Outside/On Location photography scares me....

[SabrinaO]

Studio lighting to me is easy... you have control over your lights! I cant say the same about taking pictures outside though. I really don't have a clue on what to do!
I have an on location engagement shoot coming up and I need some help! I've recently taken pictures of my son at a park and the came out OK. :meh: My skies were blown and the pics were nothing to write home about. I put a CP filter on my lens and randomly started turning it until it looked nice. I don't know what exactly to do with it, or any specific technique. People say to just "meter and go" with outdoor photography but what does that even mean and how do i do it?
What settings should I use outdoors? Anyone have any tips besides shooting during the golden hours or an overcast?

 

[PhotoWrangler]

Shooting outside is rather easy. Think of the sun as ONE BIG KEY LIGHT! Essentially, thats all it is. If you're not comfortable using it as a main light, put your subject in front of it and use it as a hair/rim light, and then use OCF or a battery powered strobe as the key.

If you are trying to get that deep blue, non-blown out sky, you're going to have to employ other pieces of gear. The easiest thing to do is to use some OCF. Meter for the sky and under-expose it by two stops. Use your OCF in i/e-ttl mode to light your subject, and move it closer or further (physically) for intensity. Put a soft box on it to smooth it out.

If you don't have enough time to attain necessary gear, or training.... shoot strictly in open shade.

 

[SabrinaO]

So what does that mean, and how do I "meter the sky"?

 

[rehab]

aim you camera at the sky and look at your exposure meter. the thing that looks like -2 l l -1 l l 0 l l 1 l l 2 etc etc. move your shutter or aperture until it says its at 0 and then you are "exposed" more or less for the sky, then you use you flash to brighten up the subjects. This way you down blow out your sky. It says you have an sb-600 so you will be using that.

 

[PhotoWrangler]

aim you camera at the sky and look at your exposure meter. the thing that looks like -2 l l -1 l l 0 l l 1 l l 2 etc etc. move your shutter or aperture until it says its at 0 and then you are "exposed" more or less for the sky, then you use you flash to brighten up the subjects. This way you down blow out your sky. It says you have an sb-600 so you will be using that.

Almost right.

Point your camera at the sky, meter until its properly exposed, but then you drop it by two stops. Either crank up your shutter speed, or stop down. I tend to use shutter speed because I like shooting wide open. This will cause the sky to become a deep, dark, saturated blue.

 

[thierry]

ohhhh big brother sky

 

[KmH]

Outside/On Location photography scares me....

Because you don't know how to do it. We all fear the unknown.

So, educate yourself so it's no longer an unknown: Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography

The little bites of information you get on a photography forum or even in online tutorials will make it harder to get up to speed in a short time frame.