Many times you are not given the necessary importance to the location in a session, you can have your favorite places, where you feel comfortable, you like the backgrounds and you are neutral, you have many elements that inspire you, etc. but take a moment for Think, is this really the perfect place for what you want to convey?Choosing the right place for your photo shoots is part of success.
So, in this article I intend to give you some ideas and tips to find the right place at any time, is it over with the beach or the park in front of your house for everything?.
- Obviously.
- The first thing to do is to determine the theme of the session.
- What are you going to do?It’s not the same as going out with the intention of doing macrophotography.
- If you’re going to represent a parent at night.
- Going out and taking pictures spontaneously is good sometimes.
- But at least you have to be clear what you want to photograph.
- If you’re going to take urban or nature photography.
- Because embarking on an adventure isn’t usually a good idea.
- You won’t even know what to pay attention to and you’re likely to stay empty or with the camera full but empty.
- Interesting photos.
- Which is the same thing.
If you want to practice but don’t know where to start or what kind of photos to take, you can take a look at this article to review the different disciplines, you’re sure to have ideas and motivation.
Once you have chosen the topic, you must determine what you want to convey. For example, you plan to take pictures at night, as in the image example 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’s the right place to convey your personality, what do you want to think of this person?
The place where you do the session should be in tune with the message to highlight it, a wonderful place will be of no use if it has nothing to do with the theme or message, for example, can you imagine photographing a rock band in A beach at sunset?Unless the idea is to confuse the audience, it doesn’t make much sense. The same thing you’re not going to photograph a child in an abandoned factory that fascinates you, unless you want to do a dark or mysterious session. And speaking of mystery, if you want to take mysterious, scary or similar photos, I don’t see you on a beach at sunset either;).
All this seems obvious, it turns out that it is not always like this, there is nothing more to see photos there;). Sometimes we forget the essentials. What is invisible to the eyes?
Look at these two photos, look at the background, the model, the costumes, you see the difference, would they have worked the same if they had been upside down, aesthetically most likely, but?Would the message have been the same?
The next aspect is fundamental. Once you leave control of the studio, you are at the mercy of what outdoor light offers you, whether natural or environmental, with the help of your own resources and reflectors, diffusers or flash, if you use it or want it. Use.
Therefore, when choosing the location, it is important to take this aspect 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 you want to convey softer sensations or quieter, because the light will be too aggressive for that. Look for places that offer shade. Or vice versa, if you want to convey aggression, strength, power or drama, then open spaces with a harsh 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 control and optimize light is essential to take a beautiful photograph.
If you’re clear about where you can choose the time, study the behavior of light in that particular place at that time, planning is helpful.
I had anticipated it, but sometimes it is particularly important, for example, in night photography. It is important to know the place during the 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 that, studying every corner of the place is the key to changing the background, decorating in one place, optimizing light, etc. In fact, I insist, if it’s a one-day session, that you see a few days before the same time, to see how the light behaves there.
Also keep in mind that the light changes with the seasons, you may want to repeat the location and don’t think about taking a look at it as you know, however, the light can change a lot from winter to summer. it’s a natural environment?Imagine how everything changes ;).
We only mention the funds, I recommend you read more about it. At that time, I wrote an article about how and where to raise funds for your outdoor sessions. You also have that of my colleague Iaio, where he offers general advice on how to optimize them.
I leave you with two other backgrounds so that you can compare, it is the same subject, mother / father, son / daughter, but I believe 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, does not pay me too much. Can you tell me what I’m talking about? What are you looking at?(Do I encourage you to comment below?).
It is not the same to have to wear lighting equipment and many accessories, besides camera, lenses and so on, to carry only these, although it is a drawer, we do not always fall into these things. We have a thousand more in our heads, because we focus a lot on the creative part that advanced us, because we decided to increase the weight at the last minute or for any other reason. The thing is, when you’re looking for the location, you have to consider the things you need to take with you. If there are many, you may want to find a nearest location. Do you have a vehicle to move everything? These are details to consider.
Let’s take an exaggerated but easily understandable example. Imagine, you have in mind a fashionable photo shoot with a sofa on the beach, it can be a good idea if everything is expensive, but if you have to take the sofa to the beach and you have a small car, it is not such a good idea. You can also take out other resources, find someone to take you to, someone to lend you a cool sofa near the beach, or any other resource. This or look for another place or another idea. The important thing is that you take all of this into account, that it anticipates so that these problems do not occur just before the meeting.
And whoever says a couch says a very heavy team that you want to take to a place that is difficult to access. Think ahead if it’s better to reduce your equipment, find something more accessible, or ask for help (if you have one).
Launch your city and its surroundings, take an excursion, explore history and discover public buildings with something interesting. Sometimes we think we know where we live by heart and that’s not true. Also, even if you often pass through the same place, if you haven’t observed it carefully, with renewed eyes, you probably haven’t noticed its potential. Start by exploring your nearest environment.
If you follow photographers near you, especially on social media, you’ll be able to discover the places where they take their photos, often people tag locations. You can also choose a location and review all the photos that have been tagged on this site and see if a background or landscape catches your eye. There’s not much filter here, if you have a lot of time and want to see photos, this is a good option, otherwise you’ll have to go to something more direct.
In photography forums you can also share opinions and places, as well as in photography associations.
If you don’t have time, use Google Maps and its Street View option to visit nearby places, you can do it comfortably from your sofa at night, in nooks and crannies, waiting and so on.
The important thing, many times, is to know how to look, find the beauty and charm of each place, look at its light and all the possibilities it offers you.
Mobile apps and all new technologies are very good and are an excellent resource, but there’s another fool. A notebook where you can write by hand and with a pen, where nothing fades. A little girl to wear as long as you pass through a place you love, write it down. It can be a facade, an abandoned place, a place, where interesting people pass, a place of contrasts, a strange landscape or any other place that catches your eye; but you find it more photogenic or interesting than beautiful.
Write down the place, where it is and what sensations it transmitted to you in the first place, you can take photos with your phone and put them in a folder with the name of the place and save them in another one that you called places. you’re looking and nothing comes to mind, you can take a look at it, this memory is sometimes treacherous.
In short, it’s about learning to give importance to the place, to the message, to help you with the place to highlight it, to plan ahead so that nothing fails, that you have your eyes open because anywhere can be a future location, depending on what.
If you found it helpful, be sure to share these tips with your favorite social media contacts. Thanks and I’ll see you soon.