Sometimes the background can say way more than the subject, a silhouette caught in motion in front of an industrial junkyard, a suited man in a corporate office or a car winding across a sweeping landscape, a great backdrop can speak volumes to what the picture is really about.
Regardless if you're new to photography or an old hand, we all find ourselves stuck in a pattern where our photos are looking a little same same, or we're tired of shooting in living rooms or studios in front of a white wall, here are a few tips for finding that bit of locational inspiration and what to look out for when you get out there.
Know your StoryThe big key to a great shoot is always preparation. Before anything else take a moment to ask yourself a few questions, to really get to know the story you're trying to tell:
What is the image about? (Coming of age Portraits, Wedding Portraits, Artists & Musicians, Car, Corporate, Advertising)
Are there any underlying moods or themes? (Grungy, Industrial, Clean, Urban, Rustic, Nature, Masculine / Feminine.)
What's the story or message I'm trying to tell?- A Photo series of Boy meets girl
- This car is a great four-Wheel Drive
- Here are some of the buildings this architect has designed.
How many photographs do I need? (Is it a standalone picture or part of a series?)
The more questions you can answer in preparation and not out on location, the easier the ideas will flow, resulting in a much smoother shoot.
Armchair ScoutingGroup your idea/images together on websites like Pinterest and you'll begin to see a theme in the images you are choosing. Flickr can also offer up some great ideas too, as well as geotagging information.
With direction firmly in place, let the search for a location begin!
There are plenty of photography forums offering suggestions for specific cities and areas, but a good starting point is to enter into a search engine, your theme plus a city or suburb. For example "Engagement Portraits Industrial Sydney."
Try using google maps/earth street view, so you can go straight to these locations and get a feel for what the location may be like.
With the information at hand, it's now possible to assess a few key details:- How far is it, from where I am or need to be?
- Is it realistic to shoot here? (time, budget)
- Is parking accessible?
- Do I require any special permits/permission to shoot here?
Whilst it is handy to have every bit of gear you own on location, "Oh but what if I want to take this shot', What if I'm too far away?' We are constantly justifying it all the time. But, lugging all your equipment around can hinder the creative process. Try to minimise the equipment carried to just one or two lens. If you are portrait scouting perhaps carry an 85mm and a 35 or 50mm lens, or better still, a zoom lens that covers all the ranges.
Travelling LightThere are a myriad of Mobile Apps that can make it so much easier.
Viewfinders: These apps simulate the lens as well as some common camera body types giving you a heads up on composition and framing. These apps can simulate lens and body types of most major DSLRs and other variation of others. (Eg. Mark II viewfinder, artemis) Lightmeters: These apps will give you exact camera settings to bring the best out of your photographs, these will also give you a clear idea on whether you need to use a flash or to open up some more window curtains. There are varying degrees of functionality with price from free to $3.49 (Lux, LightMeter Free, Lightmeter Pro)
Now that we are ready to get out there, ideas firmly placed, equipment at the ready, the next article will look at what to do once you are on location and what to look out for -things such as light direction, texture, colour as well as safety and logistics.