On location portraits – finding the right one

There are a couple of key factors to consider when having your next family portrait. There are all the usual, what should I wear? what style should we go for? are we dressing formally or are we going for a casual look?

As a premier leading portrait studio in Western Australia, we will guide you through those important decisions. All our clients who book a portrait session with us receive their complimentary and comprehensive guide on what to wear to your portrait session, how much makeup to apply, whether to wear glasses or not, and what props work. We have guidelines and suggestions for colour co-ordinating clothing, how to get the tones right, whether or not to wear all the same images, and how to dress so you can achieve the look you are after, all the while remaining comfortable and looking natural.

The other key factors to consider are timing and location. Our studios specializes in natural family on location portraits, images that appear candid and unposed and show you naturally having fun. Our motto is Life, Love, Laughter and it takes a little preparation to get it right.

Our studios specialty is on location portraits. The reason for this is simple. You and the family will feel more comfortable, especially young children who may normally feel cooped up in a studio. The session becomes an experience, a happy and joyful family moment, an event that you will always remember together.

The most important thing to remember is even with on location portraits the focus is still about the people and not the landscape. In saying this, yes the landscape is important, the background is essential, but it is merely a way of complimenting the people that are in it. A nice background will not over power the people in the portrait, but will add taste and flavour.

The essential key in on location portraits is most definitely lighting the scene right. In a studio, the strobes or flash become the key to lighting the subject and the background. On location portraits are controlled by the ambient light from the sun. The sun is a powerful beast and has the ability to dominate the portrait if not used correctly. You would have seen these images before or even taken them on your own camera. Things like harsh shows under the eyes, nose and chin or to one side of the face. Similarly splotchy light making unattractive patched on the face will do the same thing. With the right lighting not only will you get the most flattering portrait, but you will also have a splendid background to compliment and add flavour to the portrait and enhance your already glowing self. Get the light wrong and you merely add age to you.

Light is a Photographers trick and mastering outdoor light that you cannot dial down or amp up is a specialized art. It takes years of training and hands on experience to master this and be ready for whatever comes your way. But what on location portraits sessions allow, is for individuality and uniqueness. Shooting the same on location portraits at different times or on different days will give different looks. You will have your own unique portrait that is totally personal to you.

Much better than having the same pose, same backdrop, same lighting and same clothes as the last client that came through. And with a wealth of amazing locations here in Perth Western Australia and throughout the nation and world you will have a much more rewarding and natural experience. In the next part of this post I will go into the types of locations and show you some samples of how to get you personal portrait experience.

Below are a quick sample of some different types of locations and as we share more on how to select the right location for your on location portraits, we will add more sample to help you select the right type of location for your next family portrait.

An example of a on location portraits in the bush

An example of on location portraits in the Urban architectural location

A Twilight session

An example of  on location portraits in a Rural location . This was the clients actual farm

An example of on location portraits in the Park location

An example of on location portraits in a Beach location