Top Tips for Choosing the Ideal Location for Your Senior Photo Session

There are a number of decisions you need to make when planning a senior photo session and choosing a location is one of them. You can’t choose just any location either – it needs to fit in with your personality and the style of your shoot.  I’m here to help!  I love getting to know your senior and helping them decide on the perfect location – or locations for their senior photo session.  Let’s go over some Top Tips for Choosing the Ideal Location for Your Senior Photo Session

Here are a few tips to help you narrow down your options a little quicker.

• Decide what you want your photos to say about you. Who are you? Do you love the outdoors, art, sports? Are you a bit of a flower child? By jotting down the things you love, a few location ideas should spring to mind. Your photos need to showcase your personal style, so choose your location accordingly.
• Look for locations with different features. We will capture a variety of photos, so we’ll plan for a location with different spots and features. Examples of features include fences, trees, a swing, water or anything that could act as a backdrop and fits the senior’s style and personality.
• Find out about possible restrictions. If you’re considering using a commercial location, I’ll check to see if we need a permit to take photos. Some permits can sometimes take awhile to process.
• Consider timing. Some locations are busier than others and if you want to avoid crowds of people, you will need to time your shoot well. It’s better to have as little people in the background of your photos as possible.
• Lighting matters too. Natural light is a must for photos, including your senior portraits. You could have the best background, but if the lighting is bad, you won’t get the best results. It’s also important to remember that you might need to time your shoot around the best lighting.  For locations and time when we don’e have the best I bring studio lighting along with me.
• Decide what you want to wear. The outfit you choose for your senior photo session also matters when choosing a location. For example, wearing an evening dress to the park doesn’t exactly work very well. Your outfit should also match your personality, so decide on this before you start looking at locations.  Bring along a favorite outfits, and now a great time to treat yourself to something new>  Bring a dressier option too if that is ‘you’.  Don’t forget about accessories!
• Get creative. There are no set rules when it comes to choosing a location for your photo session. Let’s get creative, think outside the box, and choose a location that suits you.

I’ve been adding pages to help with decisions on locations.  Here is the page about Detroit Senior Photo Session locations.  Stay tuned for more!