Choosing the right location for your commercial photography

Why the obvious choice isn’t always the best choice.

The right location for your commercial photography in Lancashire? Surely, it’ll be the office or workshop, won’t it?

Well, possibly. If your commercial photography involves capturing manufacturing processes then yes, it’s a natural decision to place the shoot on the factory floor. Corporate portraits for a law firm? Your bright, airy new offices may well be ideal. And if we’re doing product shots then a studio environment will usually work best.

But obvious isn’t always the wisest choice. Older offices frequently have little in the way of natural light, so your portraits can have a yellow, unhealthy patina. Older workshops are often lit by harsh fluorescents. And some working environments are just so busy and distracting that it’s impossible to take a portrait shot in which you’ll feel relaxed.

So, whether you have an obvious location for your commercial shoot or not, first consider whether it’s suitable for the task. If not, consider some alternative locations that have:

• Natural light: Because natural light almost always looks best. Some Preston commercial photographers refuse to shoot in anything else. I would add a couple of caveats to that: the harsh midday sun creates too many deep shadows, and diffused natural light (eg through an opaque window) can work even better.

 

• Space: Outdoors can be a liberating and far more exciting place for a commercial shoot. Used judiciously (eg to show your people at work in their natural environment; to capture a PE lesson in full flow for a school prospectus; for some portraits) outdoors can be a powerfully effective location (provided you focus on the real subject of the photo). Just remember to have somewhere to shelter nearby.

 

• Peace: It’s different if your Lancashire commercial photography is a sort of reportage style shoot, where you might want lots going on, but if you’re after a composed portrait, don’t choose anywhere that your colleagues can pull faces at you.

 

• Architecture: Indoors or out, a piece of imposing architecture can be an imposing backdrop or subject matter in its own right. So from a cavernous atrium to a sweeping stairway, to stark juxtapositions of colours and materials, make the most of modern or noteworthy surroundings.

Ready to renew the commercial photography for your Lancashire business? Let’s talk. You can find me here.

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