Secret to Taking Great Photos from Any Location

How to Take Great Photos From Any Location

A few weeks ago, we looked at how to find great photoshoot locations near you and I showed how you can find some really great locations, pretty much anywhere.  Its just a matter of looking closely and adjusting your perspective. 

Since then, I've been working on Part Two of this series and I am so excited to bring you some more fresh insight to creating beautiful images no matter what your surroundings, even a boring location.  Like I mentioned before, it only takes a small area and the right perspective and you can create beautiful images in places others have passed right over.

Photoshoot Location Example #1

Here is an image from one of my recent senior sessions.  This was taken while we were shooting downtown and had just finished shooting in an alley filled with paintings.  As we came out, I knew the light was beautiful here, and it would make for a simple but striking portrait.

On one side of her, there were parked cars and on the other side of her there was a broken down truck and family.  So for this image, I shot vertically between the two.  I was able to do a few different poses with my senior here and they will make a pretty set of images in her session.

Photoshoot Location Example #2

For this next example, the final image is of another beautiful senior girl surrounded by lush green leaves tinged with red in places.  The colors are lovely here and compliment her skin and hair well.  Now, looking at the pull-back, you can see this is nothing more than a small tree on a sidewalk.  This is less than a block from the previous example.

Photoshoot Location Example #3

For this next example, I only had to move across the street from the previous example.  I placed her in the corner here and used the lines of the brick as part of the composition of this image.  The leading lines work well in leading your eye to the subject.  You can see from the pull-back image how I placed her against the wall.  In this case, the pull-back image is also a final image from this session.

Photoshoot Location Examples #4 & 5

For these next two examples, we moved back out into the street for a few shots, with assistants watching for traffic.  You can see from the pull-back image that this is just a normal street, just before sunset (golden hour is one of my favorite times to shoot) and the lamps had begun to turn on.

Photoshoot Location Examples #6 & 7

In this next example, I was actually in the same parking lot as the first example.  Against the brick wall, there are a few trees.  At first glance, this location might be easy to overlook, but I use it quite frequently now and it produces lovely, lush images.

You can see that I will place my subject in front of the trees, as well as within the trees themselves.  When the subject is placed within the trees, some foreground interest is created.  When the subject is placed in front of the trees, the trees function as a lovely background.

Photoshoot Location Example #8

Here is a lovely image of a little girl in a beautiful yellow dress, looking up at a stunning wall of vines extending up a pretty, yellow wall.  As you can see from the pull-back, the yellow wall is actually the side of a house and the vines extend over a fence between the house and a neighboring business.

Photoshoot Location Example #9

Here is another example from the same location.  This time with only the lush green of the vines showing as the background.

Photoshoot Location Example #10

What is interesting about the location with the vines shown in the previous 2 examples, is that it also offers a completely different style.

As you can see from the pull-back, this area behind a local gas station is home to both the vines from the previous examples and a more industrial looking rack of tires.  This would make an ideal location for a senior session because it offers such variety in one place.

I hope these examples help you begin to really see the world around you, and show you how can take great photos from any location.  Happy exploring!

Note: All of these fabulous edits were achieved with Pretty Presets using Pretty Preset's Clean Edit Portrait Presets, and Perfect Portrait Brushes.

To see more location images including pull-backs, check out our post "Do You Need a Perfect Location for Amazing Photos?".

Do you have any questions or comments about How to Take Great Photos from Any Location?  Leave us a comment below - we would LOVE to hear from you!  And PLEASE SHARE our tutorial using the social sharing buttons (we really appreciate it)!