How to Make or Setup an Amateur Outdoor Photography Studio

Clean and landscape the location for your studio. Find an area with level ground, which is free of any trash and debris. Pick a location that offers a scenic background, such as a wooded area or a small pond. Think about the amount of natural light your location will get to minimize the amount of lights you need. Take into mind the type of portraits that you will be taking when choosing and setting up your location.

Set up seating for your subjects to use when posing. Provide chairs, stools, tree trunks or even small boulders. Get creative and use something that looks as though it would naturally occur in the scene.

Set up your soft box near the subjects seating area. Make sure that it casts a soft light onto the subject. Since you are relying mostly on natural lighting, one soft box is typically enough for sufficient fill light. Make sure the soft box is in an easily accessible location so you can adjust it often to suit your subject's height.

Set up your light reflector so that the light from the sun is reflected onto the subject. Ideally, the light is reflected onto the face for portraits. Adjust this every time you use your studio as the heights of your subjects may vary.

Place your tripod in front of the studio near the subject. Consider the angle you are shooting at, as well as the lens length, to judge the distance from your tripod to the subject.