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Why you should travel to your next photoshoot location!

One of the biggest stressors that people have when planning their photoshoot is deciding what location they want to have their photos taken at. Location affects a lot of different aspects of a photo. It affects the background, the lighting, the style, and one of the most important, the experience of having the photos taken.

Traveling for a photoshoot and staying away from the local popular areas can greatly benefit the effects of a location, and here is how:

1. Turning Your Photoshoot into an Experience

Having your photo taken is nerve-wracking. Sometimes it’s hard not to feel awkward when you’re posing in a way you wouldn’t ever typically have to in your day-to-day life. To add to the awkwardness, having your photo taken in the middle of downtown in front of hundreds of people passing by, with a photographer you just met minutes before, can make the day pretty stressful.

By traveling for your photoshoot, a lot of the stress can come off of your shoulders. Having time set aside to take a small road trip to a lesser populated area gives you the chance to breathe and be more comfortable while having your photo taken. You get to have the experience and memory of the trip attached to your photos. 

2. Building a Relationship with Your Photographer

If you and your photographer are comfortable with the idea, traveling to your photoshoot and carpooling is a great way to get the chance to learn more about your photographer, and for the photographer to learn more about you! It is important that we photographers learn about you. We care about your values, and what you look for when having your photos taken. Having this traveling time to chat can improve how the photographer is able to highlight you and your personality in your photos. We can learn more about what poses you are and aren’t comfortable with, as well as details and insecurities you may have when having your photo taken.

This is also a great ice breaker and an easy way to settle your nerves for the photoshoot. Building a relationship with your photographer before the session helps you to gain trust and to be confident in your abilities and the photographer’s abilities. This can be a great way for the photographer to settle their nerves too! Trust me, we can get nervous! Any chance that we photographers have to know more about you will improve how we perform in making your photos unique to who you are. 

3. Having Uniqueness and Variety in Location Options

Staying close to home to have your photos taken can reduce the impact the location has on your photos. Taking photos at popular areas like downtown or at big parks takes away uniqueness and is likely going to prohibit your photos from standing out to others and from standing out in your memories. When people see the photos of you and your spouse downtown, the familiarity of the scene alone is enough for people to glance by the picture. But a photo of you and your spouse at a traveled location tells more of a story and brings beauty and interest into the photo that is enough to make someone appreciate the photo more, including yourself!

There is also a great variety of different types of settings to choose from when you are willing to travel for your photos. Staying local limits the possibilities for unique backgrounds and locations. Keep in mind, traveling for a photoshoot does not mean you have to jump on a plane or take multiple days off from work. While taking a trip to a tropical location with your photographer sounds like fun, traveling just means that you are getting away from the normal local areas and finding unique scenery. This can be anywhere between a 45 minute and a 3-hour drive! That is up to you and your photographer on what works best for you, and what style you would like your photos to have. There are so many amazing landscapes that traveling can bring you to. Here are just some locations with some photo examples:

• Wheat Fields
• Mountainscapes
• Pine Trees/Forests
• Flower Fields
• Flat Hills
• Old/Run-Down Towns
• Bridges
• And so SO much more

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4. Having High Quality and Memorable Photos

This last point ties in everything that was previously said. A good photo can be taken by a skilled photographer, but a great and quality photo requires capturing a story and memory. Great photos are the photos that we remember the emotion behind, the photos that have a reason, and the photos that have an experience tied to it. While these seem like primarily emotional aspects, they visually stand out to be higher-quality photos. Photos of a family downtown on a familiar street smiling into the camera can look rushed and may not hold up in the family legacy. However, a trip taken with a quality and unique background shows time spent capturing a unique and beautiful moment. 

Here are some quotes from my clients about their experience traveling with me to a location for their photoshoot: 

I hope you benefit from this post and can use this as a resource when planning your next photoshoot! If you’re interested in booking with me and traveling, know that I am thrilled to have an adventure and to help you have a relaxing and fun experience during your session!