Top Tips for Choosing the Ideal Locations for Your Senior Portraits

There are lots of decisions you need to make when planning a senior photo session, and choosing the ideal locations for your senior portraits is one of them. You can’t choose just any location either – they need to fit in with your personality and the style of your shoot.

Here are my best tips to help you narrow down your options a little quicker.

Decide what you want your photos to say about you.

Who are you? Do you love the outdoors, art, sports? Are you a bit of a flower child? By jotting down the things you love, a few location ideas should spring to mind. Your photos need to showcase your personal style, so choose your location accordingly.

Look for locations with different features.

To ensure your photographer can capture a variety of photos, look for a location with different spots and features. Examples of features include fences, trees, a swing, water or anything that could act as a backdrop.

Find out about possible restrictions.

If you’re considering using a commercial location, find out whether you need a permit to take photos. Keep in mind that permits can sometimes take several weeks to process, and oftentimes come with an additional fee.

Consider timing.

Some locations are busier than others and if you want to avoid crowds of people, you will need to time your shoot well. It’s better to have as little people in the background of your photos as possible.

Lighting matters – A LOT.

I shoot with only natural light on my on location sessions, so a location with good lighting is super important! You could have the best background, but if the lighting is bad, you won’t get the best results. It’s also important to remember that you might need to time your shoot around the best lighting. I’m a big fan of golden hour – an hour before sunset.

Decide what you want to wear.

The outfits you choose for your senior photo session also matters when choosing a location. For example, wearing an evening dress to the park doesn’t exactly work very well. Your outfit should also match your personality, so decide on this before you start looking at locations.

Get creative.

There are no set rules when it comes to choosing a location for your photo session. Get creative, think outside the box, and choose a location that suits you. Ask around about interesting venues, take a drive through your city, or turn to Pinterest for some inspiration.

If all else fails, explain your vision to your photographer (aka as ME! 😁 ) – I’ve got a lots of locations I love and am happy to offer suggestions!

I hope this post about choosing the ideal locations for your senior portraits was helpful! Ready to chat about a session? Contact me here!