Choosing the Best Location for Your Photo Session
Choosing the best place for your photo session can be tough
That is definitely on the list of benefits for hiring a professional photographer. The professional you work with will get to know who you are and what message you want your photos to convey to your family and future self/selves. After all, photos are done to show the future who you are right now, be it the future you, the kids grown up, grandkids or for generations down the line. For example, are you a person who likes uproarious laughter or are you more serious? Do you love the mountains or prefer just hanging out in your yard? Is your family super affectionate with lots of PDA or are you all more reserved and private. Do you have horses and land or are you more of a city dweller? Is your home decor earthy and woody, boho or more minimalist and industrial? All of these things (and many, many more) will play an important role in deciding where your session will take place.
Indoor or outdoor
This is super important and probably the first question that needs to be answered when you are thinking about professional photos. Will you want an outdoor look for your photos or something more traditional in a studio setting? Each has it’s own set of challenges and rewards. Working outside your photos will be affected by the weather. If there is any wind at all, hair will be blown out of place and long hair can become unruly, blowing into the air, worse, into your face or the face of a beloved family member. Even the slightest wind will probably also influence how clothing looks, creating ripples in material or moving around skirts, sleeves and the fronts of shirts. Hats and other accessories can be easily blown off or even completely away (ever chased a cowboy hat across a meadow near a cliff, because I have, lol). What if it’s raining (or, let’s face it, as this is Montana, what if it’s snowing)? Could be other people, cars or animals in the shot that you didn’t want. However, all those issues aside, outdoor portraits are some of the most dramatic, most beautiful, most impactful and genuine that you could get. There is really something special about photos in the great outdoors.
Photos done in the studio have their perks and benefits, too, though. It doesn’t matter what the weather or temperature is doing outside. These photos usually look more elegant and have more an air of luxury than their outdoor counterparts. It’s easier for your photographer to play around with lighting styles indoors than out. In a relatively short amount of time, your professional photographer can use their studio for low key, dark and moody portraits or high key, light and airy images, backlit silhouettes and all points in between. It’s also easier to keep kiddos in the same spot for longer periods of time, inside a studio setting. You and your photographer will figure out this, together, as well as planning what, if any, props you will want to use. You may be the sort of person who loves a minimalistic approach or you may prefer portraits that are filled with all sorts of things that you love (I knew of one client who literally brought a cargo trailer, as well as the truck bed, filled with things from home, every single year, that they wanted used in their family sessions, no lie).
The TS Gallant Photography difference
With me, you can have the best of both worlds. In fact, you can have the best of both worlds in the same location, if you want. The studio is located on two acres at the edge of Laurel, MT. on this property, you will find several little custom sets scattered around. There is a little bench for kiddos, lilac bushes, fruit trees, ivy growing on a fence for a nice green background for a picnic, as well as sunflower and lavender gardens. We also have an actual rustic antique barn door, old wood fence panel with lasso and other country accoutrements, if desired, and several swings. My favorite set may be the little chicken coop that looks like a barn, set up with hay bales and a little John Deer tractor and wagon, as well as many fake roosters and chickens and a little cast iron bathtub and clothesline. Of course, there is also just the lovely grass with distant treeline for clients who desire more simplicity (this background is perfect for my Fall mini session that I set up with my old pickup truck, pumpkins, bales, scarecrows and other Autumn decor). We even have boulders for kiddos to climb and sit on. Upcoming outdoor sets will include a little pond, a wishing well, little parcel of wheat to walk through and even a stone wall. If it were up to me, I’d add a whole lot more (cough-old1940struckchassis-cough) but my husband has put his foot down. Oh well, what’s a gal to do? Even better news is that, if you want it, my lights and equipment are all portable so we can also offer your session off site. Popular locations are along Beartooth Pass, at your property or a friend’s ranch, the Priors, local parks, even Yellowstone.
Gotcha covered for in studio, too. There are currently hundreds of backdrop looks, from curtains, to archways, to gardens, to walls and doors, to fine art to whimsical, to outdoorsy and many, many more. There are also a myriad of colors, as well. Did you know that, here, there is even the option of composite portraits? That is where I take the actual photo and put everyone into a completely different set. This can be done to just utilize a different background, replace a background and floor, create a completely different scene or put together several elements into one. An example of this is taking photos of each family member, child or even one child and putting them all together in a digital background. There are some samples of composite work shown below.
The personality factor
You might be wondering what I meant, earlier, about the personality factor. Why would that matter? Well, there is actually a lot of psychology involved in creating the perfect portrait session. In general, certain personality types are typically drawn to certain styles. Someone who is more reserved and quiet will likely prefer a simple background, maybe with just one color, over a busy background filled with lots of props. Conversely, someone with a gregarious, talkative personality and who loves to laugh will likely be more drawn to lots of bright colors and many props. Could you picture Robert De Niro, Matthew McConaughey or Clint Eastwood or John Wayne (God rest him) posing for a photo in front of yellow shelves bursting with funny, brightly colored clockwork toys and rubber ducks? I bet it wouldn’t be a huge stretch to see Robin Williams (God rest him, too), Jim Carrey, Melissa McCarthy or Will Ferrell there, though. A true professional photographer will help navigate the perfect look, poses and styling for your personality and family dynamic.
Let’s get to work
No matter what sort of portrait look suits your family the best, you are going to be right at home with TS Gallant Photography. I would love to talk with you about what you are looking for you and how I may serve you best. However, whether you choose to work with me or with someone else, these are things you definitely want to keep in mind (and to make sure your photographer takes time to ask the right questions). I do hope to hear from you soon!
