Choosing the best place for your photo session can be tough
That is definitely on the list of benefits for hiring you, as a professional photographer. As a professional, you will get to know who your client is and what message they want their photos to convey to their family and future self/selves. After all, photos are done to show the future who you are right now, be it the future you, the kids all grown up, grandkids or for generations down the line. For example, are they a person who likes uproarious laughter or are they more serious? Do they love the mountains or prefer just hanging out in their own yard? Is the family super affectionate with lots of PDA or more reserved and private. Do they have horses and land or are they more of a city dweller? What about their home? Is the decor earthy and woody, boho or more minimalist and industrial? All of these things (and many, many more) will play an important role in deciding where a client session will take place.
Indoor or outdoor
This is super important and probably the first question that needs to be answered when you are thinking about the photos. Will you want an outdoor look for or something more traditional in a studio setting? Each has it’s own set of challenges and rewards. Working outside, the photos will be affected by weather. If there is any wind at all, hair will be blown out of place and long hair can become unruly, blowing into the air or, worse, into the faces of all beloved family members with long hair.
Even the slightest wind will probably also influence how clothing looks, creating ripples in material or moving around skirts, sleeves and the fronts of shirts. Hats and other accessories can be easily blown off or even completely away (ever chased a cowboy hat across a meadow near a cliff, because I have, lol). What if it’s raining (or worse)? There could be other people, cars or animals in the shot that you didn’t want. However, all those issues aside, outdoor portraits are some of the most dramatic, most beautiful, most impactful and genuine that you could get. There is really something special about photos in the great outdoors. Just try looking for a place with minimal intrusions into the composition that you don’t want. That includes trails that could have people, roads, poles and wires, signs and more.
There is also the option of composite portraits. That is where you take the actual photo of your subject(s) and put them into a completely different set. This can be done to just utilize a different background, replace a background and floor, create a completely different scene or put together several elements into one. Literally, the sky is the limit when using digital backdrops, especially with the improvements made in AI, recently. Check out the example with the little boy and the giraffe, which was actually taken using a ball in the boy’s hands.
Photos done in the studio have their perks and benefits, too, though. It doesn’t matter what the weather or temperature is doing outside. These photos usually look more elegant and have more an air of luxury than their outdoor counterparts. It’s easier for you to play around with lighting styles indoors than out. In a relatively short amount of time, you can use the studio for low key, dark and moody portraits or high key, light and airy images, backlit silhouettes and all points in between. It’s also easier to keep kiddos in the same spot for longer periods of time, inside a studio setting. You and your client will figure out this part, together, as well as planning what, if any, props you will want to use. They may be the sort of person who loves a minimalistic approach or may prefer portraits that are filled with all sorts of things that they love (I knew of one client who literally brought a cargo trailer, as well as the truck bed, filled with things from home, every single year, that they wanted used in their family sessions, no lie).
The personality factor
You might be wondering what I meant, earlier, about the personality factor. Why would that matter? Well, there is actually a lot of psychology involved in creating the perfect portrait session. In general, certain personality types are typically drawn to certain styles. Someone who is more reserved and quiet will likely prefer a simple background, maybe with just one color, over a busy background filled with lots of props. Conversely, someone with a gregarious, talkative personality and who loves to laugh will likely be more drawn to lots of bright colors and many props. Could you picture Robert De Niro, Matthew McConaughey or Clint Eastwood or John Wayne (God rest him) posing for a photo in front of yellow shelves bursting with funny, brightly colored clockwork toys and rubber ducks? I bet it wouldn’t be a huge stretch to see Robin Williams (God rest him, too), Jim Carrey, Melissa McCarthy or Will Ferrell there, though. As a professional photographer, you will help navigate the perfect look, poses and styling for your client’s personality and family dynamic. For practice in honing this skill, take a quick moment with each person you see, in any environment, and visualize how you would photograph them, based only on their observed behaviors and attire. Good luck!
