Choosing a location can often be one of the most difficult parts of preparing for a photoshoot. Below are a few tips to help you choose an awesome background for your photos.
1. Trust your photographer
Your photographer probably knows a lot about different locations in your area, so listen to them, give your input, and trust their opinion! Oftentimes, they’ll be taking things into consideration you wouldn’t think of. Personally, I love it when my clients have an idea of what kind of location they want and I can steer them in the right direction.
2. Pick a location that goes well with your outfit
I don’t even start thinking about location until I know what my client or model is wearing. If you’re wearing warm or earthy tones, think about shooting someplace that’s got a lot of exposed brick, or someplace in nature. If you’re wearing cool tones, maybe you want to shoot someplace more urban or industrial. Are you going for a really bold or colorful outfit? You might want to stick to a neutral or white colored background. However, don’t let your outfit match too well. If your outfit is the same color as the background, you could blend right in.
3. Make sure there's no events the day of your shoot
A lot of great locations in Wichita unfortunately double as event venues. When I’m choosing a spot for a shoot I always try to look at that location’s website if they have one, or I’ll look at their Facebook page to make sure there’s nothing going on around my shoot time. This tip always plays into the next one.
4. Have a Plan B
In my last point, I advised checking to make sure that there are no events happening at your location. Even after doing your research, you may show up onsite and there could be 100 people wandering around and it just won’t work out. Try to think of a Plan B so if you come to find that your Plan A doesn’t work, you can text your client the new location ASAP, ideally one that is nearby to the original one and gives off a similar vibe.
5. Consider the distance
If you’re shooting in multiple spots for one shoot, you may want to think about the distance. Luckily in Wichita there’s a lot of great locations super close to each other. Driving 15 minutes between each location can be a huge waste of time.
6. Get the most bang for your buck
Try to find locations that have a lot of different looking areas - this can make one location look like five and add a lot of variety to your client’s final album.
