I am not a location-heavy shooter. I never really have been. Whether the location is sparse or lush, it doesn’t really matter to me. What surrounds my client during her session is simply background- something blurred in the distance, meant to be ignored. My focus is and generally always will be solely on my client- not the area we are shooting in. This is intentional.  Let me explain why…

You might call me boring, and that’s okay. But I have a very small list of locations that I prefer to shoot my senior sessions in. There was a time when I tried to schedule my clients in as many different locations as possible, thinking I needed a versatile portfolio. But as I developed as a photographer and as my style of shooting evolved, how I photographed a location drastically changed. I started paying less and less attention to what was within the area I was working in and started paying more and more attention to where the light was. When the lighting is good- it makes ANY location look amazing. While my clients and her parents might just see overgrown grass and a few trees in the distance- nothing magical- through my lens, with a shallow depth of field and just the right amount of sunlight, I see something entirely different- that looks magical. ;)

Shooting in a nondescript way allows me to use the same locations time and time again. I love this because I’m familiar with how the light hits the location and I already have a solid idea of where I can photograph my clients. What I refuse to do is photograph every single client in the same exact location in the same exact way- because how is that fun? Or Young & Free, for that matter. Every one of my clients experiences a unique session, even if we happen to use the same location as one of her friends. When looking at their portfolio of images, where the session took place will not be glaringly obvious, because all focus will remain on them- not where we are.

One more little note about locations and lighting. You can do a lot with a little. When I find an area that offers beautiful light, I take my time working there. I will shoot multiple poses and crops within the area, getting as much use as possible out it. Moving around the space, adjusting the crop and making small adjustments to the posing will totally alter the look and feel of a shot. So, in the end, you would never actually know that we stayed in the same exact spot for a length of time. Besides, if an area is working- why move?

All of the pictures used in this blog post are from the very same location. By looking at these handful of images, you probably wouldn’t have guessed that they all came from the same place. That’s my hope, anyway. ;) If you feel limited on locations, I urge you to shoot nondescript and work within one area for multiple poses. Focus all of your attention on your client and where the light is and worry less about what’s in the background, because it’s exactly that- background. I would love to start a conversation about locations and any challenges you might face where you live! Post it here! Let’s chat about it! Much love!!