Scouting Light and Location
Start with the basics to make your outdoor photoshoot look great
The question I’ve occasionally been asked by photographer friends is “How do you find good shoot locations?” The answer involves a fun research trip that pays off in the long run.
Here’s what I do.
I start by reminding myself that I’m looking for shoot locations. All the time. At the store, waiting in traffic, driving around town, I remind myself, “Hey you’re looking for places right now.”
Then, when I see something that hits me, I take a photo. Most of the time, its just a phone snap — that wall over there, that loading dock, that field of bluebonnets — but it helps me remember the places.
Also, I note the time of the day, and the direction the sun will travel, and I get a pretty good idea what time of day the light will be favorable for my shoot. I recently did this at this location:
I saw this wall, with the graphic lettering all over it and stucco texture, and thought Yes, that will be a good spot. I happened to have my camera bag with me and I snapped the shot above, so I wouldn’t forget. I noted the light would only be good until about noon. After lunch, the sun moves behind the building and leaves the front sidewalk in shade.
Later, after a week of trying to get our schedules aligned, the guys in Blank Labels invited me to shoot their band, and the wall in front of El Norteno Restaurante was the first place I thought of. The band wanted an afternoon shoot, so it was a challenge getting four guys together before noon, but we made it happen, and I was very happy with the final result.
Here’s another example of light scouting. I scouted the location shown here for Basics’ photoshoot and timed the actual session to coincide with the one hour stretch when the sun paints long shadows on the wall from beyond the rusty fire escape.
Back to Blank Labels. If I get lucky on an outdoor photoshoot, there will be a nearby spot that I can use as a second location. In this case, I had my eye on a spot in a patio area at a closed bar, and it also turned out to be a great spot.
Here are a few of the scouting photos in my folder right now:
There’s nothing really special about those, but now that I’ve photographed them I have their GPS coordinates on record (in the photo data), and I saw something in each of these locations that could make for a great photoshoot, with the right light and the right lens.
There are weather concerns with outdoor shoots, and a lot to consider in a photo edit as well. However, I believe a successful outdoor shoot gets a boost when you’ve scouted your light and locations and planned ahead. Doing some of the legwork in advance pays off. As the shoot with Blank Labels showed me again, having scouted a strong primary location gets me closer to a successful shoot, right from the jump.
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