Selecting the Perfect Location for YOU
You’ve been waiting for this session for months if not years. But, where to hold it?
Every photographer is different but with me, your location is your choice! The first thing to decide is whether you’d like to feature nature, maybe wide-open field, or a lake; or more of a city-scape, town feel with buildings and architecture?
“What do I know, you’re the photographer!”
Every photographer is looking for something different in what they consider a great location for a shoot and it depends on their particular style. A great photographer can shoot almost anywhere so please don’t worry about selecting a “bad” location. Some spots are just more difficult than others to shoot if the light is tricky.
For me, I’m a natural light expert. Natural light, from the sun, when used properly, creates photographs that feel fresh, timeless, and true to the natural environment it encompasses. For this reason, I hold all portrait session outdoors, year-round. I can, and do, shoot with flash when needed but using flash does not create the aesthetic that I am known for and that my clients have hired me for.
For my style of photography, I am looking for large areas of shade while the sun is bright and high in the sky. I am looking for the type of shade where the clients can stand in it completely and the shade is also covering the ground through the entire background of the frame of the shot I want to take. Buildings and tree lines are perfect for this situation. Whether the sun is out or not, I am also looking for an open sky so that nothing is hanging over the clients. So, I do avoid dense woods and overhangs (including inside gazebos) most of the time. I drool over a location with different layers of landscape: interesting foreground to shoot through and a background that also layers with trees or hills. These elements add visual interest.
A truly great location has both visual interest AND sentimental value along with good lighting. While this combination of positives isn’t always possible for every shoot, when it is achieved, there is something extra special about it. It could be where he proposed or a place you go regularly with your family or a place you have great memories together. Maybe it’s where you vacation every year.
Some of my wedding clients choose to use their wedding venue during the off season or during the week for their engagement session. I have not met a wedding venue that did not allow this when they have the availability to do so yet. It also gives me a chance to talk with the couple about their day and what it might look like on their wedding day. It also gives them one more excuse to see it before they are married there!
Get Creative for Your Location
This is the time to use your contacts! I encourage you to brainstorm unique locations that you or someone you know might have special access to. For example, maybe you, or someone in your personal or professional network, can secure permission to a location that would otherwise be off-limits, like a beautiful private estate, country club or resort. Maybe it’s a family tree farm, upscale hotel, yacht club, or even an airplane hangar. There is no end to the possibilities.
Spend some time thinking about it and checking around. You’ll be surprised with what you can come up with. Plus, if something seems out of reach, just remember: you never know until you ask!
As you may see throughout my social media pages, my clients’ locations vary as widely as their personalities. There are so many great options and I’m always up for exploring a new spot together.
Of course, if any of my clients are having difficulty coming up with a location, I am happy to step in to select one based off any information they can give me about their wants.
