Today Erica is going on a location scouting trip with some fellow photographer friends to find new beautiful locations for photo sessions! We have so much fun scouting and finding new spots that bring a lot of new options for our photos. “Where should we go for our pictures” is a question we often get from our clients and it’s a great one! We love getting asked that question because it shows that our clients are trusting us to lead them in the right direction (pun totally intended!) So we thought we would share the key components that we look for in a location. When we can check all of the following items off our list, we know that we have found an ideal location!
The Great Outdoors
First and foremost, the natural light is where it’s at! We consider ourselves to be experts in shooting with natural light because it’s where our strength as photographers is and also because it produces the type of bright photographs we are known for. We highly encourage any location to be outdoors because the sun’s light, especially in the final two hours before sunset, is the most dreamy time for your photo session. We photographers call that the ‘golden hour’ because the sun’s rays soften and cast a soft golden hue across the landscape and our clients, creating the joyful and bright images we love to deliver!
Shooting outside also helps to create natural movement in the photos! A soft breeze adds motion to her hair and the sun’s rays filtering through her dress adds even more dimension and interest to the photos. Outside photos also tend to be more timeless and resilient! We want the photos we provide you with to continue to speak to you and your family years from now. Building design and Pinterest ideas come and go, but nature remains the same. The Arizona desert will always be the desert! Cacti, desert flora, and the soft glow of the sun will be consistent and provide you with timeless and relatable images for generations to look back on!
Even Light
Once you’ve found a beautiful outdoor location, the next thing we look for is even lighting. Soft, even light creates flattering images that put the focus on you and your faces! Spotty, splotchy light can be distracting and create unsightly highlights in photos. We look for areas within the location that provide even light naturally. Some examples would be under a large tree canopy that doesn’t allow light to filter through. The opposite would be true of a smaller tree that gives partial shade, but allows spots of sunlight to shine through and creates uneven light in the photo. Another great example are open spaces! Even areas like the Arizona desert, where we live, is not known for having large tree canopies that provide even light. The open space in the Arizona desert allows the sunlight to cover all the area evenly and beautifully light it up! The opposite would be true for an area that had certain areas that were cast in the shade and others are in bright sunlight. That creates split light which can also be distracting and create areas of the photo that are overexposed.
Not Too Busy
Last but definitely not least, we look for areas that are not too busy! Often times when our clients think of the perfect location, their focus is on what will be in the background. Things like water features and stone structures at community entrances are definitely beautiful to look at, but most often they aren’t the best choice for your photo session. Wide open spaces that allow room and depth in the photos should be a priority over anything else! Nature is able to show itself off and compliment any photo without competing for attention.
There you have it, friends! Now you know exactly what we look for when we shoot at different locations. These simple principles allow us to capture consistent and timeless images for you and your family! We can’t wait to see you soon!!
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