Studio vs Outdoor Portraits – How to Choose & Prepare for Each

Choosing which photographer to go with can be an extremely difficult decision to make. Everyone has their own style, or no style at all it seems. Some only do their work in a studio, while others do only outdoor sessions where the light can be difficult to work with. Either way, your research is the most important part when starting your portrait session and choosing studio vs outdoor portraits!

Studios can be amazing when you understand how lighting can placed to create different types of portrait styles. You can go dramatic with high contrast and shadows, bright with light colors and backdrops, have an infinite number of backdrops for a variety of looks, and it’s temperature controlled. However, it’s hard to beat the golden hour of a sunset behind your photo in an outdoor session, the endless types of natural backgrounds with trees, flowers, waterfalls, snow, etc., and the space to just run around and be your natural crazy selves!

This guide will give you the pros and cons of each session type, what to expect, the perfect time of day and year for each session type, and how to prepare for them. If your photographer offers both types during your session, I would always recommend taking advantage of it! This will give you so many more options to choose from when ordering your portraits and wall art for a wide range of colors and styles.

I love the science behind lighting, and studio sessions give you full control of over guiding and capturing light in a camera. Images are based on how light enters your camera, mixed with several other aspects like the dynamic range of blacks and whites. When you put all of these together, you can capture great images like the one below of the model on the chair. The light coming from the left side of the image creates stronger shadows to show the tone of her muscles and shadow the back of her body, creating a more dramatic feel.

When deciding between a studio session or an outdoor session, it’s important to look at a few key factors:

• Weather – This can be dependent on where in the world you live. Some areas have amazing photography weather all year round, while others have great weather for less than half of the year. If you’re in a high rain season, and you really want your session during this time, choosing a studio may be your best option.
• Time of Day – The sun can be one of the best contributing factors to an outdoor session, but it can also be the worst for casting harsh lights and shadows on your face and body. Having an outdoor session in the middle of the day will put the sun directly over your head, which puts the shadows facing directly downward on your face. This puts a lot shade on your face and a lot of light in your hair and your shoulders, which is not ideal for great looking photographs. A studio session will be your best choice if middle of the day is your only option for session times.
• The “Dreamy” Look – Strong shadows in the background and on certain parts of the body can create an almost fairytale like scenario. In the image below, the model’s back is nearly completely dark, bringing all of the focus toward the front of her and really bringing out her eyes. Photographs like these are much more difficult to replicate outdoors without carrying around an external flash to every location, which likely requires you to have an assistant with you.
• Backdrops – There are an infinite number of backdrops on the market these days! Photographers can take advantage of these in so many ways, and when they use them effectively, they can really bring out your photos. And a basic backdrop for headshots is difficult to find outdoors.

Now that you’ve decided that you want your session in the studio, how do you prepare for it?! Read below for a few topics that will assist you:

• Clothing – Most studios have a dressing room; a big positive that you usually don’t have outdoors. Clients should work with their photographer to see what a good number of outfits is for your session. If it’s a mini session, there is a good chance that you won’t have time to change into another set of clothing.
• Makeup – The good news…there is high chance you won’t have to sweat as much! Bring your makeup kits with you and touchup in the dressing room when you need to.
• Colors – Clients should work with their photographer to understand what the interior of the studio looks like and how to prepare for your color scheme. All studios are NOT created equal. Some may have an endless amount of backdrop designs, while others may only have a few. It’s important to really understand what you can and cannot do so you don’t waste your time.
• Time – Be sure that you understand how much time you’ll have in the studio. If you’re planning on bringing six outfits, but then find out you only have 30 minutes in the studio, you’ll have a difficult time fitting all of that in. Things move quickly during a session and it’s easy to run out of time when you’re on a schedule.
• Post Processing/Green Screens – One of the unique features of studio sessions is being able to swap backgrounds in Photoshop after the session. This can be a big selling point for a photographer, especially for sports sessions like the photos below. Clients should work with their photographer to understand their skillset, what they offer, and what the client’s special requests are. The opportunities here are endless! Be creative, try new ideas, and have fun!

Outdoor sessions are incredible for so many reasons: Weather can be great, so many great accessories like flowers and water, sunsets/sunrises, and there is so much space! When choosing an outdoor session, you can be surprised to what nature can give you, and sometimes the best part is adapting to those surprises and having an impromptu rain session in such a great way. Below we will give you a few reasons why choosing an outdoor session is perfect for your situation.

It’s important to think about every aspect of your session before going into it. How will it affect your overall goal? What will your portraits look like if photographed in this environment? Am I the type of person that will cancel an appointment if the weather changes or go with the flow and make it work? These are all great things to think about, so we will get into the weeds on them to give you a head start on making the best session possible for you and your family!

• Weather – Something you can never control, but you can plan for most of the time. And sometimes those pop-up rainy days can be the start of an impromptu change that makes your greatest session ever!
• The Sun – I always do my outdoor sessions at either sunrise or sunset. Golden hour and blue hour bring out the most amazing natural colors of nature you can dream of and they are worth getting outdoors for, no matter the season.
• Nature – One thing you can’t get in a studio session is real nature. Flowers, beaches, lakes, roads, trees, cornstalks, bridges, cars. All of these can make the pizazz you look for when you want to have a great outdoor portrait session!
• Open Spaces – When you’re photographing younger children, being cooped up inside a studio for hours can be a difficult situation. They get antsy and irritable if there is nothing to do but pose and listen to this photographer they may have just met. There are so many spots that have open space to let those kids run and enjoy themselves, which also makes for great photos when you plan it out well enough.

Now that you know what some of the great, and not so great, things can be when having an outdoor session, let’s understand how to plan for it! There are a few key ingredients that go along with having an outdoor session (several of them can be found at my blog Preparing for Your Family Portrait Session) and how to plan for it. Let’s talk about what those look like:

• Weather – Be ready for anything, but do your research. The photographer should be communicating what the forecast looks like, but in the chance that they don’t, look it up yourself. Just because it says there is a zero percent chance of rain, us Nebraskans know that there is ALWAYS a chance. And we also know about wind! Bring hair ties, umbrellas, warm clothing, pants, hats, etc. Remember, you’re paying good money to take these photos and you don’t want to waste your own time and money by forgetting to bring something to keep your hair in place, or whatever other situation may arise.
• Food – ALWAYS bring non messy snacks to a session, no matter how short you think it will be. Being hangry is a time waster and will make your session less than successful.
• Sunscreen – Don’t burn yourself, it’s not worth it!
• Things You Love – This one is so important! Photos are about you and who you are as a person. Your interests, hobbies, favorites. The things you spend most of your time doing. Why wouldn’t you want to capture that in a forever moment to look back on? If you love sports, bring your sports equipment. If you love reading, bring your books. If you love video games, bring something that reminds you of them. Interests don’t always last forever, but the memories do. It’s great to look back at your album and see yourself with a pastime that once made your life whole.

Choosing your session location doesn’t have to be difficult. Both studio and outdoor portrait sessions are a great choice and each have their own unique possibilities in giving you a valuable and lasting session. Be sure to speak with your photographer on what you’re looking for with your session and they will be able to guide you in the right direction. If you’re looking to have a session, either in studio or outdoors, we are here to help! Go to the button below to book your session with us at A2I Photography!