How do you select location venues for your photo sessions?

Many clients and friends want to know how I go about deciding on locations for my lifestyle family portrait sessions. Well, aside from selecting between capturing a family in their home or yard, park, beach, countryside, forest area or city scene, there are certain factors that I take into consideration when deciding what I think will be best for the family shoot:

• The light is an important factor when determining a location. Being a natural light photographer, I’m constantly searching for the light. Prior to selecting a venue, I ask myself questions like: What direction does the sun face and set in relation to the designated spot? Is there shade? Will we be in the direct sun? Will we be struggling with harsh shadows? Is flattering sun flare a possibility? Using light to enhance the images is the goal. When photographing indoors, I look for light by windows or in rooms that are well lit and am sure to turn off any overhead lights because mixing natural light with artificial light produces an unnatural light.

• The time of day is crucial when deciding on a start time for your shoot. The best time to capture an outdoor session is the early morning at or just after sunrise OR one hour before the sun sets, when the light is soft and golden, hence the term, “the golden hour.” You could be at the most exotic location but if you decide to shoot at noon without any shade or light reflectors, then you would be disappointed by the effects of squinty eyed subjects, with raccoon eye shadows and speckles of shadows on them and in the background.

• The scenery surrounding the area is what give the session it’s own unique flair. At the right time of day, when the light is golden and less intense, the scenery becomes dreamy. I look for locations that feature pretty trees, short green grass or tall grasses for a country feel, flowers, rocks, a bridge, walkways, dirt roads, paths, columns, unique architecture, lakes, rivers, oceans, winding staircases, hills, or anything scenic and places that are secluded (or at least semi secluded) from people and/or large crowds unless of course you’re going for that busy city scene.

This family wanted a local park that would be great for the kids.

Using the criteria above, I selected a park in Jupiter because of its unique bridge over the lake and because I love the way the sun shines through the trees as the sun is setting. Since the sun sets in the west, I was able to position the family facing me in the east and create lovely backlit images with sun flair on the bridge. We were also able to capture more images on the grass and in the path. The light was soft and golden and flattering since we started one hour before sunset. Check out a preview from the session below.