How To Take Team Portraits Outdoors Like A Pro!

In this video, ‪@MattHernandez‬ breaks down how to take outdoor team portraits in full sun.
Gear Used:
FJ400: www.fjwestcott.com/products/f...
Deep Focus Reflector: www.fjwestcott.com/products/4...
7 ft Silver Umbrella: www.fjwestcott.com/products/7...
Rapid Box Switch Octa-M: www.fjwestcott.com/products/r...
Follow Us Here:
Instagram: / westcottlighting
Facebook: / westcott.lighting
Twitter: / westcottco
TikTok: / westcott_lighting
Subscribe to Westcott Lighting's KZbin channel to see exclusive behind-the-scenes content, lighting education, and the latest gear tips from your favorite professional photographers and filmmakers.
00:00 - Intro
00:25 - Taking Team Portraits
03:46 - Taking Individual Player Portraits
06:25 - Final Results

[@thenikonjones]

Fantastic video Matt. I have been using your technique for team photo shoots for a couple of years now and it works great. Really happy with the results. Can't thank you enough for sharing with us. Really appreciate it!

[@vlad2838]

Really interesting episode, Matt, and I like your commentary about how using lighting gives a competitive advantage.

[@testshoot]

I love those 7' umbrellas! They have been so useful for me for the last few years.

[@brainmt]

Except if there is any wind!

[@Zetaphotography]

Umbrellas are under utilized

[@testshoot]

@@Zetaphotography I agree. I just did a shoot with the silver and the white shoot-through

[@bala1000mina]

Very helpful and informative! Thank you so much Matt and Westcott, Good luck!

[@vishaldiwan11]

It takes a Genius to make things Simple. You are truly a Genius.... Please accept my Salute... Keep them coming...

[@MariMaloney]

The teams I shoot have 20 players for soccer and 30 players for football! Wish I had the time for this amount of creativity! Love the final!

[@tonypmedia]

Around the same here! I believe you do Mari! Once you set one, the rest fall into play and one or two shots per player you'' whip through them in 20-30(1 minute per player minus the one you have to set up) Like the ones around 5:45, easy my friend. Love to see your site!

[@AndrewLXiong]

Great tips and really well explained...going to check out more of your work!

[@NATO714]

Awesome work Matt! Thanks for the info and I plan to do my first team shoot soon!

[@vincebrown6923]

Thanks for this,Matt. I need to upgrade to new light but still practicing with alien bees. This gave me more ideas of ways to shoot

[@WestcottLighting]

Glad this was helpful!

[@TwoIndians]

awesome man! love this

[@Chickboom34]

awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[@KIDSonCONGAS]

Love this thank you.

[@DJCENTIF1]

So could have used this two weeks ago. Now I know. Thank you

[@keithclasgens3641]

Thanks, Matt! I appreciate the detailed explanation, especially power settings, focal length, and shot perspective. So many BTS videos only give the camera settings. Just realized you’re in Kentucky from your recent posts (accent should have given it away). I need to get to one of your workshops.

[@TimPohlman]

This was extremely helpful! Thank you

[@WestcottLighting]

Thanks for watching!

[@ggarciacota]

Great video thank you

[@garyadams5201]

Excellent instructional video Mr. Hernandez!

[@WestcottLighting]

Glad you liked it!

[@Darthvolvo]

Very informative Matt! Definitely need to check out one of your lighting workshops.

[@WestcottLighting]

You should!

[@classyphotogal]

Matt, I love your work! You are are awesome! I live in Ky also!

[@QuantzPhoto]

Nice job Matt!!

[@WestcottLighting]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@old4004]

Well done, Matt. I always learn something when I see your videos. This is the first one that I have seen in a while. You've always made outdoor group and single shots both dramatic and interesting. Please keep them coming. For viewers who haven't seen your work before, you might give them a short history in your next video of your years of success with school photography.

[@MonteWeaverofficial]

Great tutorial

[@WestcottLighting]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@RansomRebuilds]

Westcott = W!

[@mhogue1963]

Super informative!!

[@WestcottLighting]

Glad it was helpful!

[@douglasmoneer9119]

Thank you Matt ,Great Video I have learned so much from your videos and my photography has gotten so much better over the past year . One question though,I did not see the big white reflector listed that was being used for the individuals photos. Could you please list that item?

[@MartinV.]

Great Video!!!

[@WestcottLighting]

Thanks Martin!

[@ZPOLLAK]

Love it! Just got my first 7 foot umbrella. Going to get a 2nd! Question... Could I brighten the background a little and darken the kids a stop each easily?

[@mtcreate8647]

good teaching

[@WestcottLighting]

Glad you think so!

[@valdemarcaballero5298]

FANTASTIC VIDEO!!!!! cute little girls!!!! congratulations!!!! great photos!!!! 🙏🙏

[@WestcottLighting]

Thank you so much!

[@valdemarcaballero5298]

I agree, many photographers are lazy and do not take this much care for photo shoots like this..... GREAT RESULTS!!!! great camera that you have there!!! Felicitaciones amigo!!!! Saludos desde CDMX ☺

[@beverlybasden2648]

Awesome

[@5Shoez]

hi matt! thanks for this tutorial. watched it quite a few times. did this with a 41” reflective then a shoot through umbrella when the wind took down my other stand and role the other one. i made it work. did it for my daughter’s softball league. my question that i’m struggling with is balancing the exposure for darker skin tones. and not blowing out the super pale folks. any suggestions?

[@TheT2tracer]

I don't know if i would lazy. I would say we haven't the confidence in using flash. Awesome pictures.

[@WestcottLighting]

Thanks for watching, it just takes time and practice to get the confidence for using flash!

[@brianmasengale1379]

Hey Matt do you use a neutral density filter when you’re shooting at 2.8

[@BrookeSwiftPhotography]

Hey Matt! Any recommendations for a larger team (around 18 athletes total) using 3 FJ400 's as a set-up? I have availability to use a smaller indoor turf facility or outdoor field available. Any tips or tricks for a larger group is appreciated!

[@droneinthe6ix388]

Great video. For the group shot, What lighting set up would you suggest if you had 3 lights?

[@MattHernandez]

You could try two edge lights and one umbrella…

[@MrOnealj]

Hello Mr. Hernandez, let me first say excellent job on the photo and it's detailed explanation on your technique. I am just a little curious though. You mentioned that you did not shoot it in HSS, how did you achieve this at 1/400sec? If I'm wrong let me know but most modern mirrorless cameras automatically go into HSS when shooting anything above their native sync speed.

[@WestcottLighting]

Matt was shooting with the Sony A1, it has the native sync of up to 1/400 before going into HSS

[@frod1011]

Who makes that big skrim you were using ? That looks handy!

[@WestcottLighting]

It’s our Scrim Jim Cine: www.fjwestcott.com/collections/scrim-jim-cine

[@willhawkinsphotography]

I like it, but it'd be great to get a video on the business aspect of this type of photography. How do you get these types of jobs?

[@WestcottLighting]

Thanks for watching! We really appreciate the feedback.

[@MattHernandez]

Thanks! Social media posts with your work and word of mouth is the only marketing I do!

[@Jwitherow1964]

Looks great could you have flagged the gold post out?

[@geraldbellacaza]

With Two 7’ umbrellas , the Mary Poppins effect can happen. Any tips to prevent ? Please . I guess don’t do this on a windy day 😅

[@Zam919]

I have two 60 inch soft boxes. Do you think The silver umbrellas you used would be more powerful on the group shots ?

[@kaylaconnors6999]

Funny seeing you here

[@WestcottLighting]

The larger softboxes could give you a pretty similar look! The umbrellas are a different quality of light because they bouncing into the silver, but that wouldn’t make them more powerful from a light output standpoint.

[@josueufc]

Why the shuttle speed so high if the was a non action shot? Thanks for any suggestions.

[@WestcottLighting]

Great question! Matt did that to make the sky darker

[@romeosantiago]

I enjoyed the people sandbags

[@WestcottLighting]

Us too! 😂

[@Strravaganza]

Have you ever tried using flashes without an umbrella reflector? This significantly increases the softness and brightness of the resulting light.

[@steveseaney6840]

I love the concept, but with a mild breeze the umbrellas require individual assistants to prevent them from blowing away.

[@jasonbodden8816]

Yeah, and most people don't have even one assistant available to them, let alone THREE lol!

[@streetphotostorytellers]

Or six lights!

[@minimeguju6868]

Can you not use string and tent pegs to secure umbrella poles?? I’ve done it. Use two pegs per umbrella

[@Travisrogers87]

Have the parents hold them. They’re standing around anyways 😂

[@wbuttry1]

how do you under expose the background without the rest under exposed.

[@WestcottLighting]

The flashes keep the exposure of the subjects at a higher level than the background

[@52701970]

nice and all but nobody has time to do this. Especially if it is High school sports. I get lucky if I get 5 min to get a group photo.

[@RobertXPhotography]

How are his lights not falling down?? It's always damn windy!!!! My shit keeps flying all over the place

[@AdamKozak100]

maybe you could get away with ad200's and speed lights with a nd filter? I don't know if that's possible

[@WestcottLighting]

For the group photos, it would definitely be challenging in full sun to get away with 200W strobes, but could be possible in lower light situations!

You could probably just use unmodified speedlights and it wouldn’t look much different.

[@SpotBentley]

Nice work but you certainly don't need 2 seven foot umbrellas to light a team of six.

[@slickdj966]

The title should be how to shoot team photos with $5000 lighting

[@boostedmaniac]

You could prob get away with two 400w lights with umbrellas.

[@5Shoez]

@@boostedmaniacwould umbrellas suffice? need to take shots in a couple weeks and only have two 400ws flash units. don’t have the side lights.

[@boostedmaniac]

@@5Shoezfor the large group shot, two umbrellas like he did. The individuals, you can prob use umbrella or softbox in front, and one light in back with reflector like he did. The light in back helps with a highlight in the hair. But depending on time of day and position, you can use the sun for backlight. Most of the portraits I shoot outside are with one light. The staged shots with smoke I shoot with two or more lights.

[@5Shoez]

@@boostedmaniac thank you for taking the time to respond. greatly appreciated!

[@LuisGarcia-036]

Yea, "like a pro"

[@Dewabarasunderan]

How to shoot group portraits by throwing money at them. Also a bit boring.

[@AlienBaebies]

Its crazy how you repeated yourself saying the same exact thing back to back at the end