Location rich environment
There’s a lot of variables that factor into the success of a portrait session.
This article shares one that some experts fail to take into account.
One of the biggest factors that can make or break the value generated from a branded lifestyle portrait session has nothing to do with the Expert in front of the camera.
I’m talking about choosing the right location for your session.
This is a big decision for two reasons:
The decor and aesthetic must complement your personality and brand.
Conceptually, you want to be in a space that makes sense based on who you are as a person, how you work and where you work with your people. If you’re a city dweller and your photos are taken on a farm, that would create unnecessary confusion for your audience.
By sticking to locations that fall within your scope of life, this helps paint a broader picture for your audience and cements your personal brand in their minds.
There needs to be a variety of places for you to sit, stand, walk and lean against a wall.
On a practical level, when you have multiple seated and standing options, this offers your photographer a host of options when looking to capture your direct address and candid, lifestyle portraits.
This opportunity leads to more visual variety throughout your image content portfolio, which allows for more storytelling options for you and your creative team.
During a recent strategy call with Edson, we talked about location for a good portion of the conversation.
After hearing his story, we came to the conclusion that I needed to fly to him and shoot in a modern-looking space near the water.
After all, he lives in the Tampa area.
Once I arrived at the location, I was amazed at how much bigger the place was then in the photos.
Everywhere I looked, I saw tables, stools, hallways and conference rooms. And then there was the outdoor seating.
We hit the location jackpot - a location rich environment!
This was fortunate as we had plenty of photos to capture based on our comprehensive shot list created during the strategy call.
Here’s a peek at some of the assets we created:
The only issue I had with this space was that it was ginormous and took us time to walk and set up in new spots.
But, based on some of the places in which I’ve shot video and photos in the past, believe me, this is a VERY GOOD problem to have :)
Before you focus on anything else related to your branded lifestyle portrait session, be intentional about the location and setting of these photos.
When you look at the place, you want to feel like it would be somewhere you’d hang out or work from on a normal, random day. It needs to feel natural to you.
Don’t force a bad fit to work.
If you choose a place because you think it’ll make you look cooler, more prestigious and expensive, fill in the blank…
…then you’re choosing it for the wrong reasons.
Remember, you’re in the business of building relationships with those you serve, and being up front and honest with them is paramount to nurturing this relationship.
Be who you are in your photos - and have them captured in a space that reinforces this truth.
If you’re curious to learn more about my process behind capturing high-quality lifestyle portraits, you can do so right here.
Want to see if we’re a fit to work together? Set up a time to chat with me and let’s take it from there.