Earlier this week, I wrote 50 non-specific, yet very romantic and creative, location ideas for your engagement, day after, or everyday couples photography session.
Now, I want to give you some tips for choosing your own picture perfect location for your special wedding photos. These tips can even apply to family photos, senior portraits, maternity pictures, or any type of portrait or lifestyle photo session.
We just love weddings the most. ;)
A maternity session on the beach
- Find a place that is important to you
This could be a restaurant where you had a first date, the park where you had your first kiss, the beach where your daughter built her first sand castle, the church where you baptized your son, or any other location that is extremely special to you. If you can’t think of any locations that have a unique significance to you or the other people who will be in the photo, here is a list of ideas that might help. - Find an area with a beautiful backdrop
Are you drawing a blank when it comes to location ideas that both hold a special meaning to you and the others in the shoot AND sound like a decent idea for a photo shoot? Or, are you traveling to region for the photography session that is rather unfamiliar to you? Just do a quick search on Google for “beautiful spots in _____” or ask around (you’ll be surprised what sort of information you can get from waiters, hotel concierges, and checkout clerks). There are thousands of gorgeous locations all around and you shouldn’t have to go to far to find one you love.I know of too many of these beautiful places in Los Angeles and greater southern California to write about, but I will definitely be sharing my favorites in weeks to come. Just think about pretty beaches, parks, or gardens, a cool cityscape, an awesome building, or any location that takes your breath away every time you go to it.
- Just be Creative
An important rule of thumb is that the location itself does not have to be breathtaking in order for the photos themselves to be stunning. I once saw a photo of a couple in front of a dumpster that looked really amazing and at first I didn’t even realize it was a dumpster behind them. I’m not suggesting that you associate your relationship with garbage, but I am trying to point out that great photos can be created in virtually any location. So if you’re still stumped for location ideas after reading the first two bullet points, have no fret. Just walk out your door, close your eyes, spin around a few times, and wherever you stop, point your finger. Pick a creative location in that direction. - Consider the sun
I’ll cover more detail on lighting and the best time of day for a photo session in a later article, but I bring this up now mostly because the sun can make a huge difference in a location. And, not only outdoor locations. Depending on the time of day, an otherwise boring location may have really cool shadows or a great view of the sun setting or rising in the background. - Choose a few locations close together
Especially if you have a 3 or 4 hour photo session, you will have plenty of time to get awesome photos at more than one nearby location. Maybe you want to start by the harbor and walk down to the beach. Or, you want to begin at an elegant church and make your way to a local park or garden. If you do this, you will then have many more unique pictures to hang on your wall, share with family and friends, and post as your Facebook profile picture for years to come. - Think about each perfect spot at your special location(s)
Now you have picked out a wonderful place or two of significance or you have a few otherwise gorgeous or creative location ideas in mind. But, even one general location can have hundreds of spots that can make a great photo backdrop. A building has lots of rooms inside and corners outside. A beach may have some piles of rocks or trees in different areas.Try to dig a bit deeper and think about the area around your location of choice. What parts of this place are the most breathtaking, just simply unique, or hold the most memories for you? If you just like the location for the location, don’t worry. Your photographer should have a lot better of an idea of what spots will work well once he has an opportunity to see the area.
An awesome portrait location
