How To Find a Good Location for Photos
Every photographer, young and old, has faced the struggle of finding the right location for a photoshoot. Whether you shoot portraits, products, or any other genre of photography, good locations are essential to every shoot. When considering shoot locations, there are THREE things that I always look for THEME, LIGHTING & DEPTH. These are imperative for any good shoot to ensure you leave your clients happy with their photos.
Moss and birch trees create a perfect theme for a natural birchwood deodorant
The first and simplest thing you need to look for in a location is the THEME. Does this location fit the colours and aesthetic of what you want to achieve? For example, if I have to shoot a new campaign for a swimwear line, I would be foolish to wander around a dense city looking for a location. Obviously, you would want to go and head out to a quiet beach and shoot in the environment where those products will be used. Not every project is as easy to find a location for as a swimwear shoot, so you should consider the kinds of colours you're looking for, textures, and feelings that you want to portray. You may want an orange background for your shoot, but a brick wall and a sunset give off very different messages. A sunset is the perfect background for an engagement shoot and maybe a brick wall is just what you need for a new line of basketball shoes. The textures and feelings associated with the location will tell a story to your viewer and are often more important than simply the colour of that location. As the photographer, you want to find a location with the right colours, textures, and overall feel to capture the best shot possible.
The next and possibly most crucial part of finding a location is LIGHTING. In the end, lighting is the thing that will make or break a great photograph and the most important thing for every photographer to understand. Now, if you’re going to use 100% controlled artificial lights for your shoot, you might as well disregard this section since you are the master of your destiny. For those wanting to shoot with natural light, this is incredibly important. First and foremost, you need to know if the light looks good in your location. Shooting around trees will cast lots of shadows or maybe you’re getting a reflection off a building. You need to ensure that your subject has even lighting, or at least the lighting you are looking to achieve. Those on Earth know that the sun moves through the sky during the day, drastically changing how the light will look. You will need to know what time of day the sun is in the ideal position for your location. If you want to backlight your shot, depending on if you face East or West, you either need to shoot at sunrise or sunset, and that is an important thing to know if you're trying to coordinate a model to be on site.
Subject isolated between the plants and distant trees
Finally, we get to DEPTH. Your location doesn’t need to be intellectually deep, as much as it needs to portray depth. The last thing anyone wants is a flat, lifeless image. What I mean when I say your image needs depth, is that it should have a foreground, subject, and background that are not compressed into one. To make a photo more dynamic and draw the eye into the center, having elements in the foreground and background that do not distract from the subject instantly makes a photo better. My great-grandmother taught my grandma and mom when taking vacation photos, to try and have a tree branch in the photo’s foreground. Although she wasn’t a photographer, that is strange but sound advice. A branch in front helps to frame your subject, as well as create depth in the foreground. The same works for the background, as you want elements that help frame your subject and also separate the subject from the background. This means that you typically don't want your subject right up against the background, but in front so that the background isn’t in focus with your subject and competing for the viewer's eye. It should be easy to identify what you want the viewer to look at and depth can be key in isolating your subject within your location.
As every realtor alive says, Location, Location, Location! It’s crucial in what story your images tell and how you manage that location will turn a good image into a GREAT image. Finding the right THEME, making sure the LIGHTING looks good, and having DEPTH to isolate your subject are non-negotiables for every location you will ever shoot at for the rest of your career. The better you understand what makes a good location, the easier it will be to find them. Embrace your days wandering, driving, and aimlessly searching for the perfect location, and treat it as the calm before the storm, as the craziness of shoot day approaches.