Location Scouting

Location, location, location.

WRITTEN BY CLARA JACOBSEN

When I began learning the ins and outs of photography all of my photos were being taken within my university studio. I loved the lighting equipment they provided but eventually this turned into a bit of a problem for me. I started to lose my inspiration, which took a toll on my creative portfolio. I was relying on the studio and equipment rather than my own creativity and seeing others photos online only made it harder.

If you’re like me and you dedicate time to updating and searching through Instagram, you’ll know what I mean by that. I wanted to put myself out there and take amazing photos but I had no idea where to start, that’s where this article comes in.

Now let’s get into how you can better scout locations for your photography. The Internet is obviously very helpful for you in this instance. You can discover new places you may want to test out and there are many websites dedicated to helping you do just that. (These include a lot of sites like: ShotHotspot, Locationscout, etc.) Shot Hotspot will assist you in finding great places to take pictures anywhere in the world. You can search for hotspots or even add your own!

Flickr is another really useful media platform in which you can draw inspiration from other photographers and find locations in your area. Some photos will actually have details of the exact location/GPS data. If they’re geotagged you’ll get the location of where it was shot on your map.

Moving on to Instagram. It’s a great place to share your selfies, but it’s also very helpful in finding new and fresh locations that you may not have known about. Don’t be afraid to get into the community and ask others questions about their work. Look up relevant hashtags near you and see if there’s anything useful. Location really can be a huge part of a make or break photo so don’t be nervous to seek advice from others or look through local photographers feeds for encouragement. If you haven’t had enough motivation by now to get out there and scout for yourself there are online challenges for you to test your skills. For example there’s the ‘ugly location challenge’. Go somewhere that may lack a clear aesthetic look then push yourself to use think outside the lines.

Prior organisation can be very key. If your shoot has a theme or a certain direction, knowing your location is vital. Getting props ready and equipment sorted takes a lot of pressure off you.

Also, if you’re planning on collaborating with other creatives like models, stylists, makeup artists, etc. them being clear on what your vision is for the end product is beneficial for everybody involved. When you’re looking for a location don’t close yourself off because it isn’t instantly a perfect backdrop. Look for the subtle details and focus on that. Things like leading lines and textures are a great starting point to look for. If you really take in all of the possibilities you’ll be able to use any location in no time. Don’t be worried to ask your model if they have ideas they’d like to try either, chances are another set of eyes may have picked up something you didn’t. Additionally, lenses with a wide aperture can really help you here. They can blur the background enough that the aesthetic of where you are can be completely new.

Now, editing is your secret weapon, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop are now your partners in crime. Learning how to properly modify your photos is such a big must within the photography world. People will pay for editing and retouching because editing really is half the job. Some of the things you can be achieving just through photo editing are: removal of unwanted background elements, enhancing/changing colour, retouching, cropping, etc. There is no limit to the effects that can be brought about in a simple photograph.

You can make yourself look like a movie star. You can make a simple landscape stand out with all the colours of the rainbow. You can make anything more vibrant and more fun. AKA make your life seem more interesting than it really is. Because let’s be honest, everyone else is doing it. Also, please make sure you check the weather forecast for where you’re going to shoot. The last thing you want is to be caught by a storm and completely unprepared for those conditions.

My last tip is to just look around. When I’m on trains, buses or even if I see something while I’m driving, I’ll look for a keyword around the area and keep that in my mind. You can then look on Google maps or search around and easily find the address or area it’s located in. This has left me with almost too many places I want to shoot which may seem overwhelming but it’s also very exciting. Warning: Once you switch your location goggles on there’s no turning back.

If you keep practicing and searching for that new exciting backdrop it’ll not only improve your shoots but also spur you on in the future. Try and shoot as much as you can – it doesn’t matter what or who your subject is as long as you’re getting out there. Don’t be afraid of taking a bad photo.

Since I’ve gone more out into the community and researched more and more new techniques I can now say happily that I really am currently creating some of my best work. Work that I’d be proud to post online or use in my portfolio.