Crafting captivating outdoor portraits goes far beyond simply popping up a flash. Drawing inspiration from Nick Roush's professional workflow, this guide unveils a structured and repeatable approach to seamlessly blend the beauty of natural light with the precision of artificial illumination. You'll discover how to adapt to the ever-shifting outdoor environment and ultimately elevate your portrait photography to new heights.

Start by framing your composition and posing your subject. The first technical step is underexposing the ambient light by 0.5 to 2 stops. This ensures the background doesn’t overpower your subject and gives your strobe light visual control over the exposure.

Before introducing any flash, capture a test shot with just ambient light. Use your maximum sync shutter speed (e.g., 1/200s) and low ISO to keep the image dark. If needed, apply ND filters—4–5 stops—to maintain a shallow depth of field (like f/1.2) in bright daylight.

Once the ambient exposure is dialed in, add your strobe . In this setup, the flash serves as the key light, while ambient or sun acts as fill or rim lighting. Balance the two by adjusting flash power and distance.

Select between classic portrait lighting patterns:

Clear direction improves results. A simple trick like having the model grab their arm can resolve uncertainty about what to do with their hands, resulting in more natural, confident poses.

Outdoor conditions change rapidly. When clouds shift, recheck the ambient exposure and adjust your shutter speed accordingly. The strobe is unaffected by shutter changes, giving you dynamic control over ambient without changing the light’s behavior.

If the light is great naturally—like soft overcast or golden hour—consider turning off the flash and capturing ambient-only portraits. It's often the most flattering and efficient choice.

Always ensure that the subject, wardrobe, and background complement each other. Whether it’s color harmony or background elements like mountains or urban textures, each factor contributes to the final image’s success.