Photographer Explains How To Light Outdoor Portraits During a Family Trip in Hawaii [RF Video of the Week]

On a recent trip to Hawaii, Miguel Quiles (who shoots head shots as well as wedding, portrait, fashion and beauty photography) set out to take portraits of family members in different kinds of tropical settings. It’s a tough location to work in—and not just because of the pesky mosquitoes that flock the area, as Quiles mentions in his video—but luckily this photographer comes prepared.

Quiles packed with him a host of Photoflex gear, including the LitePanel with half white, half soft gold fabric (which he loves for its light weight and versatility), a FlexFlash 400W strobe, a small octodome and a LiteReach Plus to mount both, “which will make carrying this setup on hikes a breeze,” he adds.

The light weight of Quiles’ gear wound up coming in handy—he and his subjects first hiked to the Kaniakapupu ruins to snap some portraits among the bamboo and tropical foliage (as well as limited sunlight), packed up and drove to the Pali Lookout to shoot in front of the “epic” scenery, and then walked down to the oceanfront to snap some backlit shots with a Cokin .9 ND Graduated Filter. Watch how Quiles works around the tricky lighting and exposure scenarios.

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