Many times the necessary importance is not given to location in a session. You may have your favorite places, where you feel comfortable, you like the backgrounds and they are neutral, you have many elements that inspire you, etc. But stop for a moment to think, is it really the ideal place for what you want to transmit? Choosing the locations well in your photo sessions is part of the success.
For this reason, in this article I intend to give you some ideas and tips to find the right location at all times, no more using the beach or the park in front of your house for everything 😉 .
session topic
Obviously, the first thing is to determine the topic of the session. What are you going to do? It is not the same that you go out with the intention of doing macro photography, that at night or that you are going to portray a family member. Going out to take photos spontaneously is fine, sometimes. But you have to be clear at least what you want to photograph. If you are going to do urban or nature photography. Because going on a total adventure is usually not a good idea. You won’t even know what to pay attention to and you’ll likely come back empty. Or with your camera full but empty of interesting photos, which comes to the same thing.
If you want to practice but you don’t even know where to start, or what kind of photos to take, you can take a look at this article to review the different disciplines. Surely you get ideas and motivation.
Message
Once you decide on the topic, you have to determine what you want to convey. For example, you are thinking of doing night photography, like in the example image above. Now, do you want to convey the hustle and bustle of the city at night or the solitude of its alleys? Or the calm of a starry forest? When it comes to a portrait session, what is the right place to convey your personality? What do you want to reflect about this person?
The place where you do the session must be in line with the message to enhance it, a wonderful place will be useless if it has nothing to do with the theme or the message. For example, can you imagine photographing a rock group on a beach at sunset? Unless the idea is to confuse the public, it doesn’t make much sense. The same as you are not going to photograph a child in an abandoned factory that you find fascinating, unless you want to do a gloomy or mystery session. And speaking of mystery, if you want to take mysterious, scary or similar photographs, I don’t see you on a beach at sunset either ;).
All this that seems obvious, it turns out that it is not always so, there is nothing more to see photos out there ;). Sometimes we forget the essential. What is invisible to the eye…
Look at these two photos, look at the background, the model, the clothing, do you notice the difference? Would they have worked the same way if they were backwards? Aesthetically very likely, but… would the message have been the same?
Light
The following aspect is essential. Once you leave the control of the study you are at the mercy of what the exterior light, be it natural or ambient, offers you. With the only help of your own resources and a few reflectors, diffusers or the flash, if you use it or want to use it.
Therefore, when choosing the location it is important that you take this issue into account. If you are going to take a portrait and you cannot choose the time, you cannot go to a place without shadows if what you want is to convey softer or calmer sensations, because the light will be too aggressive for that. Look for places that offer you shade. Or the other way around, if you want to convey aggressiveness, strength, power or drama, then open spaces with hard light will be ideal.
It is also important, not only for portraiture, but to highlight any subject. Architecture, street photography, landscape, etc. Knowing how to master and optimize light is essential to achieve great photography.
If you are clear about the place and you can choose the moment, study how the light behaves in that particular place at that time. Planning is a great help.
Study the place in advance
I have been anticipating it, but at certain times this becomes especially relevant. For example, in night photography. It is important to know the place of day. For safety and to be able to make a more suitable composition or to your liking. Recognizing the terrain is always an advantage.
But beyond this, studying every corner of the location is the key to changing the background, the scenery within the same place, to optimize the light, etc. In fact, I insist, if it’s a day session, that you go a few days before around the same time, to see how the light behaves in that place.
Also keep in mind that the light changes according to the seasons, you may want to repeat the location and do not think about taking a look before because you already know it, however, the light can change a lot from winter to summer. And if it is a natural environment… imagine how everything changes! ;).
Money
We have just mentioned the funds, I have to recommend you to read more thoroughly about this theme. Back in the day I wrote an article on how and where to find funds for your outdoor sessions. You also have this other one from my colleague Iaio where he offers you general advice to optimize them.
I leave you with two other backgrounds so that you can compare, it is the same theme, mother/father, son/daughter, but I think that in one the background is more successful and in the other, at least because of the attitude of its protagonists and what they transmit to me, it doesn’t fit me too much. Could you tell me what I’m talking about? 😉 What do you see? (I encourage you to comment below 😉 ).
Logistics
It’s not the same to have to lug around lighting equipment and loads of props, in addition to camera, lenses and others, to carry only the latter. Even if it’s a drawer, we don’t always fall for these things. Good because we have another thousand in mind, because we have focused so much on the creative part that we have missed it, because we have decided to increase the weight at the last minute or for any other reason. The fact is that when looking for the location you must take into account what things you have to take with you. If there are many, you may be interested in finding a closer location. Do you have a vehicle to move everything? These are details that must be taken into account.
Let’s take an exaggerated but easily understandable example. Imagine, you have in mind a fashion shoot with a sofa on the beach. It can be a great idea if everything is expensive, but if you have to transport the sofa to the beach and you have a tiny car, it is no longer such a good idea. You can also pull other resources, find someone to take it to you, someone to lend you a cool sofa near the beach or any other resource. That or find another location or idea. The important thing is that you take all this into account, that you anticipate so that these inconveniences do not arise just before the session.
And who says a sofa says a very heavy equipment that you want to take to a place of difficult access. Think before if it is better to reduce the equipment, look for something more accessible or get help (if you have it).
Where to look
Explore your city and surroundings, go on excursions, investigate history and discover public buildings with something of interest. Sometimes we think that we know the place where we live by heart and it is not true. Also, even if we pass by the same place often, if you haven’t looked at it carefully, with renewed eyes, you probably haven’t noticed its potential. Start by exploring your closest environment.
If you follow photographers near you, especially on social networks, you can look at the places where they take their photos. Many times people tag locations. You can also choose a place and go through all the photos that have been tagged from that site and see if any background or scenery catches your eye. Here there is not much filter, if you have time and you want to see photos, it is a good option, otherwise, you will have to go to something more direct.
In photography forums you can also share opinions and locations, as well as in photography associations.
If you don’t have time, use Google Maps and its Street view option to visit places near you. You can do it comfortably from your sofa at night, in alcoves, waiting and so on.
The important thing, many times, is knowing how to look, find the beauty and charm of each place, pay attention to its light and all the possibilities it offers you.
Notepad
Mobile applications and all the new technologies are very good and are an excellent resource. But there is another infallible. A little notebook where you write down by hand and pen, where nothing is erased. A little one to always carry with you and when you pass by a place you like, write it down. It can be a facade, an abandoned place, a place where interesting people pass by, one of contrasts, a strange landscape or any place that catches your attention; but that you find it more photogenic or interesting than pretty.
Write down the place, where it is and what sensations it has transmitted to you at first. You can take photos with your phone and put them in a folder with the name of the place and saved in another that you have called locations. Thus, when you search and nothing comes to mind, you can take a look there, that memory is sometimes treacherous.
In short, it is about learning to give importance to the place, the message, that you help yourself from the location to enhance it. That plan with time so that nothing fails, that you keep your eyes wide open because any place can be a future location, depending on what for.
If you have found it useful, be sure to share these tips with your contacts on your favorite social networks. Thanks and see you soon.