The influence of ambient pressure on the spectral emission features and expansion dynamics of a plasma plume generated on a metal target has been investigated. The plasma plumes were generated by irradiating Cu targets using 6 ns, 1064 nm pulses from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The emission and expansion dynamics of the plasma plumes were studied by varying air ambient pressure levels ranging from vacuum to atmospheric pressure. The ambient pressure levels were found to affect both the line intensities and broadening along with the signal to background and signal to noise ratios and the optimum pressure conditions for analytical applications were evaluated. The characteristic plume parameters were estimated using emission spectroscopy means and noticed that the excitation temperature peaked ∼300 Torr, while the electron density showed a maximum ∼100 Torr. Fast-gated images showed a complex interaction between the plume and background air leading to changes in the plume geometry with pressure as well as time. Surface morphology of irradiated surface showed that the pressure of the ambient gas affects the laser-target coupling significantly.