Photoshoot locations (studio vs. elsewhere)

[SilentKnight]

I'm rather curious to know what everyone prefers regarding photoshoot locations. As a photographer, do you prefer working in a studio as opposed to shooting a model on-location elsewhere? The same question can be asked of surfers - do you prefer viewing images shot in a studio setting...or pics taken elsewhere (outdoors, an old building, someplace exotic, etc.)

And for those of you who do location photoshoots, do you obtain permissions for using locations, use spotters/look-outs...or just wing it?

[DeanCapture]

Originally Posted by SilentKnight

I'm rather curious to know what everyone prefers regarding photoshoot locations. As a photographer, do you prefer working in a studio as opposed to shooting a model on-location elsewhere? The same question can be asked of surfers - do you prefer viewing images shot in a studio setting...or pics taken elsewhere (outdoors, an old building, someplace exotic, etc.)

And for those of you who do location photoshoots, do you obtain permissions for using locations, use spotters/look-outs...or just wing it?

I prefer locations myself. I've shot out of studios for years and for me it's the most boring thing ever. I really enjoy the challenge of walking into a big beautiful home and trying to find cool places to shoot within it. Working with the architecture and the colors to try to create something nice is fun and rewarding for me. A studio is nice for some things but for me and my clients....locations are best

[Fletch XXX]

i see people shopoting porn scenes sometimes driving through the valley, you can tell where the "reality" shoots are occuring.

group of guys + van with 1 girl and lots of camera = dead giveaway

see it all the time

[SilentKnight]

Originally Posted by DeanCapture

I prefer locations myself. I've shot out of studios for years and for me it's the most boring thing ever. I really enjoy the challenge of walking into a big beautiful home and trying to find cool places to shoot within it. Working with the architecture and the colors to try to create something nice is fun and rewarding for me. A studio is nice for some things but for me and my clients....locations are best

Do you haul your own lighting to locations, or prefer to work with available lighting?

I tend to use a lot of old abandoned buildings for locations, most of which don't usually have power available, so I end up either relying on available lighting, or sometimes I'll take along a 300w portwattz inverter to power a few lights.

[DeanCapture]

Originally Posted by SilentKnight

Do you haul your own lighting to locations, or prefer to work with available lighting?

I haul my shit around to the locations...it's the only way for me to work. I rarely shoot with available light but I'd like to start doing more of it. I'm a little out of practice since I've been shooting with mostly studio lighting for the last few years. One of my mentors (J. Stephen Hicks) does some of the best available light glamour/erotic work that I've ever seen. He has a keen sense of light and can spot a beautiful available light situation a mile away. For me it's not that simple

[SilentKnight]

Originally Posted by DeanCapture

I haul my shit around to the locations...it's the only way for me to work. I rarely shoot with available light but I'd like to start doing more of it. I'm a little out of practice since I've been shooting with mostly studio lighting for the last few years. One of my mentors (J. Stephen Hicks) does some of the best available light glamour/erotic work that I've ever seen. He has a keen sense of light and can spot a beautiful available light situation a mile away. For me it's not that simple

(nodding)

That's what I enjoy most about old abandonments - the way light comes in from broken walls, holes in roofs, etc. But you're right...its something you have to stay in practice with. And I find I shoot a lot more frames with available light than in the studio just so I have safeties in case of motion blur, bad exposure settings and such.