The first thing you’ll notice about a location shoot is how quickly the time passes. The pace of shooting is much slower than the “rapid-fire” pace of shooting in the studio but the time passes much more quickly due to the time spent moving between shooting spots.
The main point of a location shoot is to capture the interaction between the model and the environment. Sometimes this is a physical interaction, and sometimes more of a visual interaction, where the shapes of the model and other elements complement eachother.
A lot of thought goes into choosing suitable locations and due to the nature of the shoot, they are often quite remote. Models can choose to meet at the location, but often is easier to meet at a more well-known spot and then drive together, or in convoy, to the location.
Due to the slower pace of shoots on location, it is common for them to take more time than in the studio – often a half or full day. A half day will usually allow shooting around a single location, while a full day might allow a couple of locations to be worked with.
Each single location is generally more of a starting point – an area with lots of interesting features which we wander through during the course of the shoot, hatching ideas and picking out features across the area that the model can interact with. A woodland location, for example, might have lots of wonderful trees, ferns, boulders, streams and so on that we can work with. Each of these features then becomes your “studio” for a couple of minutes, before reviewing, adjusting, reshooting or moving on to the next spot. It can be quite an adventure!
At the risk of mansplaining a little, for which I apologise, I’ve put together a few pointers for models new to location figure work.
- Makeup should me minimal or at least natural. We are trying to complement the natural environment here so strong makeup doesn’t generally work.
- Hair style depends a lot on the environment. Usually hair down is best, but sometimes tied hair back in a ponytail or up in a bun works too! Usually we can work that out from the moodboard before the shoot.
- The images will only be good if the model is comfortable and relaxed, and that starts with being physically comfortable. A cold model is no good to anybody so, depending on the weather, periods of shooting are kept short between warming the model back up in some warm clothing or overcoat.
- Clothing will be on and off multiple times, so models should bring some loose clothing that can be thrown on and off quickly. Depending on the location, a couple of sets might be wise if the ground is particularly dirty or wet. Often a hoodie and jogger bottoms are good. Trainers are good especially if they can be popped on and off quickly.
- Similarly a couple of towels never goes wrong.
- Take regular breaks, although walking around looking for shooting spots is often a break in itself. Drink plenty and bring a few snacks to keep energy levels up if the shoot is going to take a while.
- Models are absolutely a key member of the creative team (quite often the only “paid” member!) and should look out for suitable spots whenever they see an opportunity. New models might take a while to get into this but I will suggest plenty spots.
- Regarding posing, just like in the studio I will bring along a printed moodboard which has lots of poses on it in similar situations. Models can of course pick and choose poses they are inspired by, comfortable with and/or would like to try. Poses should be chosen to complement the shapes of the environment. Try picturing each shot in your own mind and think what you can do to make it even more amazing!
- I’ll never knowingly suggest shooting anywhere dangerous but sometimes the best locations are a bit awkward to get to. Please speak up if you aren’t comfortable with anything I suggest – location, pose or whatever. The last thing I want is to cause any discomfort and I certainly won’t take any offence. Sometimes models enjoy posing in water – rivers, lochs, stream, seashore etc – while others are petrified of it. I’ll always bring a first aid kit of course but please bring along anything specific you think you might need. Don’t forget things like Asthma inhalers etc if you need them. I usually have antihistamine cream & hayfever tablets just in case a stray nettle jumps out unexpectedly etc.
- Lastly, having an easy going mentality is good. Models will generally be covered up between shots but everyone must be aware that they are usually a public location and, although locations are chosen to be quiet and secluded, very occasionally a stray dog walker or mountain biker might appear randomly out of nowhere. If that happens then of course we will stop shooting and the model will cover up. It’s pretty rare but we accept that as just somthing that happens occasionally. I’ve never had it cause any issues or negative reaction from passers-by. Most often they are embarrassed at disturbing us and quickly scuttle off about their business. I included this here just to make everyone aware, but really no need to overthink it as it’s generally not a concern.