Often, I'm asked, "How do you come up with your locations?"
My answer is always the same. I get in my car, drive around town and pull out my iPhone when I see a place or space that looks interesting. I am under the mindset that you can shoot anywhere and make it look great with a little improvisation and creativity. My goal for this post was to push and challenge any of my readers who find it hard to find exciting and different space to shoot their subjects.
My client, Le’Annka, wanted to do something different. She didn't wish to studio portraits. She wanted to be creative and diverse, and so she was adamant that we shoot outdoors. When she and I met for a consultation, I showed her my plans for a shoot to take place in tall blades of grass one would find in nature.
Now, living on a small island presents its issue with always having somewhere new to photograph. New Providence, the island that I live on, is only 21 miles long by 7 miles wide, and there are few public spaces one can gain access to. Some areas are overused repeatedly because of convenience, flexibility and can we say lackadaisicalness?
I knew I wanted to shoot Le’Annka in the "bush" on the side of the road, reminiscent of my earlier days of being a photographer. I had no studio, so I used the beaches, bushes and nature as my set. I thought to use a stunning hand-painted canvas backdrop I'd ordered from Portrait Drops on location, sort of a makeshift studio, and I knew I’d mix ambient lighting with my strobe.