I have been doing professional photography in and around Northern Virginia for a while now. There's a very specific and thought-out process to how I choose a location for my photoshoots. I feel that it's important for my clients to trust my judgement in choosing the perfect place to capture their memories.
Lighting
Hands down the most important thing I look for when picking a location is the sun's position. I want to see how and where the sun sets in each spot. I want a place that provides shaded areas but also areas with full sun. Having a consistent hour and a half to two hours of good usable light, regardless of cloud cover, is as good as gold to me!
Taking full advantage of the setting sun's unique light is vital to the style I want my work to convey. If there's too much shade in a location then I lose the sunlight way earlier than I'd like and I end up shooting in darker shade, losing that golden glow that I love to capture.
When scouting a spot I also look at the foliage. Will the surrounding natural backdrops work in every season and how does the time of year affect the sun set? If a certain spot has great foliage that catches the setting sunlight well in any season, then it becomes a top contender for a photoshoot location.
Space
I always try to find a location that has a versatile space, let me explain. Choosing a place that has multiple spots that have great texture, and dimension, as well as a variety of looks and feels is important. I want to make each session look a little different depending on the time of year so that each shoot feels unique! This even goes as far as each photoshoot looking different if it's the same family and location but during a different time of year.
Another question I ask myself is does a location have space to shoot long and short perspectives? I want those big "sky shots" but also to have visual interest, (details to draw the eye), close up!
Style
Sure, I can shoot some pictures on a median in a parking lot, and I do!! Often haha!! BUT ideally I look for well-rounded locations that cover all of the things I mentioned above in order to create consistent and quality work that my clients look for when hiring me.
I hope this gives a little look into my process for my clients. If you need professional photography done in North Virginia and the surrounding areas look me up!
Thanks for reading!