Which location should we choose to take your photos? This is the first decision to make when planning your photo shoot. I typically ask four questions to clients to help me narrow down our options. These apply to everyone, whether you’re a couple planning an engagement shoot, a highschool senior, or a family trying to get everyone in the same place for your annual portraits.
- Are there any locations that are special to you? Maybe you have a favorite hiking trail, or a park you grew up going to, or even your own backyard. The more that we can incorporate into your shoot that is meaningful to you, the better your images will turn out.
2. Are you morning people? If the answer is yes, then guess what? We are DOING a sunrise shoot. Sunrise is glorious, not only is the light incredible, but you can go to locations that would normally be crowded in the evening close to sunset. If the answer is no, then I’m going to suggest locations that are more secluded and we don’t have to worry about lots of people being around. This applies to everywhere but NYC.
3. Do you have a preference for a natural/rustic/nature environment or a more urban scene? While I tend to prefer a more rustic natural environment myself, if you can’t fall asleep without hearing traffic noises, then doing your shoot on some wooded trail is probably not the right fit for you!
4. Do you have any special hobbies/interests? This one can get tricky. Why? Because I don’t want your shoot to become too focused on one of your hobbies and it take away from the actual people. We still want the subject to be you. For example, if your favorite thing in the world is golf, we can shoot at your favorite course, but I won’t have you be in golf attire. That would be too much. But incorporating the location will be meaningful to you without it looking like a country club brochure.
Once you’ve answered these four questions for me, I can get a pretty good idea for who you are and what would be a good fit. And while I know tons of locations to shoot at, I’m ALWAYS looking for new places to shoot and will do my best to find the best place, at the best time, to create magic for you.
– ABBY
