Picture this: You’re on an evening drive with your friends, cruising down the road, jamming to music with the windows down. The warm sun is streaming through the window, and you take in the scenery around you as it speeds past. You notice a little stream a ways down the road and your heart stops at the way the light filters through a willow tree alongside the edge. Immediately, you envision taking photos of a family playing in the water in long dresses and smiles on their faces as you capture their love. Hurriedly, you pull out your phone, drop a pin, and make a mental note to come back and revisit the spot in the future.
Does this experience sound familiar? If not, maybe you’ve experienced the feeling of longing that comes from witnessing beautiful scenery and magical lighting without your camera. Being in a stunning location without your camera is the worst kind of pain- but it’s such a blessing to have modern technology and maps that allow you to easily keep track of locations and revisit potential spots!
I’m always on the lookout for new locations for photoshoots, whether I’m on a walk outside, driving to a destination, or hanging out with friends. I want to share a little more about my process when it comes to scouting and sharing locations with clients.
My Process:
I find new locations in a variety of ways, but most often I find them through driving around and pinning spots on Google Maps. For how to do this, you can check out my video here:
I organize my pins on maps through guides that I’ve created, which makes it easier to track locations by features. This in turn makes creating templates like my location guide easier, because I’ve already done the heavy lifting through categorizing each spot.
Every spot in my location guide is associated with a pin I’ve created on Google Maps. After a client decides where they would like their session to take place, I send that pin to the client through messages (Phone text messaging is generally my main form of communication with clients) They can then easily click on that pin and be directed right to the place we will be taking photos!
Location scouting looks different for everyone, but I wanted to share some of my top tips and resources that have made my personal adventures just a bit easier. I highly recommend putting a bit of planning and preparation into your location scouting plan for a more effective outcome.
Helpful Resources:
Apple Maps + Google Earth
I love using these two applications as a way to kick start my plan for scouting before I start driving around. Apple Maps makes it quick and easy to explore the area near you. I love to zoom in on green patches and bodies of water to see if there are parks or trails with easy access nearby. If you find a park, you can usually click on the name to see more photos, reviews, and information on the spot. Apple maps also makes pinning and keeping track of locations so easy!
Google Earth gives you a bird’s eye view of your surrounding geography. You can quickly find more open spaces near you and navigate a route to get there. I love using “street view” (using photos to scroll through streets) to tap through an area and feel as though I’m there in real time. It gives you a better sense for what the landscape would look like in person. In a recent video I created below, you can see how I use Google Earth to find potential locations. You can easily tag any spot you like and get specific coordinates for that location. ( 0:39-0:46 is the Google Earth tutorial )
All Trails
I will sometimes use the All Trails app to find hikes and open areas nearby. I usually use the ‘map’ feature to see a broader view of what’s available. Even simple trails or loops can be great places for portrait shoots or mini sessions. There’s lots of information on the app and I especially love that the reviews are updated often (frequently with photos), so I can get an idea of what the conditions will be like at different times of year.
Family and Friends
Never underestimate the power of your family and friends! I have a lot of family back home who are always keeping an eye out for different spots for me. They know I love me a good location (especially if there are wildflowers involved) so I’m the first person they message when they see something pretty while driving or exploring. My friends and family have helped me find many of the spots I use to this day. If you make it known to the people in your life that you want their help to find new locations, you’ll automatically have an extra set of eyes on the lookout!
Other Photographers
I know there is sometimes a stigma around asking photographers for locations, but I think they can be a great resource when it comes to finding new places to scout. I believe it never hurts to ask, just know there’s definitely a chance they might not be willing to share a certain spot. Many photographers spend hours searching for unique and stunning locations and the minute they share those spots with another photographer, the likelihood that area will become crowded increases tenfold. So just be respectful if you encounter a no upon inquiring! I will usually send a quick DM on Instagram if I see a photo I like from another photographer.
Instagram Tags
Instagram tags are usually a supporting resource for me. After scouting on Google Maps/Earth/AllTrails/ect. or hearing about a specific location, I’ll turn to instagram to see what else I can find about the spot. Usually I’ll go to the search bar, type in the specific location (i.e. Liberty Lake Regional Park) and then click on the ‘places’ tab right underneath the bar. From there, you can find the specific location pin you’re looking for and scroll through all the photos people have taken in that area, filtering between top and most recent photos if you want to see what a spot looks like at a certain time of year. I find this can be super helpful to getting a more inside look into a location before I take the time to drive to it. I specifically look for photos other photographers have taken at the area to get a better idea of the types of landscapes + variety I might have to work with.
Other Tips:
Scout at the time you Normally Shoot
I highly recommend driving around your area at the same time of day your sessions generally take place. For me, this is anywhere from sunset to 4 hours beforehand. It’s super beneficial to take note of where the sun will be, the type of lighting you’ll encounter at your session, and the kind of spots that will work for your session. For example, I love to shoot backlit- so a certain location may have a couple spots that work specifically for sunset, but very different spots that work for sunrise because of where the sun is.
This can often be an inconvenient time to be working, but you can make location scouting fun by inviting your spouse/friends/family, and getting a sweet treat along the way! I’ve even brought my camera when I’m location scouting and taken photos with whoever I bring. Turn up the music, roll down the windows, and you’ve got yourself a really fun time!
Show up Early for your Sessions
If possible, I recommend arriving to your sessions 10-20 min before your shoot to walk around/assess light/ find more hidden gems. I do this often for spots I’ve recently discovered. It’s super exciting to find little pockets of beautiful scenery in an area I had no idea about, simply because I hadn’t taken the time to walk around! One experience in particular stands out to me. I’d arrived 30 minutes early to my session to walk around a location I’d been using for over 2 years. I ended up meandering in a direction I’d never explored before. Lo and behold- a stunning river with overhanging trees opens up before me with the most magical light streaming through! Spending a little extra time to explore pays off.
Bike Around
I’m convinced biking is the best form of location scouting!! You can cover lots of ground while easily stopping to take photos/drop pins if needed. It gives you a more up close and personal look at certain areas like walking would, while still keeping a good pace. I love to park at the beginning of a local path and bike for 30-40 minutes, stopping to take photos and drop pins along the way.
Don’t be Afraid to ask Permission
Many of my favorite locations are private property. I love the peace and quiet, low foot traffic, and unique backgrounds they provide. It can be intimidating to approach someone’s front door, knock, and ask for permission, but I promise you- it’s worth it! 9 times out of 10 people will be willing to let you use their property for photos- especially if you are respectful and communicative with them. If I feel it’s appropriate, I get the property owner’s phone number so I can let them know when my client and I will be arriving to their land to take photos. Sometimes I’ll bring them cookies or a little treat to thank them as well. This also opens the doorway to using the property again in the future. If I feel I’ll want to come back often to a beautiful piece of private land, I’ll even offer to trade a photoshoot for the continual use of their property. Asking permission to use property near me has been life changing because so much of the area surrounding me is private land! I believe this my work apart from other photographers in the area.
To end this post, I wanted to share some locations I loved this year and how I found them, so y'all can get a better sense of where I'm getting my locations from!
I found this spot by showing up 15 minutes early to my session. This was at an old public barn that I loved and decided to walk around the area to explore a little more. I nearly exploded with joy at finding this little area with lots of lupine flowers behind the barn! #blessings
This spot was a family recommendation! The sunflower field was near my aunt and uncle's house and my uncle sent me a video one day of all the sunflowers that had been planted. Family is the BEST.
This spot was a past client's property! Never be afraid to ask! It's been such a blessing for me to not only be allowed to use client's private land but also to strengthen relationships with past clients!
I discovered this beautiful field while driving around! I knew I wanted to scout out a nearby lake, so I spent a good 1-2 hours driving around the area. As I was headed back, I happened to glimpse this field through the trees. The parking was a little sketchy off the road, but we made it work!
This field was private property that I noticed driving home one day. I asked the property owners' permission to use the field, which they gave to me, and I have been able to go back a couple times for this scenery! Very lucky with this one!
There are many other tips I could share and advice I could give about location scouting, but at the end of the day it’s all about what works for you, your schedule, and your processes. Personalizing the way you find locations and the type of locations you find will make your business unique to you and allow you to stand out among the competition.
If you are curious, here are some of the resources I've created to help photographers with location scouting and sharing information with clients:
Love you all SO MUCH! Please reach out if you ever have questions about anything!
FUN PHOTOGRAPHY FACT: In Victorian times, it was common to pose the dead with their living family to create a memory. Death was a common thing for this period of time, so photographers would try to pose the dead in lifelike positions. Say whaaaaa?!!! That's another kind of crazy for sure.
<3 Malia
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