If you can it is always worth doing a few shots of a location before the actual shoot, even visiting the location a couple of times a head of a shoot to check out the best parts of location and most importantly where the light will be a different times of the day. For instance for weddings I like to see the church and reception ahead of the big day and know where the the light is going to be in relation to the time of the wedding.
I think this is equally as important when going a fashion or portrait shoot on location. The great fun for me with location shoots is the amount of uncertainty and and the need to be able to think on your feet, the weather is unpredictable especially in the UK, and some other unexpected event is inevitably going to happen. But nevertheless I don't think going in "blind" is likely to get the best results and that fun may turn to frustration if nothing goes according to plan.
The image shown here is one such dry run shoot, I have shot at this location before, but have never used this part of it due the fact that the light wasn't right, when i took this it was perfect, and so I now know what time of day the shot will work best, even on a duller day the principle will be the same.
It has never been easier with digital cameras to go along to a location and take a few shots of different parts of it to remind you what you want to achieve on the day of the actual shoot, so go take images ahead, and if is important enough you may even consider taking a model along like I did. The image here was taken totally in natural light with no additional fill from flash or reflectors the location provided it's own diffusion of light, but the window of opportunity for this is no more than an hour.
I hope this tip has been helpful.
Marc;-)Labels: marc byram photography tips how to great fashion portrait images, on location
