It is may sound very cliché but it is really not. Location, location, location is everything.
Choosing a beautiful and adequate location is a key element when planning your lifestyle and brand photoshoot.
Believe it or not, the location (s) of your lifestyle & branding photoshoot is just as important as your wardrobe choices. Yep!
Here is why.
The Importance of the Location for Your Lifestyle & Branding Photo Shoot
Location is one of the components of the creative direction of the photoshoot that needs to complement the rest.
Its function goes beyond providing a simple nice backdrop for your image:
- it completes your brand story or business story
- it communicates your personality
- it shows your work
- it shares your values
- it shows your lifestyle
- it welcomes your audience
The location can be outside or indoors, it all depends on what part of the story we are trying to tell about your business and your brand.
More importantly, choosing a location should be one where you feel comfortable shooting, in private or in public, or both!
The lifestyle & branding shoot can also be in multiple locations so there is no need to marry to one single location, but we do want them to be close to each other for logistical purposes.
Scouting for locations is something that must be done prior to the photoshoot. Normally, I do it on my own, but many times, I let the client propose a general location and we go together to check out cool spots or places. This activity is also a nice way to connect and get to know each other better before the photoshoot.
Locations or venues can incur an additional cost for their usage or have restrictions, which is something to keep in mind at the time of location scouting and selection.
Here are 10 location ideas to give you inspiration for your next lifestyle & brand photoshoot.
10 Location Ideas for your Lifestyle & Branding photoshoot
1. Your Home
Your personal home is an ideal place to shoot because it provides a safe and familiar space. You also have the freedom to move furniture around and declutter spots around the house. It also offers different spaces like your living rooms, the kitchen, a backyard or front yard, a study room, and so on. Plus, it is conveniently located for you and you do not incur any extra costs or restrictions.
2. Your Office
If you already have an office, let's use it and adapt it for the photoshoot. It has similar benefits as those of your home in that it is familiar, low cost, and a safe space, plus if used during the weekend, those common areas become available like the lobby, the entrance, conference rooms, etc. It provides variety for indoor and outdoor shooting as well.
3. Shared Workspaces or Rental Homes
If your home or office is not an ideal location and does not blend well with your business or brand, and will not contribute to telling the right story, the alternative is to rent a shared workspace or rental home.
The advantage of these options is that they offer hourly rates or day rates accommodating your needs. They have usually spacious interiors and are nicely decorated. They also allow you to scout the location and space before committing to it.
Some examples of the shared workspace are Peerspace and Industrious Office, and for homes, you have Home Studio List.
Airbnb is another viable option for homes, but they only offer day rates, not all homes are updated and nicely decorated, and there is no prior visiting. It is a good consideration though if the photoshoot will take place in another city.
4. BOTANICAL GARDENS & PARKS
Doing your photoshoot in a garden or park is a great choice if you want to communicate your connection with nature and it is part of the values you want to show. Flowers, plants, and trees are beautiful, natural, and colorful props. Many parks and gardens have gazebos, benches, arches, ponds, and sculptures that add a nice variety to your collection of pictures. Another advantage is that many parks are usually free or have a low-cost entrance fee.
Since these are public spaces, we would not be alone, and we would need to be strategic and time well our shoot in the crowds. Another challenge we could face is the weather so we would need to have a Plan B and patchy lighting depending on the time of the day.
5. Coffee Shops or Cafés
Coffee shops or Cafes are an excellent choice for a lifestyle photoshoot because they come in a variety of styles, sizes, and decor plus everyone loves going to a Cafe. They serve as the perfect place to showcase a variety of your daily activities like meeting with friends, working alone with your laptop, doing phones calls, or having a client meeting.
Also, whatever you order are great props for the composition of your photos. Again, because coffee shops are open to the public, getting the best spot in the house may be a challenge, and also they may require you to ask for permission, which is not a big deal for most if you cross-promote them.
6. Restaurants
If you know a restaurant owner or the Chef this is the time to ask for a favor. Restaurants offer amazing backdrops with their flawless decor and uber-stocked pretty bars. Whether you order a nice meal with a glass of wine, just coffee, and dessert, with company or alone, you will surely have gorgeous photos.
However, restaurants are tricky due to their uninterrupted hours of operation, but it is worth asking when is their non-peak hours and shoot for that timeframe. Just with coffee shops, permission must be granted to shoot.
7. Rooftops and Patios
Today, rooftops have become the place to go and hang out, plus many have amazing panoramic views, especially those in museums or hotels. If your office building has a rooftop and you have access to it, let's use it. Patios are also trending and offer a relaxed, airy, and outdoorsy environment.
Access to rooftops for shooting may also require permission from management.
8. Hotels
Ahhh! Hotels!!! Although they offer so much in interior decor from art deco to classic, eclectic, modern decors to wonderful props, glam spots, petit salons, wonderful lobbies, and the sorts, they are hard to convince because their priority is their guest safety, comfort, and privacy. I have a called beautiful hotels for photoshoots, and they won't allow it.
Tapping on your network of friends and acquaintances may be the way to go if one of them works for a fancy hotel chain. The other option is to pay for a room and become a guest.
9. Beach & Pools
I love the beach and the ocean! My favorite place on earth. Depending on what your brand and business stories are, it may be a perfect location or not. The beach and pools have definitely different energy and tend to be very seasonal so it may not be always an adequate location. But if your story is all about communicating freshness, healing, and wellness with active lifestyles a pool/beach setting can be ideal.
It can also be a very luxurious setting for a more glamorous connection and message with your audience. If you live in a city that has spring/summer weather all year round, it is a great choice to add to your "pool" -- no pun intended -- of options!
10. Artsy/Picturesque Streets and Wall Murals
I get so many requests to do Senior Portraits in artsy streets or by wall murals. I guess young spirits like to gravitate more to carefree, fun, and playful settings. Totally cool locations because they offer a nice array of delightful spots with rich colors and architectural variety. Again, because it is a public space, we need to be mindful of the time we want to go there so that we do not encounter larger crowds, especially during the weekend.
11. A Bonus Idea: Hire a Set Designer/Stager for Your Home
Some clients of mine have done it. In fact, it is one of the add-on services that I offer as well just like, say, a wardrobe stylist.
What a set designer does is basically staging different spots in your house that you want to use for your lifestyle photoshoot. The stager or set designer will declutter and redecorate those spots using adequate props suitable for your brand or business story. They can also create a set or stage using your things or their own.
Something to consider if any of the 10 location ideas for your lifestyle and branding photoshoot does not convince you.
Should you have any additional questions on how to best prepare for your photo session, please feel free to email me, text, or call me at 571-295-8060.
¡Hasta la vista!
