9 Ways to Find Photoshoot Locations

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Alexander Lozitsky CEO and co-Founder RetouchMe, Ukraine

• Photography locations ideas:
• 1. Practice new approach with city attractions
• 2. Take a walk, finding great photography locations
• 3. Learn from famous photographers
• 4. Ask friends if they have access to an unusual indoor location
• 5. Pay attention to a night time
• 6. Drive your car everywhere you can
• 7. Create new connections and make friends
• 8. Remember: two square meters are just enough!
• 9. Express your personality

Several ideas to avoid that annoying question: are there new photography spots near me?

• Change viewing angle and mode of thinking;
• Examine every corner of backyards and memorize coordinates;
• Learn important tricks by famous photo experts;
• Make new friends and obtain access to unusual locations;
• Do not neglect night images;
• Use car to discover new areas;
• Find your personality and online tools.

Let us face it, it is impossible to create great photoshoots using the same location for birthdays, weddings, etc. Even the most successful nature scenery can become awful, when it is the only place to be used as a background. Looking around, professional eyes can find numerous sights.

It does not matter if you need an urban landscape or night lights on the beach. The moment you start to explore photography locations, you will discover hidden magic of every picturesque hotspot.

Photography locations ideas:

1. Practice new approach with city attractions

It is always necessary to look at common areas with fresh new ideas. Change the viewing angle so that the usual building nearby will obtain other colors. There are places which tell their own story and share unique spirit. If you want to find this emotion, you need to understand exactly what you want to capture. The architecture of big cities is good for its infinity, graffiti walls and creative empty constructions.

2. Take a walk, finding great photography locations

A day or two for a walk to a historic part of a town is enough to discover beautiful area for shooting. Do not neglect possible surprises in courtyards, pay attention to interesting elements of architecture, textured walls. It is highly recommended to make photo-sketches, necessarily indicating the precise spot, using maps or mobile apps.

3. Learn from famous photographers

Use your time to find professionals, which attract you most with their works online or in art galleries. You can find many photographers on Instagram and Flickr, so it will be easy to find those who realized their best shots in areas you live or visit.

Viewing their works will help:

• to find the most popular and exciting places outdoors;
• to demonstrate potential of photography places that you have in mind.

Look at local experts, first of all. Locals have a big advantage, because they know right points and disadvantages of every single shot in common or unfamiliar spots. Perhaps they have lived there for many years and created a significant basis to be used by beginners. Their portfolio contains photos made during different seasons.

4. Ask friends if they have access to an unusual indoor location

The fact is that it is not always possible for a person to imagine artistic value of a room, where he spends 6-8 hours a day, five days a week. And if one of your friends has access to a factory, a large warehouse, a car parking, or even a library, this is a right choice for free! Find out if you can shoot there, what you need. And do not forget to thank your friend after shooting, because it is likely that you will use such a great idea more than once.

5. Pay attention to a night time

The light of shop windows and lanterns, car headlights, deep shadows – all this can create an unusual atmosphere picture of a place that may seem quite ordinary during the day.

The city is also interesting during sunrise and sunset. This trick works not only for parks and seasides. Unique charm of desert streets and morning soft light seem to transform well-known areas in a very favorable scene for your photo experiments.

6. Drive your car everywhere you can

Another inexhaustible source of new locations is a car trip. Everything is very simple: you take a camera, a model or a friend for company, a map of the region (or GPS) and go in search for creative spots. If you make your mind about the plot of the shooting beforehand, then it will be easier to find something specific and capture it immediately. Driving around and watching attentively can give an unexpected result to find fields, forests, lakes and cute landscapes to use in your work.

7. Create new connections and make friends

Spending leisure time in theaters, museums, concert halls and in other public societies, do not waste your time – get acquainted with staff, establish useful connections.

There is nothing weird about it, on the contrary, you will rather enjoy the pleasure of communication.

For example, one of such acquaintances can give an opportunity to get into a famous concert hall for free, with a stage light, to make a photo project. You may never know when and where a useful contact can work. The point is that with the help of friends and nice relationships with people around you can take pictures even in places where it is not allowed even for money.

8. Remember: two square meters are just enough!

It is difficult to imagine that sometimes there is nothing else you need except for a an apartment. Even if there is a great mess in a room, there is still a chance to select two square meters that can be used as a necessary backdrop of a picture. Decorations and accessories with a small retouch in post-processing will prove that there is nothing impossible for a creative professional.

9. Express your personality

When it comes to start your own style and trend, it is difficult to avoid duplicating famous professionals. Same places and weather conditions may play an important role in a choice of a plot for shooting. There is nothing wrong in taking photos of popular and well-known places. But sometimes all you need to do is to go ahead and look for less recognizable spots and ideas. There is an interesting approach of “photographic abstinence”, which helps to avoid influence on your personality by other famous works. In such a way every expert can develop a unique style without following well-known samples.

Use these nine steps to create an individual point of view, which will be definitely followed by newbies in future. There is nothing better than using online techniques in your search, like Google, Instagram and Maps. Most applications have an interesting and useful tool of pointing beautiful locations, attaching already made shots there. Practice more and do not stop travelling, looking for a successful picture. Only experience can fuel imagination of a creative person.

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Author

Alexander Lozitsky CEO and co-Founder RetouchMe, Ukraine

Co-founder of RetouchMe. In addition to business, he is passionate about travel photography and videography. His photos can be viewed on Instagram (over 1 million followers), and his films can be found on his YouTube channel.
Moreover, his profile is featured on the most popular and authoritative resource in the film industry — IMDb. He has received 51 international awards and 18 nominations at film festivals worldwide.