An alternative to High Speed Sync (HSS) outdoor portrait. You can use an ND filter to achieve an outdoor portrait that looks like a studio photo. This is one of my go-to settings for outdoor portraiture during the London Fashion Week and London Comic-con. I prefer using filters simply because of some constraint on the HSS. HSS is not good for when you have a full day photoshoot, especially on location.
Key knowledge: HSS required the flash tube to burst a number of times in every single exposure at high shutter speed, due to the focal plane shutter in our camera nowadays. It will drain the better faster than you can imagine. It will also shorten the flash tube’s life span. Normal flash guns and strobe with HSS will not produce the accurate colour temperature during the burst, this is due to power recharge rate. Only the high-end strobe lights such as Profoto or Broncolor that have specified ‘no temperature change’ will look the same as in normal flash. Ultimately, not everyone has HSS or does not support HSS on their current camera system, you need the right trigger for the right camera and right flash system to work.
For my head-to-waist outdoor portrait. The lighting, a minimum 250W portable strobe light, or at least two or three flashguns combined. For light modification, a soft box will do, but I prefer the beauty-dish with honeycomb.
Put on the ND filter, 10 or 6 stops depending on the light condition. In the UK summer, 10 stops is suitable from 12pm to 6pm outdoors. Use 6 stops after that.
Choose a lens at your preference in the widest aperture. For fashion shoot, I recommend to step-down a bit of aperture to get more depth of field on the cloth. Shutter speed set under the sync speed. A good start from 1/125 (ranged 1/60 ~ 1/250) to work around.
If you are a DSLR user with the 10 stop ND filter, please use live-view to AF your subject, because live-view uses the sensor to do autofocusing. It is contrast detect AF, easier for the camera to handle AF vs using the phase detect. For the same, it will be less of a problem for mirrorless users, as they are contrast AF or hybrid AF.
Flash power set at maximum, then work it down. Lit your subject head on from above 45° down.
Done!
