Photographers can get pretty secretive when it comes to "LOCATION" spots for their photography sessions.  I can understand this because who really wants to go to a crowded location and have to "wait your turn" to use a bridge or what have you...Others just don't want to tell you because they want to offer exclusivity and I understand that too, because if you live in the city and you've found a "country" spot all to yourself, why would you want to spread the word??

Then there are those crazy photographers like me that will go out with her best friend, who also happens to be a photographer, and show her ALL her spots and giggle the entire time and perhaps even "strike a pose" in the middle of it along the way...

but, I digress...

So, what does one look for in a 'setting' when you are taking photos...

Obviously when you are talking about "real sessions" you have to think about proximity and how far you want to drive, or if you are dealing with little kiddos with short legs & how much walking, etc etc...you also have to determine time of day and weather...

However, for today's {Teach It Tuesday} post, I want to just cover some basic things to look for when even just photographing your own kiddos...off the cuff...

1. Look for LIGHT...look for SHADE...find the natural REFLECTORS

Be aware of the light all around you...make a point to check the time of day and where the sun is headed.  Think about backlighting, open spaces...watch for how the sun filters through the trees or how it reflects off of a pond or lighter surfaces.

2. Look for TEXTURES

3. FRAMING...natural & architectural elements

This means looking for lines and repetition in your setting...Sometimes it means using trees to make a "frame" around your subjects...sometimes it means showing depth by blurring the repeating "lines" or to show distance and movement...Think of putting your subjects in the "negative" spaces to "frame" them in...




All the example photos that I chose to share came from the same location (just with different families) I love this place because of the 4 Components that I mentioned...it offers a lot of variety and yet, it keeps things basic and easy to follow with my composition set ups...and yet, there is still more to explore and different angles from which to shoot...

As always, just keep practicing!!!