-When you know your what your location will be plan what your subject is wearing to coordinate and/or stand out from the natural surroundings. A couple of changes of clothing or props like hats, scarves, umbrella, book, flowers etc. will get your creative spirit flowing. In this shoot with my niece, I used her hat and a scarf as props. Her clothes blended with the winter woods and the scarf was a dramatic color addition.
-Don't forget to set your white balance appropriately. You will still want to play with it in Photoshop especially if the light changes as you are shooting. In this shoot the sun began to come out and changed the light dramatically. We stopped when it got too strong.
-I use manual mode and check my histogram frequently. Aperture preferred mode is also good for portraiture as you can set the f stop and get the depth of field you want without worrying about the shutter speed. Remember: make sure your shutter speed stays fast enough for a moving person!
-Be playful and have fun. Be clear with your subject what you want them to do and where you want them to look. They don't know!
