Behind the Scenes: Location Scouting for a Portrait
I hope everyone had a good weekend. I thought I might start off the week by giving you a little peek behind the curtain of my job as a photographer. My client, Ryan, is establishing himself as a DJ, and wants a portrait that projects an edgy vibe. The artistic opportunities for this project are limitless, so I was excited about the prospects for getting Ryan the best portrait possible and maybe opening up a new type of portrait client going forward.
I began, as always with my portrait clients, by setting up a Pinterest board and pinning photos of other DJs so that Ryan and I could be on the same page, visually. Ryan liked the ideas I had put together, and additionally suggested some toning to the final prints to give the photos a super creative look. [I’ll write more about that after the project finishes.]
The next task was for me to scout out several locations for the shoot. A lonely, industrial, and urban feel unites all of the photos, so I was looking for places where you would find warehouses, factories, and lots of negative space. While I know Brooklyn is crawling with locations like these, it also has a higher population density in these locations. Instead, I was looking for places not overrun by hipsters. And so I concentrated my search on two areas: downtown near the former Fulton Fish Market and Long Island City near the Queensborough Bridge.
There are advantages to both locations, so it will be up to Ryan to decide which best suits the portrait. On the one hand, with downtown you can utilize the skyscrapers to add a true NYC feel. Long Island City, however, has much more colorful graffiti and you can get the best view of Manhattan from across the East River. Here are the photos from downtown:
And here are photos from Long Island City:
I’ll keep you posted on the project; the portrait is scheduled for this Sunday (barring any bad weather). Interested in finding out more about what goes on behind the scenes? Drop me a line; I would love to hear from you.
To see more of my work, please visit my website, KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com.
Like what you’re reading? Why not subscribe to the blog so you don’t ever miss a post???
