Taking pictures outside

[Linda Brandon]

Olena, the one that appeals to me is the top one, cropped as I've atached it, probably because I like compositons with a strong 'S' flow. The problem you'll have with the photo is the dappelled light effect. I personally like it but maybe others wouldn't. I think a lot of portrait clients object to "skin splotchiness" and you'll have to manage the face a little. Also, the shirt sleeve catches too much sun, I think. You know, you can always don a white shirt yourself and take photos with your camera on a tripod and a long shutter relase so that you can take your time and really manage the light patterns and folds without your client around.

First, though, you should take a few hours and put a portable easel outside and paint ... somebody, anybody, yourself with a mirror... just so you get an idea about how light falls and how reflected light from the sky cools the shadows in the face, whether cast shadows are purplish, how outdoor light affects your perception of edges, etc..

Working outdoors from life is addictive and terribly important to do.

[Sharon Knettell]

Olena,

Pray for an overcast or rainy day (not too rainy). The color is more saturated and forms are softer, not hard edged.

Also, it is better to shoot in the early morning or late afternoon (my favorite). Both times will give you that really lovely back lighting, and the afternoon light is especially appealing and warm. It is the favorite light, for good reason, of the cinema photographers. It is called the 'golden light'.

Make sure you bring a reflector along with you to bounce back the light into the faces and figures to reduce the contrast.

Also, rouge the lips and cheeks of your subjects. It never looks fake in the final painting.

[Olena Babak]

Linda, thank you for the taking time to play around with the image, but I sent images to the client and I think they will go with the one sitting. Now I

[Olena Babak]

Sharon, now after the photo shoot I definitely can see why an overcast day would be more practical for the photographs outside. Unfortunately I read your response after the photo shoot and I chose the day with the

[Linda Brandon]

[QUOTE=Olena Babak]Linda, thank you for the taking time to play around with the image, but I sent images to the client and I think they will go with the one sitting. Now I

[Mischa Milosevic]

Photos and using photos as a reference is new to me. My experience with clients, thus far, has been mixed. Some prefer to make the decisions and others care not. I love when the client says "You're the artist, use your own judgment as to what will look good". If the client prefers to make the choice then I would edit all the photos, crop and such at home. Then when again with the client, I would first suggest the reference photos I like and explain why. At the same time I would bring a few charcoal studies, three at the most, in order to take their mind from the photos and to the art.

mischa

[Mike McCarty]

Personally, I would never show a client a photo that I would not want to paint. If I take a hundred photos I will spend 3-4 hours editing and if I'm lucky I will have five images that I like well enough to paint. I tell the client up front that this may be all that they see. If they don't like any of them we will go at it again.

I know that Peggy Baumgartner will sit with the client and go through raw images, but, Peggy has the experience and weight of conviction that can control the client.

A lot of clients are forceful in their opinions and difficult to control for someone who is not confident in their task. Clients rarely have the training to know what will work as a painting and what will not. Unfortunately this will not keep them from imposing their opinions upon you.