you booked the client of your dreams and the question comes up. . ."Where will we be taking the photos?"

First of all, congratulations! The hardest part of landing a client is over. Now your creative side can come out and begin thinking about all the different shots you're going to get for the shoot.


One of the first things your client is going to ask is, "Where are we going to be taking photos?" This largely depends on the type of shoot they are wanting. If they are wanting urban, city vibes, you're not going to take them to a forest. DUH. You know that.


landscape

Many times people want a beautiful, predictable landscape of good ole nature. Fields, flowers, trees, long grass. So many options. This a great choice for so many people because it's predictable and has so many options. My suggestion to you is to take some free time and drive to some local parks. Bring your camera, and look through the lenses. Find specific spots that you love and could see potential client photoshoots. This will help you build up a list of "go-to" spaces. You can use this same technique for urban areas. Look for cool textured walls and unique spaces and try it out!


Sun vs.clouds

Another huge factor for location is the weather. Here in Omaha, NE our weather can change at the drop of a dime. The weather channel isn't always as accurate as I'd hope for. But, that's ok! With some prep you can be ready for almost any weather condition.

Full sun isn't my favorite time to shoot but I've learned techniques that help me to do a great job with it. When shooting in full sun you want to almost always have the client with heir back facing the sun. This will keep the glare out of your clients face and help them not have to squint. I also always expose for the sky when shooting in full sun. The shadows of each person can be brought up in editing , but a blowout sky can not be recovered. Follow those guidelines and they will make for some beautiful portraits in full sun. Full on cloudy days are my absolute favorite and require a different technique. In my opinion full clouds are a very safe option. The sky is essentially a giant soft-box. It produces really even, soft light for people.In this scenario, try to have people fave where the sun is (behind the clouds) and shoot away! With that being said, although full clouds may seem easier, sun flares can add some really unique parts to a photo. My biggest advice in all of these scenarios is to go out and practice, practice, practice. You probably don't want a dream client being your first time practicing in a certain scenario.


Indoors

Being indoors and doing a shoot can be really scary for some people. I remember when I first started shooting, and would have been terrified to go into someone's home for a photoshoot. I feared not having the correct lighting and messing it up. Now I absolutely love shooting indoors. Find a window for some natural light. Go in the rooms with the most windows and position your client in the most appealing way with that light. Remember to turn off the lights in the house if you're using natural light from a window, or else you will have some out of wack white balance to fix.


With all that being said, the biggest favor you can do yourself is to get out and practice in the most scary situations. If it scares you, practice it until it doesn't. If you're worried go and prepare beforehand. YOU GOT THIS!