We’re all familiar with the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” One of the very important factors when it comes to taking the “perfect” picture is the location. In this post, I’ll be sharing my location scouting process for shoots and how I keep track of potential spots where I may want to take photos in the future. I’ll also discuss how I find photo ops ahead of time when I’m traveling to destinations that I’m not already familiar with.
Location. Location. Location.
Every photo tells a story. Especially as a blogger, aligning the location with what you’re wearing and the vibe you’re going for makes a huge difference. This is important not only for the photo itself, but also to maintain the aesthetic of your brand. Location scouting will help you maintain a cohesive feed on Instagram! By taking photos in spots that share either a similar architectural style or color palette you allow for a general aesthetic prior to even starting the photo editing process.
I started blogging in 2012, as a junior in high school. If you go down the rabbit hole and look at early posts of mine, I didn’t do much location scouting… Major yikes! It was very much so a nonchalant “Oh look, there’s a wall. I can take a picture there!” sort of thing for most of the “shoots” I did. Once I started caring about location, my mom (bless her) would drive me around to find the “perfect” spot for whatever outfit I wanted to shoot that day.
I have fond memories of blasting “Boyfriend” by Justin Bieber (hello 2013) while craning my neck out the window, eyes peeled for spots along the North Shore to take photos. Occasionally, we’d pop into the city to shoot too. That being said, there still wasn’t much planning ahead of time associated with where we’d shoot. It was like an elaborate scavenger hunt, but we didn’t know exactly what we were looking for. Sometimes it worked out and other times we had to scrap shooting for the day because we didn’t find a spot to shoot and/or we lost daylight. Those days would be incredibly frustrating and would often end in a trip to Portillo’s to drown my sorrows in cheese fries. (Portillo’s cheese fries are seriously one of my favorite things in the world. They’re just SO good!)
Once I got to college, I was no longer living at home and life got a whole lot busier! Drive-around shoots with my mom were then reserved for holidays and summertime. However, during college I was in downtown Chicago far more often and also going through a wider variety of neighborhoods. Because of this, I came across a lot more spots for photos.
Whenever I was walking around and saw a spot with potential, I’d make a note in my Notes app, listing the closest cross streets. I’d also take notes if I passed by a spot that caught my eye while Ubering or taking the CTA somewhere. (It’s occasions like those where Street View can be SUPER helpful, because usually all I got was a quick glance.) Over time, my note-taking process has gotten a bit more involved. However, it’s made me far more organized and prepared. Now, shooting is less stressful because I’m not scouting out a location while also trying to shoot photos at the same time!
How I Keep Track Of Scouted Locations
The photos in this blog post are actually a result of successful location scouting! These were taken at a spot that I came across on a walk in Lakeview, one of Chicago’s many walkable neighborhoods. To be honest, one of my favorite ways to find locations for photos is by going on long walks! (It’s also a great excuse to get out of the house.) When I come across a spot that I like, I usually write down the closest address I can find. If circumstances allow, I’ll also snap a quick photo of the spot. In this case, I just grabbed the address for the building I wanted to shoot by. Once I got home, I went into Google Maps Street View to find the exact spot and took a screenshot.
Once I’ve got the location figured out, I take the screenshot or quick photo I snapped and throw it into my Notes app. I organize potential locations by neighborhood and include the exact address as well as any additional notes. See this location as an example below!
Some things I tend to note…
- What time I wanted to shoot there: usually based on lighting/ what side of the building I want to shoot on
- The colors and tones of the setting: helps me plan what colors I should wear so I complement the space vs. clashing or blending in
- The outfit that I want to shoot there: if I already have one in mind
- Concerns about the location: For example, if it’s by a school there will be foot traffic at specific times of day. This means avoiding taking photos at those times.
By keeping these notes, it’s easier for me to coordinate last-minute campaign shoots or snap a quick photo if I know I’ll be in a specific neighborhood on any given day.
Scouting Photo Locations for Upcoming Trips
If you haven’t figured it out yet in this post, I am INCREDIBLY Type A. I love being organized! This comes out even more so when I’m traveling… Just ask Lexi, Kylie and Laura (who I went to Park City with). I was bombarding them with location/photo inspo from the HOUR we got our initial itinerary. I like planning and being prepared, what can I say?
When traveling, I have to scout locations a bit differently. Obviously I’m not there yet so I can’t just take a walk. Plus, I have to plan my outfits out ahead of time so I can pack accordingly. This is when social media really comes in handy! I utilize Instagram quite a lot when planning trips. (See screenshots of my “saved” folders of inspo posts from my trips to Austin, Puerto Vallarta, and Park City below.)
If I have a specific itinerary I’ll look up the exact locations I’m going to on Instagram. This allows me to see examples of photos that have been taken and posted there in the past. By looking at these, I’m usually able to figure out “popular” photo spots for each location and then plan my outfits around the type of shot I want to get.
If I’m traveling with family or just for fun, I look up bloggers and hashtags from the city/cities I’m visiting. For example, when I went to Austin, TX I looked up hashtags like #AustinBlogger, #igersATX, #AustinTourism, etc. This helps me find spots within the city that are Instagrammable and would work well for blog photos. I add all these inspo photos to a “saved” folder specifically for that trip. Depending on the trip and size of the city, sometimes I’ll also note which spots are within the same zip code. By doing this I’m able to get multiple shoots done in the same portion of the day. It also ensures that I don’t miss out on any spots that I want to visit!
I hope that this post was helpful and provided some insight as to how I go about planning photo shoots! I really enjoy doing “behind the scenes” posts like these. Please let me know if you found this post and note-taking/planning method helpful!
