Locations are a huge part of a photoshoot and I believe they can make a huge difference in what your final gallery ends up looking like. Below are some tips on how to choose the locations for your photoshoot.

Location Guide

Each of my clients receive a location guide prior to their photoshoot with a curated list of locations that includes example photos and some information about each location. My Wichita Guide has over 40 locations on it, and my Kansas City Guide is currently a work in progress LOL. Clients can choose their locations from this guide or they can come up with their own locations. I definitely recommend reading the descriptions carefully, because I try to include a lot of information about the best time of year/day for some locations, whether or not a location will require a lot of walking, whether you’ll need to pay extra for entry for a location, etc.

What type of shoot are you doing?

If you’re doing an editorial birthday photoshoot, you might not be looking for the same vibe as an engagement session. If you’re doing a senior shoot, you may want to do photos on the football field, or on your future school’s campus.

When are you shooting?

This is probably the most important thing to consider when choosing a location. A lot of nature-y locations don’t look that great from November to March. If you’re not sure what certain locations look like during a specific season, ask! Beyond month, maybe think about what day of the week and what time you’re shooting. Choosing to go to Old Town Wichita at 6 PM on a Friday probably isn’t a great decision, because there will be a lot of traffic and people walking around everywhere. I try to include the best times for most locations in my location guide.

What’s your vibe? What makes sense for your personality?

Who are you? What location do you feel like embodies your personality? If you’re doing an engagement session, you might want to go to some place you love to go together or maybe where you had your first date. If music is your thing, maybe a record store would be fun.

What are you wearing?

In years past, I would usually have clients send me photos of their outfits and then I would recommend a few locations based on what I thought would look good with what clothing they chose. I made the location guide, because I wanted clients to have a little more creative freedom in planning their session, but I still think it’s really important to think about your outfits when choosing your locations. If you’re wearing a formal dress with heels, the middle of a dirt road might not be the vibe. You can also think about what colors are in your outfits. If you pay attention to the example photos in the location guide, you can see what colors are present or stand out. You don’t want to blend into your background, but depending on the location, you also might not want to be too contrasting.

Lighting

This sort of goes along with paying attention to when you’re shooting, but locations can look very different based on the time of day and what the lighting looks like. Of course, it will also depend on what look you’re going for. If you’re shoot is starting super early in the afternoon, I like to choose locations that might have a big wall or building so there’s a big shadow to shoot in. Shooting in trees at that time, might make for some weird light spots. If you’re shooting really close to sunset, you might want to pick an open field where you can make the most of what little light is left.

Go visit the locations you’re interested in

If you’re undecided about how you think a location might turn out or you don’t know what the greenery situation will be like, go check it our yourself! I think it’s good to know exactly what you’re walking into. One of my favorite locations has this gorgeous overgrown vine-y wall, but if you chose that location in March, those vines probably won’t be there. If you have mobility issues, you might want to make sure you’ll have safe access to the shooting spots you see in the example photos.

Get creative

Don’t be afraid to get creative or come up with your own location ideas. Some people want to shoot at their own house or their school and I love that! I’m always open to new suggestions.

Have a backup plan

I usually have clients choose at least one backup location, just in case a location doesn’t work out for whatever reason. Sometimes last minute construction pops up right in front of that cool building or the area of a park we wanted to go to is closed for a private event. It’s good to be prepared instead of stressing out last minute trying to figure out where we could possibly go next.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

I want you your photoshoot to be as fun and chill as possible, and I don’t want you worrying about whether or not you’ll like the locations you chose. If you unsure about a location for whatever reason or you don’t know what to pick, please don’t hesitate with any questions. I can usually answer anything you’re worried about, and if I don’t have an answer for you, we can figure it out together.