THE OLYMPUS GUIDE TO CAPTURING

OUTDOOR PORTRAITS

WHERE STARING IS ENCOURAGED

GET INTO THE SCENE

It’s a little landscape photography mixed with portrait shooting. Put them together and you get portraiture—a creative, dynamic way to tell a story and capture a subject’s personality.

THE BEST PORTRAITS TELL A STORY. AND NO ONE TELLS BETTER STORIES THAN

TRACIE MAGLOSKY

Tracie Maglosky is so much more than a portrait photographer. Sure, she captures people with a camera, but her work has art and depth rarely seen in this corner of photography. Her images tell stories that make powerful and imaginative statements. Tracie is an accomplished Olympus Visionary whose work has been featured in a dozen major photography magazines. Whether shooting portraits in Iceland, capturing that perfectly evocative wedding photo or working with moms and newborns, Tracie brings out the best in people. She’s been shooting with Olympus cameras and lenses for nearly two decades. Tracie depends on compact gear that never gets in her way and always delivers spectacular image quality. Whatever the assignment, Tracie is confident her Olympus will capture every critical shot. “The work I have a passion to create requires absolute freedom and gear to keep up with my imagination.”

Woman in green and white dress in front of waterfalls.

TOP TEN TIPS ON SHOOTING PORTRAITS FROM

A PHOTOGRAPHER WITH HUNDREDS OF THEM

Time the light. Shoot in the best natural light of the day. Golden Hour is just after sunset when the light is softer with more red tones. Blue Hour is prior to sunset when the light is evenly diffused.

Location, location, location. Choose a place with a variety of locations. If one setting doesn’t work, you have other shooting options nearby.

Watch the weather. Rain and heavy cloud cover can put a damper on shooting. Clear, blue skies are great, but a few clouds can be even better - they can add color and texture.

Bring style to your shot. Think about your subject before shooting. Who is the person and why are they in the scene? Make sure wardrobe, accessories and makeup are appropriate and convey a story.

Frame it up. Follow the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Ratio. They will help you place people in scenes and give your images tension, energy and harmony.

Think off-center. With portraits, your subject is the center of attention. However, in some scenes, placing your subject directly in the center of the frame can be distracting. Try a few options to find what looks best.

woman in blue with moon in the background

Mind the background. Find harmony between your subject and your background. Watch for colors that don’t fit with the overall image or anything else that could distract a viewer’s eye. Eliminate anything distracting.

Watch the horizon. Check that the horizon line doesn’t cut through the middle of your image. Place it one-third of the way at the top or bottom to add visual interest.

Crop carefully. Think before you crop. You want as much of the subject’s personality to come through, so it’s best to avoid losing part of your subject’s head or legs.

Bring good light. If you need to brighten a scene, use a reflector or diffuser to aim more light on your subject. Or use a strobe to give you complete lighting control.

ONE CAMERA SYSTEM HAS EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR

OUTDOOR PORTRAITURE

The OM-D system is lightweight and easy to carry to any location. You can easily capture tack sharp images handheld thanks to the world’s most effective image stabilization. Weathersealed construction ensures worry-free shooting in all types of environments. And our long line of lenses delivers impressive imaging power in a compact size. You won’t find a system better suited to portraiture.

water splashes on camera showing weathersealing

BUILT-IN WEATHERPROOFING

Bad weather happens. But the OM-D E-M1 Series has you covered. It’s splashproof, dustproof and freezeproof (down to 14°F or -10°C). No protective gear needed. So you can worry about nailing the perfect portrait instead of being concerned for your camera.

THE POWER OF PORTABLE

You don’t need to lug big, bulky cameras and lenses to your location. The compact OM-D system weighs less, so you can work longer, be more mobile and shoot more creatively. Our smaller lenses deliver imaging power equal to longer, heavier lenses, with image quality valued by pros around the world.

M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO + OM-D E-M1 Mark II VS Full Frame DSLR

SHOOT MORE, WRITE FASTER

The dual TruePic™ VIII Image Processors in the E-M1X drive two UHS II compatible slots that achieve breathtaking data transfer speeds, making camera hang-ups and downtime a thing of the past. You have four file recording settings for easy file backup and management.

KEEP UP WITH EVERYTHING

While on location, a fast camera helps you hit more shots and capture every crucial detail. Shoot a continuous 60 frames per second of RAW images in S-AF Mode or 18 fps in C-AF Tracking Mode. It’s best-in-class speed that keeps up with your imagination and vision.

ABSOLUTE AUTOFOCUS CONFIDENCE

Fast, accurate autofocusing is essential to portraiture. You don’t want to miss anything—the perfect smile, the right expression or a tiny detail—that captures the essence of your subject. The OM-D E-M1 Series dual autofocus gives you 121 cross-type points of Phase Detection plus Contrast Detection. Use Face and Eye AF for stunning sharpness and clarity.

NO TRIPOD? NO PROBLEM

Shoot all handheld and capture crisp, clear, colorful images, thanks to the E-M1 Series’ in-camera 5-Axis Image Stabilization system. It adjusts for all types of camera movement, providing up to an astonishing 7.5 shutter speed steps of compensation. You won’t find another pro camera system that offers more mobility.

TOP TECH TIPS

FOR PHOTOGRAPHING PORTRAITS WITH AN OM-D

Presenting a few convenient tips to help you use some of the advanced technology you’ll have at your fingertips. Think of it as a quick guide to bringing home some stunning portraits.

SET YOUR MODE DIAL TO MANUAL

Manual exposure mode gives you ultimate control over your depth of field and overall exposure, or “brightness” of the image. Use the lowest ISO your lighting conditions will allow, but don’t be afraid to shoot at higher ISO’s in low light settings.

KEEP YOUR WHITE BALANCE ON AUTO

Olympus’ Auto White Balance does an incredible job neutralizing almost all light sources. Also disable the Keep Warm Color setting on your OM-D body for more natural looking tones.

CHOOSE SPOT METERING + AF

On location, it’s helpful to have your AF point linked directly to your selected autofocus point, so you’re always taking a meter reading from your subject’s face. To account for extremely dark or bright backgrounds or clothing, adjust your aperture when necessary.

SET YOUR AUTOFOCUS MODE TO S-AF

Select the Single Autofocus (S-AF) mode to avoid the AF system from making small adjustments after focusing. This is best for static subjects.

Face Detection in Studio Settings

When shooting on location, keep Face Detection off and choose your AF point manually. In the studio and especially against simpler backgrounds, turn Face Detection on to ensure the camera always locks on your subject’s face.

Always shoot RAW

Capturing in RAW gives you the most flexibility when adjusting your image in post-production. Correcting color, exposure, contrast, and other parameters are easiest and non-destructive with RAW captures.

YOU NEED TWO THINGS FOR

SHOOTING PORTRAITURE

(Three, if you include talent.)

The compact, lightweight OM-D camera system is rich with features to help you capture whatever image you see in your mind. The OM-D E-M1 Series is especially well suited to portraiture because you don’t need to carry lots of heavy gear to your location.

THIS IS ALL YOU NEED TO GET STARTED

OM-D E-M1 Mark III

M.Zuiko ED 17mm f1.2 PRO

RAISE YOUR GAME

When you’re ready to take the next step, Olympus has a wide range of world-class lenses with pro-quality optics. Here are the ones Tracie Maglosky always reaches for.

OM-D E-M1X

M.Zuiko ED 25mm f1.2 PRO

M.Zuiko ED 40-150mm f2.8 PRO

M.Zuiko ED 45mm f1.2 PRO

M. Zuiko Digital ED 75mm F1.8

M.Zuiko ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO

M.Zuiko ED 60mm f2.8 Macro

M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO

LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR NEXT OM-D AT AN OLYMPUS PREFERRED DEALER.

Additional Photo Credits

All portrait photos by Olympus Visionary Tracie Maglosky

Page Header: OM-D E-M1 MARK II | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 17MM F1.2 PRO | F2.5 | 1/8000s | ISO200 ; Tip 1 OM-D E-M1 MARK II | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 45MM F1.2 PRO | F1.8 | 1/1250s | ISO64 ; Tip 2 OM-D E-M1 MARK II | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 300MM F4.0 PRO| F1.2 | 1/250s | ISO64 ; Tip 3 OM-D E-M1 MARK II | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 17MM F1.2 PRO | F6.7 | 1/2500s | ISO200 ; Tip 4 OM-D E-M1 MARK II | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 300MM F4.0 PRO plus MC-14 1.4X TELECONVERTER | F1.2 | 1/125s | ISO400 ; | Tip 5 OM-D E-M1 MARK II | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12MM F1.2 PRO | F7.1 | 1/400s | ISO200 ; Tip 6 OM-D E-M1 MARK II | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 17MM F1.2 PRO | F1.2 | 1/5000s | ISO200 ; Tip 7 OM-D E-M1 MARK II | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 17MM F1.2 PRO | F3.2 | 1/40s | ISO64 ; Tip 8 OM-D E-M1 MARK II | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 17MM F1.2 | F5.0 | 1/160s | ISO200 ; Tip 9 OM-D E-M1 | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14MM F2.8| F4.0 | 1/1250s | ISO200 ; Tip 10 OM-D E-M1 MARK II | M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 17MM F1.2 PRO | F10.0 | 1/125s | ISO200