[Part 11/23 | Module 2: GETTING YOU STARTED]

Outdoor locations offer a wide range of creative possibilities. But wherever you are, wherever you go, there are some important precautions and considerations to think about – for your safety and comfort, as well as that of the model.

Follow six simple guidelines for shooting your nudes outdoors in daylight. Things to be aware of and on guard for. Plus, at the end of the article you find a complete, actionable checklist.

1) Protect The Model

First, if the outdoor location is on public property, remember that other people have the same rights to be on that property as you do. That means some of those other people might suddenly show up or happen by. It’s a good idea to have someone with you who is keeping an eye out for others and for your model to have a robe or something else within arm’s reach so she can cover herself within seconds if need be.

2) Location Permission

If the outdoor location is on private property, you should have permission to be there. You should also be mindful of “sight-lines.” Sight-lines are areas on the private property where you’re shooting that are in view or provide views, that other people (who might be passing by or are neighbors to the person whose private property you are shooting on) may have access to.

These precautions might not merely help you have a successful shoot, avoid unexpected and potentially embarrassing situations, but also help you avoid your model being ticketed or charged with indecent exposure.

3) Weather Challenges

Shooting in daylight means you are at the mercy of the natural light. That’s not intended to dissuade you in any way either but to remind you that lighting conditions may change, rather abruptly, when shooting in daylight. The perfect light that was there when you were about to begin snapping your shutter might suddenly become a totally different sort of light as a cloud quickly and unexpectedly moves in front of the sun, or vice versa.

4) The “Golden Hour”

For the most part, shooting early in the morning or late in the day offers better natural light for most nude and glamour photography. That’s because during those times the light is either softer (early mornings) or more dramatic and “golden” late in the day.

The term, “Golden Hour,” refers to that period late in the day when the sun is low in the sky and the light it casts has a beautiful golden hue to it. The mid-parts of the day, leastwise when bright sunlight is present, will often require you to either add artificial light (strobes/flashes) to fill unwanted shadows caused by the sun being too much over-head, to provide extra light because you are shooting in the shade, or to use a reflector to do the same; that is, either to bounce sunlight onto your model with a reflector.

5) Little (And Larger) Lighting Helpers

You may also find you need to reduce the over-head sunlight and the highlights it is creating. A scrim or some sort of diffusion material to “knock-down” the light is often needed. You may find an outdoor location where near-perfect light exists but, more often than not, you will need artificial light, a reflector or two, and a scrim of some sort to deal with the fickleness of Mother Nature and the way she sometimes likes to “mess with photographers”.

Want more ideas and tips for nude photography outdoor lighting? Read Stephen Wong’s article “Strobe & Natural Light: Outdoor Photography Lighting Strategies”.

6) Focus On The Model

One last reminder, albeit one that has already been mentioned in previous articles: Glamour and, often enough nude, photography is all about the model. The model is the star of the photos. Some outdoor locations are so picturesque it’s easy to forget that the model should be the main focus of the photos. In other words, your location should be used to accentuate the model’s beauty and allure and not overpower it or see you shooting in ways that make the model secondary to the location.

Obviously, that’s a very subjective element. There’s more than a little wiggle room when deciding if/when the location is “upstaging” the model as you compose and frame your shots. Just be mindful that the model comes first in these genres and the location is secondary. That doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice the beauty or photogenic qualities of the location. It simply means you must find a balance between the two, and with the model getting the lion’s share of your camera’s love.

For those of you who relate to ratios, the often cited 80/20 Rule applies: the final images should be at least 80% about the model and probably no more than 20% about the location. Those aren’t “real estate” percentages, i.e., 80% of your composition features the model while 20% the location.

We’re talking about the impact of the photos, not the amount of photographic “real estate” given to one element or another – i.e., the model or the location – within the photos… if that makes sense.

Before you fly out the door to shoot your outdoor nudes or glamour pics, take a moment to check-off the items below on Dan’s pre-flight checklist.

Thanks for reading.