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Finding Locations That Shape Your Signature Look · Luxe & Legacy Podcast

Welcome to the Lux and Legacy Podcast.
I'm Marie from Marie Elizabeth Photography.
And I am Amber from Light Live in Photography.
We created this show for photographers who are ready to run a luxury business with clarity, intention, and elevated artistry.
Each week we uncover the strategies behind high level brands from shooting and styling to client communication, to marketing, to designing heirloom products that increase your value.
If you want to attract aligned clients, produce, work with a recognizable aesthetic and build a business that supports the life you want, this podcast will guide you there.
Let's dive in.
Welcome, Welcome.
Today we are talking about something that is a frequently asked question for Marie and I both.
How do we find such amazing locations? Yes, we're gonna talk about kind of what we both look for and what we look for is different based on our artist eyes.
But we're also gonna go over some practical tips for how to find some new locations in your photography business.
For me, my look is very consistent.
I love negative space.
I love light in the background.
I just love that glow.
Do I have to have it? No.
But is it a really key element that I've built into my brand? Yes, if it's cloudy, often my clients will opt to reschedule for a more sunny day 'cause we have many sunny dates here in California and we can do that.
But if they decide to go ahead with the shoot, I just make sure that I am using a location that has light colored, ground lighter toned trees.
avoid dense dark forests at all costs.
call these nature walls in my photography course because I feel like it creates a dense wall behind the subject and doesn't allow for that glowy, ethereal look with the soft falling off bokeh in the background.
I also love texture.
I am never drawn to flat two dimensional spaces like a plain wall, or like I said, a nature wall where everything just visually stops behind the subject.
I'm always looking for depth.
I want that distance in the background so that I can get the, the glowing boca that my work is really known for.
Even if I'm shooting in a field, I am looking for variation, like taller grasses, subtle layering, something that creates dimension.
I look for a lot of those items as well, and I'm gonna talk about one of the obvious ones, and that is light and it's probably.
One of the obvious ones because it's one of the most important ones.
There definitely needs to be enough light in a location, but I want there to be a large portion of the location that I can have my client's back lit.
So with the sun behind them, I like having other lighting spots and opportunities too, like dappled light or direct light.
I don't want the entire location to be direct sun or dappled light.
I know some photographers really specialize in direct sun, but that's not for me.
So I want to ensure that the sun will be able to be behind my subjects for most of the session and not go down too soon or be up too high depending on time of day.
I do photograph about an hour or so.
After sunrise and a couple hours before sunset when I'm outside.
So I wanna ensure that the sun is still visible in these locations at these times.
Yeah, and again, what you're looking for in a location is just something that you have to develop parameters for based on the brand and look that you wanna create.
So what I wanna create and what I look for is not exactly what Marie Mm-hmm.
looks for in a location.
And I think where photographers get stuck is they look for just pretty, instead of what actually is going to lend itself to creating the look.
For your brand, if you're constantly fighting your location and editing and it's, it's probably not your preset, it's the environment.
So for me, when I'm checking out a location, I'm asking myself, can I backlight here? Is there negative space that I can get in in my frame? Is there depth? Is there clutter? Those type of questions help me narrow down which locations I'm going to as what I offer for my clients.
And if you're asking yourself like, what if a client wants to shoot at a park at two o'clock? Well, I'm someone who I'm.
A portrait photographer because I love being able to curate my locations based on an exact look rather than just showing up to a random spot and not knowing at all where the light is and how the compositions are going to look.
I like to know my environment at least.
at least have seen other photographers who I know understand light, and I know based on their photos that I'm gonna get really great photos there.
But if I haven't seen that, I don't just, I don't just let the client pick, I let them pick from a list of curated locations that I have.
Yes, absolutely, absolutely.
At the end of the day, we.
We are in control of our brands.
So choosing locations that align with what we wanna put out there to represent us is so important.
Beyond light, I look for texture and layers.
I also love texture because.
In a location, texture will add interest to a photo.
So what I'm looking for are blooms tall grass like you, unique architecture, maybe some stone rocks, that kind of thing.
All of these will make a photo stronger compared to a family standing on short grass with nothing going on.
I'm easily inspired by my surroundings, so I like playing with what's already there.
I also am always looking for layers.
So layers kind of ties in with texture, but I believe that layers add refinement to photos.
And you can create layers in many, many different ways, like with your posing with wardrobe, but the location is a great tool to create layers.
I love adding foreground.
My images through blooms or grass.
I love the framing.
Architecture can provide layers, really just elevate an image and whenever I'm photographing outside and spring, I am trying to find locations where.
I can add that foreground with blossoms.
If I'm at a location that has archways, I love stepping back and creating layers with that, maybe putting my subject further through the archway, so just seeing how I can make an image more dimensional with what's at a location.
Yeah, layering is huge for me too.
I wanna be able to have a foreground, a mid-ground, a background, and be able to frame them with a little bit of foreground.
Most often, like even if I'm shooting in a rose garden, I pretty much always want to have at least a little bit of foreground playing in the corners.
I don't want it to be distracting, but.
I think it just adds so much depth to the photo, so that's something that I look for as well.
Okay.
I tend to prefer lighter environments in general.
Okay, now let's talk about colors and tones in the environment, especially on a cloudy, cloudy day.
I wanna make sure I'm not surrounded by a lot of dark greens, that type of thing, or a really thick, dense bush, because that's gonna photograph even darker on a cloudy day.
So if it's cloudy, I'm going to be looking for.
of a lighter, more neutral color, like a beach maybe.
A pathway that's really light, a light gray pathway, sand, gravel, that type of thing, rather than shooting at a garden with really dark grass.
So when I first started, I was solely focused on the Brighton area aesthetic.
So I wanted locations that basically had a lot of sky to make the image feel as bright as possible.
Now I diversify a bit more with color and locations, so I'm not as picky now with color like I used to be.
I do like playing with deeper greens, maybe some darker stone in the background.
I.
Usually don't want like too, too much dark green if it's like a cloudy day, as you said, amber.
So if it is a cloudy day and there is dark green at a location, I'm also looking for something else just because I don't want that dark green to overpower and image.
And the key you wanna think about is.
Color things are behind your subject because the background colors will take up most of the frame, meaning they're gonna take up most of the picture.
And color theory is a whole thing.
So colors will affect the feel of a photo.
So again, when I'm looking for locations, now I am.
Not as picky about colors as I used to be.
I embrace a lot of brighter colors now, but I'm thinking about how those colors are gonna tie in with the other things we've talked about so far, so far, like texture, layers and light.
Okay, so something else that we look for and every photographer should look for are distractions.
Every location has distractions.
They can be trash cans, parked cars.
People walking by and in some public spaces, you simply cannot avoid it.
So it becomes about strategy.
You want to position your subjects carefully.
You can either have them block a distraction, pull them farther away to greater.
Create a greater depth of field shoot wide open, so they're blurred out, but you don't want there to be a visible trash can in an image, or if there is a parked car, you don't want it to be super noticeable to draw your eyes in.
There's this one archway that I love to photograph.
And I, the problem with the archway is that it is right up against parking spaces, and so sometimes there are cars parked in the parking spaces and I have to completely edit the cars out, but when there's no cars parked in the parking spaces to get the full arch in view with my 50 millimeter lens, I have to back up quite a bit and I end up getting part of the parking space in the.
In the image, which to me is okay.
But the problem or the thing I wanna avoid is seeing the white lines of the parking space because that makes it so obvious.
It's a parking space and provides distraction.
Now that's a simple editing tweak I can do.
But that's just something you wanna think about it.
You don't want someone's eyes to immediately be drawn to something that is not.
A part of the image you want remembered? Yeah, and I think that's a big difference between budget photographers and luxury photographers is we're thinking about every little element of the photo, where the hands are placed, the angle of the chin, what's showing in the background.
Are there distractions? Are there clutter? Because if you're in the lower budget, you're taking a lot of sessions to make ends meet, and you don't have time to.
Mm-hmm.
that really.
With luxury, you, you have the space and time to be able to edit those things out, or at least just be more aware of it in general.
At where you're aiming.
For me, I will still prioritize.
The light over that, if there's a trash can can, but like, Ooh, this spot has the best flowers and light.
will just edit it out.
But definitely it's something to keep in mind when you're looking for locations, and I typically prefer spots that are more.
Farmland, like out in nature or like a regional park, that type of thing.
That way you're not, you're not getting some of those.
But we live in such different environments, Marie, so you get to shoot at these gorgeous historical places.
We just don't have very many places like that here.
We have a lot.
Farm country in the, in northern California, so it's just, yeah.
It's interesting where you live will affect what you're looking for as well.
Okay.
One of the most practical ways I, or let me start over.
Okay, now we wanna really dive into the big question that people have is like, okay, okay, I get what I'm supposed to look for, but how do I find these locations? Like what? What do you do? They don't just magically appear and It does take work to find these locations.
And one myth I want to debunk here I get a lot of messages or in my captions, oh, you're just so lucky.
You have so many amazing locations where you live.
Well, right where I live, I don't even shoot right where I live.
Yes, it's a really pretty area, but it's not.
My aesthetic for what I'm looking for.
So I have lots of different ways that over the years I have accumulated different locations and relationships with farmers, et cetera.
One of the most practical ways I find locations is through a very small network of trusted photographer friends on Instagram, and I mean small.
Unfortunately, I can't share my locations with everyone.
When you have.
Over 30,000 followers and you get multiple questions about where this spot is.
If I were to share it with anyone and everyone, I would not be able to shoot there and my clients wouldn't get that as a prime location.
So unfortunately I can't share with everyone, but I do have a very small, trusted group, and if someone is.
Really great at finding light and locations.
I'll happily share with them as well so can kind of build that relationship and it's a fair back and forth type of relationship with another photographer.
What's not a good idea is messaging someone and just saying, where is this? And I'm always so confused when people write that or DM me that, and I guess bloggers have kind of trained people to think like that, that they're entitled to know where that is because a lot of bloggers are, that's what their account is about, is about sharing the locations.
But for us it's the opposite.
It's about finding these private little spots.
Some little magical spots for our clients.
So I won't even respond to a message like that.
But if I'm reaching out and, and I only do this if I feel like I have to, I really try not to ask people for their locations, but if it's something that's like exactly what I've been looking for, but I know it's gonna take me six hours of driving around a certain vicinity to find that.
Type of thing.
I will reach out and just say, hi, I, I hate to ask this, but would you mind sharing your location and in exchange, I could either share one of my locations or I'd be happy to pay you because I know it took you time to find that location.
Because, yeah, we do need to acknowledge that sometimes it takes people hours and hours to find that spot.
Like for me, the spot that I shoot at for the pink blossoms, I literally have spent days, days driving around certain farm lands where I know there are.
This type of blossoms looking for the light or looking for how the trees are spread apart or how the blossoms look.
And then trying to find the owner and trying to talk to them and develop a relationship with them.
So it does take effort and we wanna acknowledge that and be respectful whenever we ask.
But I do highly recommend getting a trusted group of friends on Instagram, 'cause that's, that's definitely my number one way.
Another huge tool that I love and recommend to people all the time is Pinterest.
So you can actually search for exact thing like.
Lavender Farm in California, lavender Farm, Utah, and you can find the exact farms where you can go, like they're just out there.
So it's pretty easy with certain flowers or a certain historical building that you're looking for.
Say there's a beautiful historical building you're seeing, you can even do a Google reverse image search now with that, and it will tell you where that is exactly.
The AI search is are, they're not always perfect, especially if it's more of nature.
They're not going to give you an exact pin to that trailhead, but it can get, get you pretty close.
And the last thing that I use often and I'll put 'em together as one thing, Facebook hiking groups, and.
Trail apps.
So I often will go on all trails and just search a certain area and then they have a filter on there that says Wildflower, so I'll tap that.
And people post real-time images in.
There's mostly for hikers, so they're happy to share all the information and how long it is, how steep it is, all of that stuff.
So that's one way, and then I will go and check it out myself.
Another thing is Facebook.
They're specifically on Facebook flower groups, so people who are obsessed with searching out wildflowers or people that are, it may be in your, your business, you love waterfalls, and you're on waterfall hunt all the time.
You could search out a Facebook group that just tells each other about waterfalls, so there's a million Facebook groups.
That you can find to help you locate spots.
And some of my best spots have been found in these Facebook groups, and you message the people and often they'll share with you, which is both good and bad.
Because it's also happened to me where I found a private spot that was like the most amazing wildflower spot ever, and I found it on my own.
And then like a few years later.
The word got out on one of those groups and now it's so trampled that they closed it down No.
it can be a, a good thing and a bad thing.
What do you do most often, Marie? Well, when I first started my business, I had no idea how to find locations, and so I just did a lot of Googling.
I would simply put in like best photo shoot locations in X, Y, Z, and I'D finalist spots that either bloggers or wedding photographers had written in posts, wedding photographers.
I feel like have been blogging locations much longer than family and maternity photographers.
So I was able to find these posts by wedding photographers for local locations, and that can be a good foundation of where to start and to try.
However, as I've grown in my business.
I basically know what to look for in a location, you know, good light, texture, layers, colors, and I literally will find some spots just.
By driving by them or walking by them.
So there are a couple local spots by my house that are basically used solely by me.
And at first I wasn't confident in myself because I thought.
No other photographers shoot here.
So there must be a reason, like it must not be a good location.
But once you have your criteria of what makes a location quote good, it opens up your eyes.
You just know what to look for.
And I really feel like I can shoot in so many spots now simply because I know how to use the light.
I know how to use the texture that I see to make it.
Work for me.
And you brought up a really good point, like I get some of those DM and comments too.
Where is this? You know? And I am always, you know, I think we're very much trying to.
Be a great community support and help people out.
And honestly, if it's a public location, I usually will tell people, but like you wouldn't go up to someone in real life and not say hello or anything like that and just ask the straight up question that may have taken them hours or days to figure the answer out to.
And.
I think as you said, Amber, it really is about helping each other out, and so I'm also in a group of other local photographers and we will help each other out.
People will ask for a good location for an extended family session and everyone will chime in.
We're all there and we're all contributing.
So.
It's just natural to help people out there, but like some people do wanna go out of their way to find a spot that isn't really crowded for their sessions.
They wanna go out their way to find a location that they know will be private.
And once they find that spot, they might not want to share with everyone where it is because that the whole reason they.
Went to go find it was to make it a private secluded spot.
So.
Just keep that in mind too.
Again, when I find if it's a public park or something like that, I don't have any problem sharing because I didn't do any crazy research to find it.
You know, and it's accessible to everyone.
But when someone does really go out of their way to find a private, secluded spot to help with their brand, it's important to.
Contribute effort on your part as well.
And I like what you said, Amber, about offering to pay or provide one of your locations.
It just makes it, it's just a very respectful way to ask.
No matter how you find your location online, the final step is always scouting it yourself.
You can find online that blossoms exists in a certain county, but that doesn't tell you where a good the good light is or what direction the sun sets, what the ground looks like, maybe the ground in certain farms, some sometimes.
Like in certain vineyards, they'll plow the dirt and it's really fluffy and people's feet will fall right through it.
So that's just an example of one thing where I wouldn't wanna shoot at a location where people can't walk 'cause their shoes are falling right through the dirt.
There's just a lot of different things that make it important to actually go and scout the location.
And what I do is I drive a lot more than people think.
A lot of people think that I'm just like stepping right outside my house and it's like magical rainbows and unicorns and it's not, I drive so much and my husband's always like, you have a flat tire again.
And it's because I'm driving so much that I'll get like a nail in the tire 'cause I'm out and.
Like random country roads and things like that.
But I wanna explore and find places that way.
And if it's private property, don't wanna trespass and you don't wanna show up the day of your shoot.
Expecting that you'll be able to shoot there if it's private property.
So I always like to go ahead of time, even if I have had permission in the past, I wanna get permission every year that I go.
So I like to go early, even if I had to drive and that I have to do that.
Week I have to drive out to a couple farms and reintroduce myself, offer a gift basket or donuts or bring flowers depending on who the owner is.
There was one elderly lady that I would go to her farm every year and I'd always bring her some flowers and it would make her day, and I would just wanna keep that relationship so she has a positive feeling about allowing me to come there.
So being respectful to farmers and bringing something thoughtful or offering to pay, even if that's cash or a gift card.
You're on someone's land that they pay a lot of money for and they put a lot of work into.
So it's really important to make sure that that's okay, that you're, you're there because the last thing you want is someone upset, interrupting your session.
This did happen to me once when I was very first starting out oh, I'll tell you a little, little story real quick, just for the beginner photographers out there.
I was brand new, but I went to this spot that there's houses around, but it was like an open field of mustard flowers.
And if you don't know mustard flowers here in California, they're they're a weed.
And they grow massively in fields in a lot of places.
So I thought this was just like open property.
So I went in.
And I was just taking pictures of a couple girls that I knew it wasn't a professional shoot, and the lady comes out and.
She's like, you have to ask permission.
I was like, oh, I'm so sorry.
Is it okay if we just shoot here for like 30 minutes and then we'll be gone? We won't disrupt anything.
She's like, okay, I guess that's fine.
She goes back in the house and then like 20 minutes later, this guy comes out on a tractor, like screaming his head off at us, like scared us so bad.
His face was red, I Oh my gosh.
my camera lens and ran like I was so scared.
Like, I was afraid it was gonna, yeah.
So the next day I had to go back with the police and, and look, get my camera lens, Oh my gosh.
I was like, I really, I'm not trying to trespass.
But anyway, it's, especially with farmers, like you never know.
So just one more reason to scout and ask nicely.
Okay.
That reminds me too to like, I, I don't know about locations out your way, Amber.
'cause a lot of them are you know, private property and stuff, but over here there are a lot of locations that are parks or historic homes and that is to reach out and inquire about a photo permit because most locations I photograph at do require a permit and.
I always, always get it.
There is one location that's an exception and it's simply because they don't technically allow photography and it's so, so beautiful and I always have a backup spot.
But anyway, I'm a rule follower.
I always do get the permit.
In all their spots.
You do not want to be interrupted in the middle of a session, have someone come up to you and tell you you shouldn't be there and to leave.
It's just very unprofessional and will just like ruin the flow of a session.
And also with the scouting, like I know for me, I was telling Amber, I'm like a slow processor person and I.
Want to know like where I'll be shooting or have a general game plan of where I'll be shooting at a location.
So I'm not having to think about, okay, where next, you know, where, where should I go while I'm trying to talk to my clients and think about the posing and prompts and fix their hair.
I don't wanna have one more thing to think about.
I wanna just have that done.
And of course it may adjust throughout the session.
I may stumble upon another spot, but by knowing in general where I'll be, I don't have to let it affect how I'll be during the session.
Yeah, and that really shows in your compositions you have beautiful compositions.
And that doesn't just come without thought because especially if we're dealing with toddlers and in the moment of talking to people, it's really hard for our brains to process all the things at the same time.
So if you can just take that off your plate of okay, I know I'm gonna stand them here.
I'm gonna frame them like this.
I'm gonna have this in the background.
Like you've thought, you've mapped it out ahead of time.
It just really shows in no matter how good you are, you're gonna be better if you scouted that location.
Right.
Okay, so your locations are not just your backgrounds, they're part of your personal signature of your shooting style.
And if you want recognizable work, it's really important to have intentional guidelines for yourself of what you're looking for and just being aware of.
What you're looking for and where you shoot at and why, and also hopefully some of the tips in here helped you be able to find some new locations and some practical ways that you can search for some new spots this year as well.
And once you understand what makes a location work for you, you start seeing opportunities everywhere, and that is when your style and your locations really become your own.
Thank you so much for listening, and we'll see you next week.
Thank you so much for spending time with us today on the Luxe and Legacy Podcast.
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