Shoot location…does it matter?

I’ve been photographing portraits for a fair few years now and the location of your photoshoot has a huge impact on your image. Let me explain…

In a studio you have a lot more control of the light, as you set up all the studio light in the way you want the images to turn out. You can have a lighting set up to blow out the background to pure white (as in the first image), all the way to the opposite so that everything is dark and mood (like the second image). You can have high contrast image, or more broad light set ups. It really is completely up to you. The only limitation you have is creativity and what lighting modifiers the photographer/studio has.

Location photoshoots have so many more variables. They can be indoor or outdoor and take a bit more planning. If indoor (gym/home etc) then the photographer needs to know what they are dealing with so they can decide with lighting and modifiers to bring. Then on the day playing with areas of the location to set up in and looking at various angles to get the images you're after. Outdoor shoots are slightly different as the weather is a big factor (I live in Manchester, UK and this can be very unpredictable). So it can be brilliant sunshine, pouring rain, boiling hot or freezing cold. You also have the issue that your location can be more crowded that you wanted or suddenly a building is covered in a scaffolding that your were wanting to use as a backdrop.

Reading this back why would you ever choose location over a studio? Well, it depends what the project/client needs. Both have their place, and really depends on what your shooting. Studio shoots can look fantastic, but often no surrounding context…they could be anywhere. Your can have a plan backdrop or pattered backdrop but often your in a studio to have a clean backdrop to concentrate on the subject, and nothing else. If you shoot in a location then you add in context. You can shoot in a city, a gym, in the countryside etc etc. Personally I find both great, but have shot studio stuff far more than on location, but am finding recently that you can get some drop dead lovely images by simply embracing the location and just working with it (the last 3 images above were all shot on the same day, with the same model in Manchester city centre - the variation in images is amazing). The photographer has the think a lot more on their feet I feet, looking around the location for the angles and backdrops that will yield the best images. When you’re planning your shoot then think about location too, can get fantastic results from either!