hanging tree branches.

Choose the Lighting.

With the dress and the location selected, the next step is to tailor the light-

ing. While this isn’t a book about lighting, it is an important factor in achiev-

ing a portrait with a sense of style. When it comes to lighting portraits

Shadows are your friends when creating por-
traits. They slim the subject and enhance the
feeling of depth. If the ambient light in the
setting you choose for your location portrait
is too soft or lacks direction, you will need
to modify it to create the effect you want.

When you go to a large park,

everything merges together

to fill in the background.