Location photography is where you take your camera and any equipment to a subject rather than bringing the subject to you inside a studio. In a studio you can control everything down to lighting, background, etc. On location it is more difficult because you haven't set up the surroundings e.g. if you are shooting landscape images you can't control your backdrop, you can only compose what you want to. Location photography can be anywhere, in a house, in a city centre, on a mountain, the list goes on.
Things to consider when shooting on location :
1. Location -
When you look at stunning landscape and architecture shots there is a reason that they are so aesthetically pleasing. 90% of the beautiful landscape and architecture shots will have been carefully planned out and composed, they wouldn't have just been snapped. You need to consider your location carefully to get that perfect shot. Only choose a location that is interesting to you, because it will show within your images if you have done it because you want to do it rather than doing it for the sake of it. Visit the location at various times of the day to work out when the light looks best and when it is busiest - this will help in creating your desired shot.
2. Position -
When shooting on location you need to be able to move about and position yourself to get the best possible composition. Landscapes, buildings, mountains etc cannot move so if you want to position them in a different place in your photograph you need to move yourself as the photographer to get the shot you want. Taking things from a high vantage point will be great for landscapes but taking things from a low view can make things look a lot larger/taller if that is your desired effect. When composing an image always think about lines, rule of thirds etc. Your position could make or break an image.
3. Available Lighting -
You need to take advantage of the light that is available to you. You need to plan what you want to take a photograph of and choose the time of day that will work best for you - if you want a night shot you will need to go when it gets dark. If you want a shot during the day but don't want the light to be so bright you will need to go just as the sun has risen or before it is about to set to get less harsh light than at the midpoint during the day. If you can only do it at a particular time and there isn't enough available light you can create more by using reflectors and external flash.
4. Equipment -
Equipment isn't always needed but sometimes just using a tripod could make or break an image (especially if you're shooting at night). You could also use off camera flash to light up a subject or have different filters to put onto your camera lens to create different effects depending on what you want to capture.
Good
ReplyDelete