How I choose my photo session locations

When I first got to this family’s house, I walked around their yard. I was so excited to find this spot behind their house. It was a great location for a family photo session!  They live on a farm so we of course also had to use the beautiful orchard.  When I am location scouting, the three things that go through my mind are light, location, and layout.

LIGHT FOR PHOTO SESSION LOCATIONS

The first and most important thing I consider for finding a family photo session location is lighting.  I want to make sure I find the best light to photograph your family.  This usually means I am looking for a spot where the sun is behind your family and you are in even light.  In this spot in their yard, the light was coming through the trees making a beautiful glow in the background, but they were in the shade creating a soft even light on their faces.  When we moved to the orchard, the light was more harsh so I had to be sure to turn them so that the light was not hitting their faces.

BACKGROUND FOR PHOTO LOCATIONS

The second thing I am thinking about is the background.  I like my photos to be light and bright so I am looking to see that there is a light background.  This photo session location in their yard was great because there was a tree overhead creating shade, but then the other trees were far off in the distance being hit by early evening sunlight making them light colored.  The orchard is a beautiful location, so I didn’t have to worry much about that here.

LAYOUT OF PHOTOS

The third thing I am thinking about is how I want to layout or compose my images.  I like to get different angles of the family I am photographing.  I also like to have layers and texture in the images.  The layers of the grass and trees in their yard in addition to the trees and tall grass in the background made for great texture.  The low lying branches created more layers and texture as well.  In the orchard, I wanted to be sure to use the rows of trees to frame the family I was photographing.  I used the leaves of trees to soften some of the edges of the photos and lead your eye to the family.

See more family photo sessions here